The Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University: An In-Depth Look
The Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) offers a distinctive and enriching academic experience for motivated students. It is designed as an alternative general education program for students who are seeking academic challenges. The college offers a vibrant learning community and extraordinary opportunities for academically motivated students. While participating in Honors, students can live in one of several distinctive Honors living/learning centers, participate in a nurturing academic environment and community, learn through a distinctive interdisciplinary curriculum, and become true leaders who make a difference in their world.
A Unique Learning Environment
The Frederik Meijer Honors College distinguishes itself through several key features that contribute to a unique and supportive learning environment. Many of its classes are interdisciplinary and team-taught while utilizing smaller class sizes to elicit greater discussion. We understand that sometimes the moments of greatest learning are unplanned. These smaller classes, coupled with the fact that many professors hold office hours nearby, foster a deeper personal connection between students and professors. This approach promotes intellectual curiosity and an enthusiasm for learning that will live on well beyond our students' undergraduate years.
Integrated Living and Learning
The Frederik Meijer Honors College includes an integrated living and learning environment. The Glenn A. Niemeyer Learning and Living Center offers students the opportunity to take classes in the same building in which they live. The Honors Office, Honors Director, and many professors' offices are located in the Niemeyer Learning and Living Center, giving students quick and easy access to all resources available. Whether you’re in Honors housing on the north side of campus in the Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center, or on the south side in the Glenn A. Niemeyer building, residing in Honors allows you to be surrounded by like-minded students while simultaneously forming a strong sense of community. Living with other Honors students facilitates interactions and relationships between students that carry over into the classrooms, further enhancing students’ learning.
Personalized Instruction and Faculty Interaction
A hallmark of the program is personalized instruction, fostering close intellectual relationships with faculty members specifically selected for their credentials and passion for teaching. The greater student-faculty interaction, as well as classes specially designed to foster advanced writing and speaking skills, critical thinking, and analysis, prepare students to be competitive for graduate and professional programs. Our students develop high levels of proficiency in research, writing, critical thinking, synthesizing material from multiple disciplines, and applying critical skills to primary sources.
Curriculum Overview
The Honors curriculum at GVSU begins with a year-long grouping, or "sequence," of four integrated courses, two in the first semester and two in the second semester, that are team-taught by at least two faculty and that focus on a single interdisciplinary topic. There are currently 15 different sequences to choose from. The Frederik Meijer Honors College courses comprise the general education component of your undergraduate curriculum. Therefore, you still take courses in your major, minor, and any other courses you choose.
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General Education Requirements
GVSU’s regular General Education program comprises 35-41 credits, or 11 to 13 courses, while our Honors curriculum amounts to 27 credits, or 9 courses. For Honors students, all General Education requirements are fulfilled through those 27 credits. Six of the required 27 credits in Honors may be covered by a study abroad experience (HNR 200 and one other course, in consultation with an advisor). Nine, potentially, may be covered by courses required in major or minor programs (HNR 200, HNR 250/251, and HNR 401/499). But even students who do not study abroad and do not take any departmental Honors courses will take just 27 out of their 120 (or more) credits overall to satisfy their general education requirements. This means that no more than 22.5% of a student's academic requirements will be in Honors.
Writing and SWS Requirements
Honors students satisfy the WRT 150 requirement by completing HNR 151 and HNR 152 (the fall semester of a first-year sequence) with an average grade of B or better. Honors students can earn credit for one SWS course by completing HNR 154 (in the winter semester of a first-year sequence) with a C or better. They must earn their second SWS course credit outside of Honors--typically within their major.
Students who do not earn WRT 150 credit through HNR 151 and HNR 152 may appeal to the Director of the Honors College by collecting three graded papers, including at least two from the first-year sequence, and appending a cover letter making the case that the writing demonstrates B-or-better qualities in WRT 150. The Director may consult with the sequence faculty and/or the Faculty Chair in Honors in making a final determination. If the appeal succeeds, the Honors office will request a WRT 150 waiver from Records.
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Credits
All AP and IB credits that are accepted by GVSU count toward the 120-credit graduation requirement, effectively reducing the number of credits a student needs to earn a degree. In the Honors College, we value AP and IB courses as excellent preparation for our curriculum, but because our curriculum is topical, interdisciplinary, discussion-oriented, and project-based, with frequent co-curricular excursions and activities, we don’t believe that high school courses, even excellent ones, in Physics, Psychology, World History, and other subjects substitute for the cohort-building academic experiences we offer.
Honors Senior Project
HNR 499 is your Honors Senior Project. After finding a faculty advisor, discussing your project, and deciding how many credits it will be, you will need to submit the proposal online which you complete in consultation with a faculty advisor. When you submit the form, your advisor will approve it and it will be sent to the Honors Director.
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Extracurricular Activities and Community Engagement
The Meijer Honors College encourages its students to engage in extracurricular activities to develop leadership skills and an appreciation of the richness and diversity of university life. Honors students frequently engage in service and volunteer projects at the university or in the community. They also have unique cultural experiences and travel opportunities such as subsidized museum visits and faculty-led trips to Chicago, Detroit, and other cities.
Honors Student Council and Affinity Groups
The Honors Student Council (HSC) is responsible for contributing to Meijer Honors College governance and provides all honors students, not just those living in honors living centers, opportunities to be heard. HSC provides input to the university, develops programming and student activities, and works to build community within the Meijer Honors College.
The Honors Affinity Alliance (HAA) invites students from all ethnic, racial, sexual/gender, and disability backgrounds. Its mission is to create a supportive space to explore and discuss diversity, identity, equity, and inclusion topics that shape the college experience and future careers. The HAA is about bringing people together to host engaging and enriching events.
Honors Familia is a vibrant and inclusive affinity group nestled within the Fredrik Meijer Honors College, dedicated to fostering a sense of community and support for the Latinx population within the honors community. Embracing the values of academic excellence, cultural celebration, and camaraderie, Honors Familia aims to create a nurturing space where members can share experiences, build connections, and celebrate their unique cultural identities. Through a variety of events, discussions, and collaborative initiatives, the group strives to enhance the academic and social journey of its members, promoting a sense of belonging and empowerment within the Honors College.
Peer Mentoring
Upper-level honors students may apply to be peer mentors to incoming first-year students. Mentors assist students with the transition to the Meijer Honors College and university life in general and act as ambassadors for the Meijer Honors College. The program is run through the Honors Student Council.
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Admission and Application Process
Applicants must first be accepted to GVSU before applying to the Meijer Honors College. The Frederik Meijer Honors College employs a holistic application process, which means that we consider the whole student, not just static indicators. In our application, we look for demonstrations of strong academic motivation and ability to achieve on a high level. The application asks you to show these through sharing your leadership experiences, completing a self-assessment, and submitting a substantial paper from high school. We also look at high school transcripts and standardized test scores, if supplied. Our normal expectation of high school applicants entering college for the first time is a 3.5 high school GPA and an ACT score of 28 or an SAT score of 1300.
The Meijer Honors College also welcomes applications from students transferring from another college or university or from within GVSU. Our normal expectation is that transfer students will have a 3.5 college GPA. Transfer students should generally have a 3.5 GPA established at a college or university. You must apply online. March 15: In early April, we begin sending students information about registering for fall Honors courses. We do accept applications through the summer, however--and students accepted in the summer generally still have options for Honors courses and Honors housing.
The application form is available online at gvsu.edu/honors.
Honors Housing Application
All students accepted into Honors are welcome to stay in Honors until graduation in order to complete their general education requirements, even if their final GPA prevents them from earning the official Honors designation.
Honors Designation and Graduation
To attain the Meijer Honors College designation, students must graduate with an overall grade point average of 3.2 or above. Students below 3.2 may complete the honors curriculum to satisfy their university general education requirements, but they will not earn the honors designation. If your GPA drops below 3.2 at any time during your academic career, our advisors will reach out to you to offer help and guidance. Our goal is to help you do as well as possible, and we hope that includes graduating with the Honors designation.
Completion of all Meijer Honors College requirements results in the "Meijer Honors College Graduate" designation on both the baccalaureate diploma and the college transcript. Graduates are eligible to wear a special stole and medallion at Commencement. Completion of the Meijer Honors College program should not be confused with "Graduation with Honors," which is determined strictly by final grade point average. The Meijer Honors College requires not only a high grade point average but also successful completion of a special series of challenging courses.
When you plan to graduate, you must fill out a graduation request card at the Registrar's windows in Student Services so that your transcripts can be audited. You can either stop by the Honors Office in the Glenn A. Niemeyer Learning and Living Center during walk in advising hours or set up an appointment with one of our advisors.
Withdrawal from Honors
Students may voluntarily withdraw from honors at any time but will be responsible for completing the regular General Education Program if they do so. Then they should meet with one of our Meijer Honors College advisors to discuss the transition from the Honors curriculum to GVSU's standard General Education curriculum. Meijer Honors College advisors are available to assist students transitioning out of the program.
Likewise, students may apply to transfer into honors from the regular General Education Program, or from another college or university, and honors advisors are available to help with the transition.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Yes. For scholarships with grade requirements attached, your grades are checked at the end of the winter semester (in April). This means losing scholarships can only happen at the end of a full year.
GVSU offers a variety of scholarships to support students in the Meijer Honors College, including:
- Arend D. and Nancy Lubbers Scholarship: Those who are awarded presidential scholarships are eligible for a prestigious honors-only scholarship, the Lubbers Scholarship. This award can add as much as $5,000 onto merit-based scholarships and is renewable for up to 10 semesters.
- Frederik Meijer First Generation Honors College Student Scholarship: This is a full-tuition scholarship for a select number of extraordinary first-year students who are the first in their immediate family to pursue a college degree. Candidates must have been accepted to the university and the Meijer Honors College and must enroll full-time as a degree-seeking student. The scholarship is renewable up to a maximum of eight semesters.
- Felix V. and Gladys A. Zukaitis Honors Scholarship: Those who are awarded presidential or faculty scholarships are eligible for a prestigious honors-only scholarship, the Zukaitis Honors Scholarship. This award can add as much as $1,000 onto merit-based scholarships and is renewable for up to eight semesters.
- Ruth Chamberlain Global Issues Scholarship: This scholarship was initiated by John ("Jack") Chamberlain in memory of his wife Ruth. The scholarship provides support for one or more students in the Meijer Honors College who have shown significant promise, growth, or improvement and have demonstrated a research or career interest in solving global problems (for example, issues of climate change, natural disasters, energy, population change, sustainability, etc.). Areas of study may include, but are not limited to, natural resources, biology, chemistry, or related sciences.
- Jonathan and Marcia White Endowed Honors College Scholarship: This scholarship continues Jonathan's legacy of public service and commitment to advancing homeland security. It rewards bright students in the Meijer Honors College who are pursuing careers in national security or public service. The scholarship was established in recognition of Colonel Ralph Hauenstein's record of military and civilian service. Candidates must be in honors and enrolled for at least 12 credit hours per semester.
- Jeff ("Dr. J") Chamberlain Meijer Honors College Alumni Scholarship: The purpose of this scholarship is to assist students and promote diversity in the Frederik Meijer Honors College. This is a needs-based scholarship, which means applicants must demonstrate financial need through the FAFSA. Candidates must be in honors and enrolled for at least 12 credit hours per semester.
For the Chamberlain, White, and other scholarships, visit gvsu.edu/financialaid or call (616) 331-3234 or (800) 748-0246.
Enhancing Future Success
Yes, for many reasons. An Honors education is about much more than just gaining information. Throughout the curriculum, professors challenge students to improve and enhance their writing and speaking skills, which are crucial in today's business world and in many professions. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the means by which we develop as critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers. Classroom discussions and group projects help students become more open-minded and collaborative. These are the kind of global and local citizenship skills college graduates need to function in our increasingly complex world. Graduate program admissions committees and employers look for people who set high standards for themselves and excel--those who prefer the less traveled but more challenging route. But you don't travel that route alone. The faculty and staff of the Frederik Meijer Honors College are here to help by putting our experience and knowledge to work for you. Success - Get an edge when applying for jobs, fellowships, or graduate school.
The Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships assists Grand Valley students who show extraordinary potential in disciplines all across campus in preparing and applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships including the Boren, Fulbright, Gates Cambridge, Gilman, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, Udall, and more. The staff matches opportunities with students' strengths, interests, and ambitions; helps students design a plan to attain their goals; and provides support throughout the application process. To learn more, visit gvsu.edu/fellowships.
Conclusion
The Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University offers a transformative educational experience for students seeking intellectual challenge, a supportive community, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Its commitment to interdisciplinary learning, personalized instruction, and community engagement prepares graduates to be successful leaders and active global citizens.
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