Seven Lander University students were honored recently as graduates of the university's Honors International Program (HIP). They are the last group to complete the program whose components have been folded into Lander's new Honors College, which will admit students for the fall semester.
HIP promoted a global perspective in all academic areas. Faculty from each of Lander's four colleges taught honors seminars, and students also spent a semester studying at one of Lander's partner schools in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America..
The Honors College will focus on international issues, emphasizing fine arts, behavioral sciences, history, literature, mathematics, science, education, public affairs, and logic and analytical thought. It also encourages academic travel and professional experiences. Students can choose from among options that include study abroad; study away, but closer to home; internships; and directed independent research projects.
Another feature is The Global Scholars Program, which will select groups of exceptional Honors College students to spend a semester of study abroad, or a summer international study program relevant to each student's major, at no additional cost.
Lander's Honors International Program dates back to the late 1980s, the idea of then-Lander president Larry Jackson. His philosophy became the foundation for the university's pioneering honors curriculum requiring study abroad, which most other universities now strongly encourage as part of their honors programs.
The students who made up the final HIP graduating class were presented by Dr. Lillian Craton, associate professor of English and director of the new Honors College. They are: Alexandria Beebe, of Clover; Lauren Carroll and Conner Lewis, of Greenwood; Emily Knott, of Boiling Springs; Jennifer Lovvorn, of Donalds; Rade Musulin, of Hilton Head Island, and Kendall Couch, of Tifton, Ga.