A paramount function of education is the preparation of individuals to relate themselves comfortably to their fellow men. As long as people existed in a world where they were born, where they lived, and died in one little hamlet, never venturing more than ten miles from home, this preparation was unnecessary. But today, in an era of great mobility and interchange, of increasing contact with people of different colors, beliefs, and backgrounds, it is imperative to so educate our children.
—Whitney M. Young, Jr.
The Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies—which houses Kentucky State University’s Honors program, the Integrative Studies program, and the Institute for Liberal Studies and offers degrees in liberal studies—reflects the University’s commitment to excellence in liberal studies education. The School is named after the late Whitney M. Young, Jr., executive director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, distinguished leader of the American civil rights movement, and a graduate of Kentucky State University. The Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies aims, through its special curriculum, to develop in its students the qualities of critical intelligence, maturity, and leadership exemplified by Mr. Young.
The Honors Program is an integrated liberal arts program that emphasizes student discussion of excellent books. The freshman and sophomore courses permit students to complete their University liberal studies requirements through the Honors Program. The junior and senior courses allow students to major or minor in Liberal Studies.
The curriculum in the Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies is unique; there is no other quite like it in any public university in the nation. The Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities designated the Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies as one of the five most innovative and promising liberal studies programs in the nation. It is one of twenty-three honors programs in the United States listed as an honor college by the National Collegiate Honors Council and has the second largest number of faculty among these honors colleges. The Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies is committed to offering a stimulating, high quality, rigorous undergraduate education in liberal studies, preparing students for professional study in law, medicine, the ministry, or graduate school. Graduates of this program have gone on into education, business, computer science, law, and many other fields. Beyond questions of education for a career, the Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies program develops skills of thinking and imagining that will help students deal with the fundamental questions of human existence, regardless of their career goals.
for a career, the Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies program develops skills of thinking and imagining that will help students deal with the fundamental questions of human existence, regardless of their career goals.
Thus, in the common course of studies required of all students, the emphasis is on the careful reading and discussion of many of the most important books in literature, history, philosophy, theology, mathematics, and sciences. Classes are small. Students learn to read critically, to speak precisely, to write effectively, and to listen attentively by being required to use some or all of these skills daily. The curriculum is designed not only to help students know, but to help them develop the skills they will need as they take their places in the adult world and in the worlds of the various professions. The honors faculty, housed in the Whitney Young School, are hired and evaluated specifically for their demonstrated ability to teach in a great books curriculum that crosses traditional academic boundaries.
While the Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies is related to other “great books” programs throughout the country in its basic orientation, the curriculum at Kentucky State University is not a pale copy of ideas developed at private universities. The courses and curriculum in the School have been developed and adapted to take advantage of the particular conditions at Kentucky State University, and this development is an ongoing process. Class size ranges from 10 to 15 in honors courses.
Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies students take part in all activities of the University, such as social and academic clubs, student government, choir, band, and intramural/intercollegiate athletics. Students have an opportunity to put the leadership skills that they learn in classes to practical use by serving on the Whitney Young Student Council. The Council was originally created by student initiative and organizes service and social events and acts as a forum for student suggestions and concerns.
The Honors Program offers an entire liberal studies core for freshmen and sophomores. Students who
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