Participation in Honors is by invitation of the Director in consultation with the Honors Council and the Honors Curriculum Committee. A commitment to academic excellence provides the framework within which the Program supports the intellectual life of Honors students and faculty. The diverse interests and talents of the members themselves transform this formal association of scholars into a dynamic, more comprehensive community of persons, reflecting the unique contributions of each of its members.

Faculty

The Honors Program faculty is composed of colleagues who have established themselves as exceptional teachers and scholars.  They have distinguished themselves as particularly effective in small seminar classes, as personally interested in the intellectual development of talented students and as deeply committed to the broader range of values that characterize mature human persons.

Included among the Honors faculty are colleagues from Villanova's many academic departments, visiting scholars from other universities and non-academic professionals who hold positions of leadership in the broader civil society. Among recent visiting faculty have been a well-known novelist, professionals in medical technology, politics, law and journalism; scholars from Russia and Ireland; and colleagues of international stature from colleges in the greater Philadelphia area, the United States and Canada.

Students

Incoming students who have a strong high school record of academic achievement and co-curricular leadership are invited to apply to the Honors Program during the summer before their first year; current undergraduates are invited to apply upon the recommendation of Villanova faculty or through their own initiative.  Non-Honors students may enroll in Honors seminars with permission of the Director.

Honors students bring to the Program their own diversity of talents, interests and experiences.  They participate in a broad range of University activities, often in leadership positions, including campus publications, student government, athletics, musical and theatrical performances, and volunteer service projects, both on and off campus. Within the Honors Program, students actively shape the goals and activities of the program through their involvement on the Honors Council and the Honors Curriculum Committee.