Involvement
Honors seminar assistants
Seminar assistants serve as role models, resources, and mentors to first-year and transfer honors students. At least one assistant supports each HNRS 190 and 195 seminar.
As a seminar assistant, you’ll give back to the honors community, develop leadership skills, and strengthen your relationship with an honors faculty member. You’ll also contribute to fostering an inclusive environment in your first-year seminar that is welcoming to all students.
To be the best assistant you can be, you should be motivated by a desire to help other honors program students as they adjust to college, and willing to share the wealth of information you’ve accumulated while at KU and in the program.
- Enroll in HNRS 497 as a zero-credit, add-on course that will appear on one's transcript (HNRS 497 will count as an Honors course in your curriculum, but will not count toward the 18-hour credit hour minimum).
- Attend training prior to the fall semester, as well as monthly check-ins.
- Take part in syllabus development, course content, assignments, and discussions, as requested.
- Attend class regularly and complete all assigned course readings.
- Meet with the seminar instructor regularly and respond promptly to emails.
- Arrange additional meetings and support as agreed to by your faculty member.
- Participate in program events and encourage seminar students to do the same.
- Treat all students in the course with dignity and respect, as well as treating grades and the content of student assignments confidentially.
- Successful completion of HNRS 190 or HNRS 195 with a grade of A.
- Sophomore, junior, or senior status.
- An interest in teaching, mentoring, or sharing your KU and honors experiences.
Seminar assistant applicants will upload separate PDF documents with answers of no more than 250 words to each of the following prompts:
- Using your experience in HNRS 190/195 for context, share a specific idea that you would like to implement in your classroom if selected as an honors seminar assistant. How do you hope that this idea will impact the experience of students in their first year at KU or first semester in the honors program?
- All honors students are required to complete four ELEs (Enhanced Learning Experiences) in order to graduate with university honors. Please list your most meaningful activities and involvement (no more than three) and briefly share how these experiences have enhanced your education. If you have not yet submitted your reflection of these ELE activities are they are still in progress, feel free to share how you plan to use your current involvement for your ELE requirement.
Seminar assistant applicants will also provide a short statement describing if they have spoken with a faculty member about being placed in their class, if they are interested in working with a particular faculty member, or if they have no faculty preference. If applicable, the faculty member’s first and last name should be provided.
Lastly, seminar assistant applicants will request a recommendation from an instructor, mentor, or employer. This recommendation will be submitted through an online form. Applicants will need to provide the name and email address of their recommender in the application. A link to the form will then be sent to the email address provided.
Current students in the University Honors Program apply during the spring semester for the following academic year's HNRS 190 sections, and in the fall semester for spring's HNRS 195 sections. Honors students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Students can request more information, and seminar instructors may nominate a student, by contacting Student Experience Designer Mauricio Gómez Montoya.
Honors ambassadors
Has the University Honors Program played an important role in your education at KU? Would you like to help other high-ability students decide to come to KU, and to help make sure they succeed once they arrive?
As an honors ambassador, you’ll play an important role in making prospective students and their families feel comfortable at KU. You’ll also develop teamwork, communication, and leadership skills as you meet with families and plan events that enhance the recruitment process.
Involvement can range from speaking one-on-one with prospective students to giving brief presentations to larger groups of students and parents. Ambassadors have flexibility in determining their level of participation in events and programs, and your time commitment can vary depending on your schedule, though presence at some night and weekend events will likely be requested.
- Co-present with honors staff during prospective student visits.
- Represent the program at on-campus recruitment events.
- Attend select in-person and virtual receptions for admitted students.
- Participate in outreach efforts (i.e. letter writing to admitted students).
- Help welcome incoming students during Hawk Week and at other events aimed at first-year students.
- Attend training sessions and ambassador/assistant meetings throughout the year.
- Good academic standing with the University Honors Program.
- Strong communication skills and comfort speaking to other students in a variety of structured and unstructured settings.
Ambassador applicants will upload separate PDF documents with answers of no more than 250 words to each of the following prompts:
- What is one piece of advice you would provide to a prospective student to help them decide if the University Honors Program is right for them?
- Discuss an honors course you’ve taken and what made the experience meaningful for you.
- All honors students are required to complete four ELEs (Enhanced Learning Experiences) in order to graduate with university honors. Please list your most meaningful activities and involvement (no more than three) and briefly share how these experiences have enhanced your education. If you have not yet submitted your reflection of these ELE activities are they are still in progress, feel free to share how you plan to use your current involvement for your ELE requirement.
Current students in the University Honors Program apply during the spring semester for the following academic year. Well-qualified applicants will be interviewed by the program coordinators.
If you have questions, please contact the ambassador program's coordinator, Harry Swartz.
Additional involvement
When you’re ready to get involved, consider the following roles:
- Honors Community Advocates member: By coordinating social activities and advocating for honors students' interests, Honors Community Advocates strengthen the UHP community and its mission to help challenge students to launch extraordinary lives. Interested? Get in touch through HCA's Instagram page or email hca@ku.edu.
- Common Cause student design team member: Members of this team assist with the planning, promotion, and presentation of Common Cause. Interested? Complete the student design team interest form or contact Student Experience Designer Mauricio Gómez Montoya.