Lasallian Honors Program

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The Lasallian Honors Program was the General Education system/program for Honors students entering Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota prior to Fall 2018.  Students entering Fall 2018 and after must complete the Integrated General Education Program.

Christian Michener, Ph.D., Director

The Lasallian Honors Program serves as the general education core program for honors students. The program provides an engaging and challenging learning environment that complements and enhances students’ work in their major field of study. Students who are accepted into the program complete eight interdisciplinary seminars designed around the pedagogical practice of shared inquiry of foundational texts of the classical Western, Eastern and contemporary global traditions. Studies of these texts are enriched through participation in service-learning opportunities with community partners; by the practice of experiential learning in the arts and in the natural environment; and by emphasizing a community model of learning through the use of common syllabi, readings and assignments. The program stresses the importance of active and engaged learning with the ultimate goal of awakening and nurturing the intellectual, spiritual and personal development of its students in preparation for lives of servant leadership and appreciation of the world’s intellectual and cultural heritages.

Students are invited into the Lasallian Honors Program based on their college-entrance test scores, their academic record, and their co-curricular activities and achievements. Classes in the program are designed to develop students’ abilities in critical thinking, analytical reading and clear communication both in writing and through oral presentations. Individuals who do not receive an invitation to the program may also inquire about joining. Acceptances depend upon the student’s academic record and enrollment availability.

Students must maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average in order to remain in the program. Courses are taken sequentially beginning with LH105  in the first semester of the freshman year. Students may substitute for up to two core classes and still graduate from the program, but only if the substitution is caused by another curricular obligation such as a semester of study abroad or student teaching.

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