Learning to develop and nurture a diverse network of colleagues upon whom you can rely for advice, support, and encouragement throughout your business career is an essential leadership skill. The Honors Program in the College of Business is designed to develop high-potential students into strong business leaders who not only excel intellectually, but also understand that with success comes responsibility to serve their communities, their alma mater, and each other. The Honors Program for the College of Business should benefit all undergraduates and not just the students in the honors cohort.

Student Selection

Each year approximately 40 incoming freshman will be selected to be part of the honors cohort. The cohort will be selected based on multiple criteria. In addition to academic achievement, candidates will be evaluated on their leadership skills, social diversity, creativity, community service activities, critical thinking and problem solving skills. All students who have been admitted to the College of Business are automatically considered for the College of Business Honors Program using the admissions application as the application for honors. A group of students will be selected for interviews conducted by alumni of the College of Business . After the interviews, the admissions committee will make recommendation to the Assistant Dean for Honors for final selections. The first group of 29 freshman students for the Honors Program entered the College of Business in the fall 2004 semester. The second group of 47 freshmen entered the program in the fall 2005 semester. In 2006, 41 freshmen entered.

The Program

The heart of the Honors Program is the group of students selected to be College of Business Honors Program students. Those students will work with the assistant dean for honors to develop the leadership skills that will be used to encourage all business undergraduates to participate fully in honors activities and to utilize the resources of the College of Business to prepare for professional careers. Students identified for the Honors Program should demonstrate qualities that put them in the top rank of the college. Such qualities may include leadership, intellectual talent, community service, etc. Most of the activities for the honors cohort will be concentrated in the students' freshman and sophomore years. Juniors and seniors in the Honors Program will participate in leadership teams that will work with faculty and administrators of the College of Business and the University of Illinois to encourage broader participation in programs that better prepare students for their professional futures. The framework of the Honors Program for juniors and seniors will recognize the commitment to major that is required of these students.

The Honors Program provides significant experiences for the Honors Program students and expects the students to make the College of Business a better place by using the skills learned from those experiences to be undergraduate leaders of the college. Advantages of membership in the Honors Program include:

• A 4-year, renewable merit scholarship.
• A seminar series, “Conversation with Leaders,” for honors students with national and international business leaders.
• A mentorship program based on the idea of “mentoring chain reaction” to teach students to rely on each other for support and council and begin to develop a life-long network of business contacts.
• Representing the College of Business a Business Student Ambassador.
• An international experience, largely funded by the College of Business, at the end of the freshman year.  Students are expected to pay $1,000 of the nearly $4,000 cost.  Financial aid is available for students with significant demonstrated need.   In 2012, the students will be visiting Turkey.
• A job shadow program during winter break of freshman year.
• Social activities for honors students—dinner at the home of the assistant dean for honors, pizza nights, games nights, etc.
• The assistant dean for honors serves as an advisor for honors students.

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR HONORS
Dr. John Hedeman, Assistant Dean for Honors, is director of the College of Business Honors. He can be reached at the College of Business at 217-333-2740 and by email.

Business Honors Program Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about the Honors Trip

Other Honors Programs that Business Students May Be Eligible For:

• James Scholar Program
• Campus Honors Program