THE HONORS PROGRAM
CLARION UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
MISSION STATEMENT
Clarion University is committed to seeking academic excellence in all areas of higher education.
The institution is committed to providing an environment which challenges students to develop
their talents, to extend their intellectual capacities and interests, to expand their creative
abilities, and to develop a life-long respect and enthusiasm for learning. The Honors Program is
dedicated to this mission and designed to meet the unique need to students with outstanding
academic qualifications. This mission will be accomplished through Honors sections of regular
catalog courses, interdisciplinary Honors courses, special Honors seminars, and opportunities
for research. The Honors Program is enhanced by collaborative efforts of the Clarion University
faculty, the members of the Honors Council, and the director of the Honors Program.
VISION
The Honors Program will be a nationally recognized leader in providing outstanding
undergraduate education to a diverse group of students. Within Clarion University, Main
Campus and Venango Campus, the program will provide enhanced curricular experiences and
challenging undergraduate programs of study. The greatest challenges that the Honors Program
faces in the next several years fall into the areas of recruitment/admissions, academic
excellence/assessment, and development. As a result, six major goals for the strategic planning
cycle are identified:
CORE VALUE GOALS
Learner Success.
Challenge learners to succeed and to provide an environment that supports and rewards their best
efforts.
Access and Diversity.
Engage a geographically and ethnically diverse student body and provide a curriculum with a
wide range of educational experiences.
Academic Excellence.
Be a model of academic excellence in terms of student engagement, classroom instruction, and
undergraduate research and creative activity.
Cooperation & Collaboration.
Build an environment in which cooperation and collaboration are both valued and expected as
part of the educational endeavor.
Program Visibility.
Make known the quality of the Honors Program at the local, state, and national levels.
Outreach and Service.

Infrastructure to support extraordinary student learning and faculty scholarship outside the
formal classroom. These experiences are inclusive of a broad range of internships, study abroad
opportunities, directed research, service learning, and career portfolios.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the Honors Program will communicate effectively. The Modes of Discourse
Classes will help students gain fundamental skills in writing, and speaking—basic skills for
successful career entry in all fields.
Students completing the Honors Program will demonstrate evidence of critical reasoning. Honors
Courses will emphasize critical reasoning through active approaches to learning.
Students completing the Honors Program will apply knowledge of a broad range of the arts and
humanities. Coursework in the arts and humanities will instill the intrinsic value of the arts in
society.
Students completing the Honors Program will apply knowledge of the natural sciences and
mathematics. Coursework in mathematics and natural sciences will engage students in
application of the sciences and mathematics for understanding.
Students completing the Honors Program will apply knowledge of the social sciences.
Coursework in the social sciences will actively engage students in applying their knowledge of
social sciences.
Students completing the Honors Program will complete a prospectus for initiating and executing
a research project or creative project directly related to their major field of study. The Prospectus
encourages students to reflect on their own values and demonstrate mastery of independent
research/creativity inherent in each academic discipline. Active learning contexts will be created
within the Junior Seminar which serves as the foundation for the capstone experience.
Students completing the Honors Program will understand appropriate professional knowledge for
dissemination of research and professional discipline forums. The Capstone Experience will
engage students in an active learning context for dissemination of research or the appropriate
creative venue.