The Sheridan Honors Institute invites students to go deeper into the college’s transformational mission of community, faith and scholarship. We seek to introduce exceptionally talented and motivated students to the great works of Western civilization through seminars, which delve into the Great Books, and through studying the place of science, art and story in culture.
Sheridan Honors Institute
A Close Knit Fellowship of Scholars
Friendships begin forming during the opening retreat’s canoeing and hiking experiences, art museum visits and seminar discussions. Honors Scholars grow in fellowship with each other and with their professors throughout their years in the program, connected by like-mindedness and a shared thirst for a deeper understanding of truth, beauty and the world around them.
Freshman Retreat
New students in the program are introduced to academic life at Benedictine College and to their fellowship of Honors Scholars through a week-long retreat prior to the beginning of classes their freshman year. They will also receive an introduction to the academic rigor of the program, as well as to many of the faculty who will teach in it.
Experience Truth, Beauty and Culture
Honors Scholars participate in multiple activities outside the classroom, like museum visits and a concert series, and they are strongly encouraged to study abroad in their junior year.
Students also take advantage of Benedictine College’s numerous on-campus guest speakers and hosted cultural events, and are given special opportunities to engage with invited speakers in smaller group settings.
“Be Born in Wonder”
Nascantur in Admiratione (Let Them Be Born in Wonder) was the motto of John Senior’s Kansas Integrated Humanities Program, and it is ours as well. Our Great Books curriculum follows in the footsteps of John Senior’s program and his emphasis on encountering the real through the beauty of art and the beauty of nature.
A Great Books Core
Through their Great Books seminar courses, Honors Scholars study the foundational works of Western thought. By entering the conversation with great thinkers about the most important questions, students are able thoughtfully to consider perennial truths, timelessly expressed, embodied in the classics of our civilization.
Rigorous and Personalized
Based on the Liberal Arts heritage of Benedictine College, each Honor Scholar receives an enriched education that is uniquely tailored to them. In addition, the Sheridan Honors Institute gives each an opportunity to discern potential career pathways, receive one-on-one mentorship with hand-selected professors, develop their research skill sets, and advance in professionalism.
The Senior Project
During their senior year, Honors Scholars complete and present a year-long project which seeks to give them expertise in the field they hope to join after graduating, using a $2,000 financial award. Through focused work and with guided mentorship, this capstone project allows students to demonstrate what they have learned, where their talents lie and where they are going next.
To view specifics of the curriculum and academic requirements, please see the Benedictine College Course Catalog.
Join in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition is the center of a curriculum that integrates all subjects through the lens of faith. The Catholic faith shows how all the different aspects of your studies across the spectrum of human thought reveal the oneness of God’s word.
Theology and Philosophy
Through their Great Books courses, Honors Scholars learn from the great theologians and philosophers who were foundational to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Learning about God, His revealed truth and the world He created naturally draws the scholar toward love of the divine.
Grow Closer to Christ
The relationship with Jesus Christ is all-encompassing, permeating the human person and informing all aspects of life. Students at Benedictine College study, live and socialize within a community of faithful, an environment that encourages prayer, devotion and growing in closeness to Christ.
Institute Leadership
Please contact the Co-chairs of the Sheridan Honors Institute if you have any questions about this program or about Benedictine College.
Andrew B. Salzmann, Ph.D.
Institute Co-chair
Anthony Crifasi, Ph.D.
Institute Co-chair