FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 31, 2006

MUW adds study abroad element to new Residential Honors Program

By Jill D. O’Bryant
  
COLUMBUS, Miss. -- For the third year in a row, Mississippi University for Women will have a learning community, but this year’s program will include a study abroad component.
   
Not only will the 20 freshmen participating in the Residential Honors Program take a couple of classes together, study together and live in the same residence hall, but they also will study abroad together next summer in London.
   
Another change is the program will last for two years rather than one year like the previous two learning communities.
   
Dr. Eric Daffron, who serves as director of the Honors College and coordinator of the Study Abroad Program, is excited about the addition of the study abroad element to the program.
   
“Honors students, like other students, need international education,” he said. “This experience will be the culmination of their freshman experience, giving them an opportunity to expand their knowledge about history and literature from the previous year.”
   
Most of the 18 females and two males participating in the program interviewed at Scholars' Day. Based on their applications, they received Centennial and Honors Scholarships and thus were automatically put into the program. Some applied separately.
   
Participants will take honors history and literature courses in the fall and in the spring. With a couple of upperclassmen honors students serving as mentors, the group will hold weekly sessions to continue class discussion.
   
“Studies show that students with similar profiles who are fully integrated into programming such as this are often more successful,” said Daffron. “Certainly, the fall-to-fall retention rates of the last two learning communities have exceeded that of other members of their honors cohort not in the learning community.
   
“This kind of program gives these students the opportunity to have a really stellar academic experience.”
   
The Residential Honors Program participants are living in Grossnickle Hall, which is now the Honors Residence Hall, along with some other freshmen and sophomore honors students, many who were in last year's Honors Learning Community.
   
“Together, Community Living and the Honors Program have worked to develop what was a successful cohort into a full residential college housed in its own residence
hall,” said Chris Holland, director of Community Living. “As we continue to work together, Community Living will help support the programming, services and resources that are available to the students in this community.
   
Holland said Community Living also is applying this same support in development of other communities of interest, such as the Hearin Leadership community housed within the Freshman Learning Community in Kincannon Hall.  This year the Hearin community has around 40 freshman members living in the community.
   
For more information about MUW’s Honors College, please contact Daffron at (662) 241-6850 or edaffron@muw.edu, and for more information about Community Living, please contact that office at (662) 329-7127 or communityliving@muw.edu.