last modified:2009-08-17 11:15:55
Honors Think Tanks & Forum
| Honors Think Tanks | Current Think Tanks | Previous Think Tank Topics | Honors Forum |
The Honors Engaged Learning Initiative takes students out of traditional classroom settings and immerses them in a collaborative research or mentoring experience. Designed to nurture a new generation of community leaders, this new program demonstrates a commitment to undergraduate research, community involvement, collaboration and leadership development. Our goal is to give every Honors student the opportunity to participate in an Honors Think Tank and Honors Forum and others distinctive experiences such as the Community Leadership Scholars or Honors College Scholars Programs.
The Honors Think Tank program brings students, faculty, and community partners together in a year-long collaborative research project that focuses on a pressing societal issue. These interdisciplinary teams explore complex issues and design and execute a research project in collaboration with the community. The project immerses students in civic dialogue and makes them partners in finding solutions to pressing societal issues. Honors Think Tanks have already tackled a myriad of topics including the revitalization of downtown, immigration, the religious divide, quality of life, bioethics and genetics, global health development and diversity.
The Honors Forum is a research experience that begins with an intensive three-day forum consisting of public lectures, round table discussions, community building activities and self reflection focused on a pressing societal issue. Students emerge from the forum charged with a particular research objective, and they work individually or with a small group to create a research product to inform the discussion. At the end of the semester, Forum participants reconvene to review and discuss research findings. Student research is published in a forum proceedings volume. All Honors Forums center on issues particular to the American West. The first Honors Forum focused on immigration and future forums will examine land use, air quality, energy creation and consumption, and transportation.