| |
| Membership
Requirements |
| |
| Membership
in the Insignis Program for Honors Students is generally by invitation
or application only. |
| |
| Admission of Students from High School |
| Qualified
high school students who have applied to Aquinas College and who
meet
the ACT and GPA requirements (25+ ACT and 3.5+ GPA) are sent a brochure
and application form by the Admissions Department and are invited
to
join in their freshman year. The Insignis Program Review Board
officially admits applicants based on their ACT scores, GPA from high
school, the recommendation of two high school teachers or counselors,
and a personal essay. |
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| Spectrum Winners |
| The
five winners of the annual Spectrum Scholarship Competition automatically
become members of Insignis and are expected to fulfill the Insignis
requirements as a condition of their scholarship. |
| |
| Admission of Current Aquinas Students |
| Each
year the Insignis director asks faculty to nominate outstanding undergraduates
for admission to the Insignis program. Generally, these students
will be freshmen or sophomores. Because of the academic requirements,
students are generally not admitted after the first full semester of
their sophomore year. Exceptions may be made by the Review Board. |
| |
| Students
may also nominate themselves by seeing the Insignis director who
will
conduct a personal interview. Qualified students will then apply
to the Review Board using the usual application form. |
| |
| In
the case of current students, the applicant must have a 3.5 cumulative
GPA and only one letter of nomination or reference from an Aquinas
faculty
member. |
| |
| Overview of Academic Requirements |
| To
graduate with Insignis honors, a student must complete honors work
in
a minimum of 15% of the course work required for graduation, or in
18 credit hours. Most students will complete Honors I&E (3 credits),
Honors Humanities (6 credits), and perform honors work in one addtional
class in the major or complete departmental honors work (if available).
Additionally, each student is required to complete both IN 350,
the
junior Insignis seminar designed by the Insignis students themselves
and taught by a student-selected instructor, and a senior project
or
assistantship. In this independent study project or undergraduate assistantship,
students work closely with a faculty mentor in their major field
either
to probe deeply into specialized areas of their major or to assist
a professor in professional research.They may contract for 3-6
credit
hours for this senior-level requirement. |
| |
| For
students who transfer to Aquinas after their first year, who test
out
of I&E, or who can not fit an honors section into their schedule
for a particular semester, an interview with the Director of the Program
is recommended. In this interview, the student and the Director will
determine the most beneficial way for the student to complete honors
work in 15% of his/her classes. Some options inculde taking Insignis
350 more than once, performing honors work in a class for a minor
or
double major, working as an honors assistant for one of the student's
professors, or completeing departmental honors requirements, if available. |
| |
| In
their junior year, Insignis students enroll in IN 350, a
3-credit seminar with variable content. This junior-level course
is generally
in an area and with an instructor selected by the students themselves,
and provides an opportunity for inventive, experimental and cross-disciplinary
learning. |
| |
| In
their senior year, Insignis students also undertake an independent
study project or an undergraduate assistantship in which they work closely
with a faculty mentor in their major field either to probe more deeply
into specialized areas of their major or to assist a professor in professional
research. |
| |
| Throughout
their years in the Insignis Program, students must complete fifteen
contact hours of community service work per semester and report these
hours to the Insignis Director at the end of each term. |
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| Summary of Academic Requirements |
| Freshman
Year: |
| First
Semester: Honors
GE 101 Insignis I&E (3 credits) |
|
| Sophomore
Year: |
| First Semester: Honors GE 201 Insignis Humanities (3 credits) |
| Second
Semester: Honors GE 202 Insignis Humanities (3 credits) |
|
| |
| Junior
Year: |
| First
or Second Semester: IN 350 (3 credits) Insignis Seminar |
|
| |
| Senior
Year: |
| First
or Second Semester: IN 398 (3-6 credits) Senior Thesis |
| or |
| IN
400 Undergrad Assistantship (3 credits) |
|
| Total Number of Honors Credits: 18 credit hours |
| |
| To
receive the Insignis designation on their College transcripts, Insignis
student must fulfill the following requirements: |
- Successfully complete honors work
in 18 credit hours.
- Sucessfully complete IN 350 and
a senior independent study project (3-6 credit hours) or undergraduate
assistantship (3+ credits), as part of those 18 credit hours.
- Maintain 3.5 cumulative grade point
average.
- Complete at least 15 hours of volunteer
activity during each semester while enrolled at Aquinas.
|
| Participants
are also expected to attend the regularly scheduled monthly meetings
and the annual symposium. |
