Academic Honors and Awards

Outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement is readily recognized at Roanoke College. Students who attain and maintain high levels of performance are honored each year in many ways.

SEMESTER HONORS

The Dean’s List Students are placed on the Dean’s List of Distinguished Students if their semester grade point average for any Fall or Spring term is 3.5 or above, with no grade below “C” in any course. The student must have been enrolled for credit in at least four units, three of which were for a letter grade (excluding pass/fail and audit).

Faculty’s List of Honorable Mention Students whose semester grade point average for any Fall or Spring term is at least 3.0 but less than 3.5 and who meet the criteria for the Dean’s List stated above are recognized by the designation of honorable mention for scholastic achievement.

Faculty’s List of Notable Achievement Students are placed on the Faculty List of Notable Achievement if their semester grade point average for any Fall or Spring term is 3.0 or above, with no grade below “C” in any course. The student must have been enrolled for credit in at least one one-unit course and fewer than four one-unit courses, all of which were for a letter grade (excluding pass/fail and audit). These honor lists will be determined by grades as recorded at the end of the Fall or Spring term in December and May. Grades earned during the Summer session and May term are not used in the compilations.

For requirements for junior and senior Scholars, Degrees with Distinction, Valedictorian and Salutatorian please note: The information that follows applies to students entering beginning Fall 1999 under the new Centers of Distinction Curriculum. Students previously enrolled and transfers entering prior to Fall 2000 should consult the 1998-99 academic catalog for their requirements.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR SCHOLARS

Junior Scholars A student classified as a junior during or at the end of the Fall term who has earned a minimum of 16 units at Roanoke College with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher is awarded a certificate of recognition as a Junior Scholar by the faculty.

Senior Scholars Annually, the department or coordinator in each major may recommend to the Dean as Senior Scholar a student whose work in that field has been most exemplary. In order to be considered, a student must have at least a 3.2 cumulative academic average and must have earned at least 25 units of credit, of which at least 17 units have been earned at Roanoke College. Eligibility is determined from among currently enrolled students on the basis of their academic records as of the end of the Fall term.

DEGREES WITH DISTINCTION

Degrees Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude are conferred upon students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4, 3.7, or 3.9, respectively, for all courses taken at Roanoke. The student must have completed a minimum of 17 units (excluding physical education and co- curricular activities) at Roanoke College to receive a degree with distinction.

HONORS IN MAJORS

Qualified students may apply for honors in their major(s) by completing an honors project, which will consist of a program of independent study culminating in a paper, artistic creation, or performance. Students who meet the criteria given below will receive the designation “Honors in (field of study)” on their diplomas.

Students applying for major honors work must have at least a 3.4 grade point average in the major, calculated at the time of their application for honors work. In order to receive honors, students must have at least a 3.4 GPA in their major at graduation.

The honors project must be sponsored by a faculty member or members in the student’s major, who will serve as the primary advisor(s) for the project, and by a committee composed of the primary advisor(s) and not fewer than two additional faculty. (Advisors are encouraged to include a faculty member from outside the student’s major on the committee.)

Honors work is undertaken in the senior year or in the Summer prior to the senior year. While the project may be based on previous work, e.g., a seminar paper or independent study, it must represent a significant and original project over and above any past work. Application for major honors work is made the semester or Summer prior to undertaking the project.

A student applying for major honors work must submit a proposal to his or her committee. If the committee and department administering the student’s major approve the proposal, permission to enroll in honors work in the following term will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. At the discretion of the department a student may take one unit of honors work in one semester or two one-half units over two semesters. The department will determine whether honors credit may be used as an elective in the major. The application form is available in the Office of the Associate Dean.

The committee will evaluate the completed project based on the final product and on an oral examination. Projects other than research papers must include a narrative essay describing the work.

The primary advisor(s) will assign a letter grade for the project after consulting with the other committee members. Students completing the one-half unit honors course will receive a grade of “NG” at the end of the first term of the project; upon completion of the second half-unit course, the grade for the entire project will be assigned to both courses. If the student does not complete the second half-unit course, a letter grade will be assigned to the first.

Students whose projects receive a grade of “A-” or higher will be awarded honors, provided they have a 3.4 GPA in their major at graduation. Departments are encouraged to arrange a public forum to allow students receiving major honors to present their work.

VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN

The valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class will be selected from among those graduates who have completed at least 22 units (excluding physical education and co-curricular activities) while enrolled as full-time students at Roanoke College.