MEMBERSHIP & REQUIREMENTS

Honors Forum introduces extraordinary rigor into academic programs as students consider complex questions and examine sophisticated materials.  Honors Forum students develop what we refer to as “the life of the mind” by working alongside their faculty on research projects in labs, at field sites, in libraries, and in studios, often helping to shape the curriculum with which they engage.   The Forum promotes and supports student-organized co-curricular activities (e.g. lectures and panel discussions) and leadership and civic engagement opportunities where students guide fellow peers, faculty, and staff within the Skidmore community and beyond.  We also encourage all students at Skidmore College to take an Honors course, add-on, or independent study to become invested in a community of scholars and leaders.

Admission to the Forum: All Students

At the beginning of the spring term, the Council invites currently enrolled first-year and second-year students who attained a GPA of 3.50 or above in the fall semester to apply for membership. Each applicant must submit a statement addressing his or her academic achievement and participation in the College's co-curricular program and seek a letter of recommendation from a member of the faculty. The Honors Council reviews these applications. The Council will look for high academic achievement, potential for active participation in the classroom, and leadership qualities. The Council will also consider the balance among different disciplines represented among the membership.

The Honors Council will endeavor to keep the size of the membership of the Honors Forum to 10% of the total Skidmore enrollment. Students must maintain their membership on a yearly basis by doing the following:

• Maintain a term GPA of 3.50 or better as a full-time student. Honors Forum students who fail to maintain a 3.50 GPA for two semesters lose Honors Forum membership.
• Maintain exemplary academic and social integrity.
• Complete a Citizenship Project by the end of the junior year.
• Complete a minimum of 3 Honors Forum courses or 7 credits by the end of the senior year and a capstone in the senior year, which can take the form of a capstone course, thesis, project, performance, or other advanced project defined by the student's major department, or by the student and a faculty advisor, and approved in advance by the Honors Council as an appropriate culmination of the Honors Forum program. Certain courses will be eligible automatically (e.g., all department/program-based experiences that make a student eligible for honors in the major). The Capstone will typically earn three or four honors credits during the senior year. With departmental support, students may petition the Honors Council for 1-4 honors credits for an off-campus academic experience such as might occur during study abroad.
• Engage in Forum events during the academic year.
  

Student Forms:

• Student Checklist
  
• Citizenship Project Proposal
• Student Application
• Pre-registration Form
• Course Funds Request
• Activities and Co-sponsorship Request
• Senior Capstone Form
• Withdrawal Form
• Funding Policies and the Honors Forum
• Independent Study
• Citizenship Project Final Report Form
  

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ADVANTAGES

There are tremendous academic and co-curricular benefits to being a member of the Honors Forum.

• Honors Forum offers an enhanced intellectual community among students who are unusually active in pursuing the life of the mind and engaging in citizenship.
• It is a hallmark of Skidmore education that daily campus life supports the learning processes that students encounter in the classroom, library, studio, and lab, and the Honors Forum strives to create these opportunities. 
• The Forum sponsors numerous programs, lectures, and trips throughout the semester. Recent trips include a visit to New York City to attend a Broadway show, a tour of the Metropolitan Museum, a visit to the Boston Aquarium, and a day at the Bronx Zoo.
• Honors Forum has an annual banquet to recognize Citizenship Projects and receptions and informal get-togethers during the year for Honors students to mingle.
• The Forum annually sponsors The Jon A. Ramsey Lecture where Honors students have the opportunity to nominate a favorite professor to give a talk specifically to students in the Forum.
• Honors Forum students also run Shades of Grey, an interactive panel discussion on provocative topics (for past speakers and topics, COMING SOON).
• HF students have the opportunity to preregister for Honors classes. This means an underclassman who is an HF member can successfully enroll in even the most popular classes. 
• The Honors Forum newsletter that every HF member receives provides a “head’s up” on forthcoming events.
• Beginning Fall 2012, HF students can apply to live in Wiecking Hall.  For more information on Honors housing, COMING SOON.
• Students can learn about upcoming events on Facebook; friend HF Skidmore, and you can meet and interact with other members.
  
• Honors Forum students have a lounge located in Ladd 321.  An ideal place for studying and relaxing, it contains comfortable couches and a white board for your use.  In addition, it holds a newly created library.  Students in the Honors Forum Class of 2012 created a list of books, films, and ideas that they have found provocative or exciting.  We are working to bring many of these titles to the library. Click on the link to view the list: 2015 Creative Life of the Mind List
• HF shows up on your transcript as a minor.  All incoming students receive a special HF mug, and all graduating HF students receive a medal to wear at graduation.
  

Event Planning Guide

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HONORS HOUSING

Beginning Fall 2012, Honors Forum in conjunction with Residential Life is offering housing to sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Wiecking Hall.  Members who apply to live in HF housing must complete their Citizenship Project during the Fall or Spring semester; if an HF student completes the Citizenship Project, he or she, if accepted to live in this building, is expected to mentor other students completing their Citizenship Projects.  To apply for Honors housing, COMING SOON.

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STUDENT GOVERNANCE

One of the hallmarks of the Honors Forum is the degree of student involvement in policy making and planning.

Student Executive Committee

The Student Executive Committee or Exec Co, as we commonly call it, is the student governing body of the Honors Forum. The Executive Committee provides leadership and direction to members of the Honors Forum. Exec Co consists of the Honors Forum President, Vice President, Citizenship Coordinator, Community Liaison, and Class Representatives.

Exec Co’s members report to the Honors Council and have the following responsibilities, many in conjunction with the Council:

• Plan and publicize co-curricular events: receptions, faculty-student discussions, study nights, trips, and informal get-togethers.
• Work with SGA, College clubs and organizations, the Admissions Office, and Alumni Affairs.
• Meet with students about Forum-related issues.
• Help coordinate the annual Spring HF induction and the final HF banquet.
• Maintain the Honors Forum newsletter.
• Represent the Forum during prospective and Accepted Candidates Days.
• Participate in the coordination of Academic Festival.

Concerns, Questions, and Suggestions Is there an issue that you’d like the Honors Council or Student Executive Committee to address? Contact any of the Executive Committee members, and they will bring your concern to the attention of Exec Co or invite you to attend a meeting.

Kimberly Korioth
Class of 2015

If you would like to volunteer to be a class representative, contact the President of one of the two Vice Presidents.  If you would like to bring an idea to the Executive Committee, contact one of your class representatives (once they are determined) or the President or Vice Presidents.

Want to Serve?

Student representatives, selected annually by the Director and the Exec Co, must be members in good standing. To volunteer to sit on Exec Co or on the subcommittees, see or email the HF President. We need at least two volunteers from each class to serve on Student Exec Co.

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