Statement of Purpose

 
Malone University Honors Program
Statement of Purpose
 
 
The mind occupies a central place in the Christian life; for example, Jesus calls us to love God not only with heart, soul, and strength, but also with our minds (Mark 12:30), and the transforming power of the Gospel becomes effective in our lives largely through what St. Paul calls the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). The Honors Program at Malone University exists to support Malone's intellectually gifted and highly motivated students as they respond to this aspect of Christ's call, and as they move to transform themselves and their world as followers of Jesus Christ.
 
In the Honors Program, we see the virtues of a traditional liberal arts education as contributing to the intellectual formation requisite to Christian growth and discipleship in the contemporary world. A Christ-centered education in the liberal arts tradition liberates us from the tyrannies of ignorance, incompetence, and self-centeredness, thereby enabling us to lead fuller lives of service and engage in useful work - in short, it frees our lives to put Christ's Kingdom First. Furthermore, it shows us how to build relationships in the Christian community and beyond, calling us to serve all of God's people by engendering an appreciation of each person's created uniqueness, and fostering an appreciation of the diversity rooted in our racial, ethnic, and cultural identities. In this way, it helps students to develop a mature understanding of the Christian faith, and encourages them to think and behave redemptively in an increasingly complex world.
 
More specifically, the Honors Program:
  • Challenges students to fulfill their intellectual and personal potential through enriching and stimulating experiences in and out of the classroom.
  • Cultivates an espirit de corps among its students as they engage in an earnest, cooperative, free, and open pursuit of truth.
  • Develops students' understanding of the unity of knowledge and the interrelationship of the academic disciplines through multi- and inter-disciplinary study at advanced levels.
  • Provides students the occasion to pursue ideas more deeply and develop closer relationships with faculty and each other by keeping class sizes small.
  • Prepares students for the pursuit of original and advanced research, scholarship, and/or artistic performance.
  • Equips students for outstanding leadership in service to God, their communities, and the world.
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