The Honors College is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic, co-curricular and cultural experience for all of our students.
We are continuously working to build holistic, short and long-term, structural solutions to support and foster the success of our diverse student body. Creating these opportunities and a framework to cultivate cultural competency will enable us in the Honors College to celebrate all of our students’ unique perspectives.
Student Life
Our community is a cornerstone of the Honors College. Through our Living-Learning Community, Honors students have numerous opportunities to share their experiences and learn from one another. Our Affinity Groups provide space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to build strong connections with their peers while having fun, learning, and supporting each other.
Living in the residence halls, first-year students meet and live with students from all backgrounds. To facilitate a positive residential environment, the past few years Honors and Lincoln Hall Resident Assistants received multicultural training from the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Furthermore, events in the residence halls invite students to engage deeply with different perspectives. Two such events included a viewing and discussion series of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix mini-series "When They See Us," and "Big Words," a lecture series that brings together faculty and staff from around WVU.
The Honors Learning Experience
Honors students engage with diverse perspectives in their HONR 102 Introduction
to Honors course. In HONR 102, all Honors Foundations program students complete
a diversity module which prepares students to become involved members of their
new community. Students also attend sessions in the Honoring Diversity Seminar
Series. Additionally, through one-credit book study courses, study abroad trips
and special topics classes taught by our faculty fellows, Honors Foundations
students have the freedom to learn about many different identities, experiences
and ways of thinking.
Previously, students enrolled in "Extending Reality," a special topics course
taught by 2022-23 Faculty Fellow David Smith, created a 360-degree video featuring
students of color discussing their Honors College experience.
Honoring Diversity Seminar Series
These lectures are designed to allow an opportunity to engage with innovative topics pertaining to Diversity and Inclusion. The focus has been on highlighting information pertaining to a variety of diversity related issues. The speakers of this series have ties to West Virginia University and topics that pertain to the area.Professional Development
We understand that faculty and staff set the tone for the Honors College student experience.
The Honors College faculty and staff often participate in professional development activities focused on facilitating growth, learning, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment. Some of the professional development sessions Honors staff participate in include, but are not limited to, Safe Zone training and Anti-Racist and Gender Inclusivity Training offered by the LGBTQ+ Center.
Honors staff members regularly read and discuss books about diversity-related topics in order to build a common understanding of critical issues to inform our work in supporting Honors students.
Admissions and Recruiting
The Honors College is committed to providing access for all students with high potential who demonstrate the creativity, curiosity, grit and passion that make our students unique.
Starting in the Fall 2021 admission cycle, the Honors College piloted a test-blind open application pathway available for any incoming first-year student who expresses interest in joining the Honors College, regardless of standardized test scores. Currently we offer a fully open and test-blind admissions option, eliminating the influence of the widely recognized bias found in standardized test scores on the selection of Honors students.
Through targeted recruiting efforts and key partnerships such as with the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA), we are further working to attract diverse classes of students who have the potential to be leaders in our WVU community.
We also understand that not all students have the opportunity to join us in their first semester at WVU. Our second semester admission process does not depend on students’ high school academic records, instead allowing students to join the Honors Foundations program in their second semester at WVU based on their academic performance in their first semester at WVU.