Dutile Honors Program
The Gordon & Judy Dutile Honors program celebrates the creational nature of human
learning and therefore values learning for its own sake. We recognize the wonder of
creation. We learn in order to love and serve more effectively. The Honors program
also acknowledges the specific academic and advising needs of academically gifted
students, and seeks to nurture those students through a community of like-academic
peers, and enriched academic environment and experience.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Gordon & Judy Dutile Honors Program is to challenge and support
high ability students by fostering fierce curiosity, intellectual humility, thriving
community and holistic growth and development.
"I've really enjoyed the courses taken through the Honors Program. The program is
a great way to build community and it opens up opportunities for research and career
preparation."
Maegan Surface
Digital marketing student from Ozark, Mo.
Why should you be an Honors scholar?
If you are interested in an enriched academic and social environment surrounded by
like-peers who share your passion for learning, the honors program is the place for
you. The greatest value of the program is inherent in the dynamic learning environment
atmosphere in honors courses and co-curricular programming. Dutile Honors Scholars
are curious, self-directed and motivated learners. In order to serve honors scholars
the program includes:
- Honors sections of general education courses that are discussion-based and promote autonomous learning and higher order thinking
within the honors community.
- Honors-specific topical courses (Honors Colloquium, Honors Reading Symposium and Honors Journal Club) in which honors
program students pursue relevant content that is not offered anywhere else in the
curriculum. Some recent topics include: Conspiracy Theories, History of the Early
American Suffragists, The Nature of Innovation, Environmental Ethics, and Technology
and Culture.
- Honors Capstone, which is an independent study project that each honors student completes under the
supervision of a faculty member. A capstone can be disciplinary, directly related
the the student’s major or interdisciplinary.
- Specialized advising with the honors program director, as well as early enrollment.
- Access to honors housing
- Several yearly trips to cultural events at no cost to honors students. Recent trips include Kansas City
Symphony, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
- Opportunities for professional development though presentation at Ozarks Technical College Honors Conference and Great Plains
Honors Council Conference.
- Leadership opportunities in the Dutile Honors Student Advisory Board
- Recognition as a Dutile Honors Scholar at graduation and on the transcript
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility criteria for first-time freshmen include:
- 28+ ACT, 1230+ SAT (verbal and quantitative), or 86+ CLT test score
- 3.5+ high school GPA
Applicants must first complete an application for admission to SBU. Eligible students
will then receive a Scholars Day application and will attend Scholars Day. Selection
is limited to 10% of the freshman cohort and includes consideration of student’s high
school leadership, scholarship and service, as well as their Scholars Day essay and
interview.
Fall 2020 COVID-19 Update: As SBU is currently not requiring standardized test scores, the Dutile Honors program
will not require test scores. Any student who is eligible for Scholars Day may apply
to the Honor Program. Consult with your admissions representative for more details.
Eligible admitted students will receive an invitation to apply for Scholars Day. The
Scholars Day applications are available by the end of November. For questions about
the Scholars Day application, please contact the Office of Admissions at (417) 328-1810.
For most honors students there are the only three to five "extra" credit hours in
addition to their other degree requirements. These include two one-hour honors colloquium
and the Honors Capstone project which can be 1 – 3 credit hours. Honors courses are
not designed to be more difficult; however, they are designed with an Honors Scholar
in mind. The format of the class and the teaching style of the professor stimulates
discussion and challenges students to apply higher order thinking skills.
Students who have completed fewer than 30 credit hours when they enter SBU will take
the traditional honors track. Students who have completed 30 or more credit hours
will take the accelerated honors track. Both tracks will complete 15 – 20% of their
SBU curriculum in honors coursework. Both tracks take the Honors Core. Traditional
track takes at least 12 hours of Honors Electives. Accelerated Track takes at least
6 hours of Honors Electives.
Honors Core:
- Honors University Seminar (HON 1111)
- Honors Introduction to Critical Thinking (HON 1121)
- Honors Intro to Fine Arts (HON
- At least two hours selected from Honors Colloquium (HON 3771), Honors Reading Symposium
(HON 2661), and/or Honors Journal Club (HON 2771)
- Honors Capstone (HON 4771)
Honors Electives:
- Honors New Testament History (HON 1223)
- HON Old Testament History (HON 1213)
- HON U.S. History (HON 2013)
- HON American Government (HON 1013)
- HON Composition (HON 1123)
- HON Fundamentals of Speech (HON 2213)
- HON Life Economics (HON 2003)
- HON Service Learning (HON 3883)
- HON Colloquium (HON 3771)
- HON Reading Symposium (HON 2661)
- HON Journal Club (HON 2771)
