A paramount function of education is the preparation of individuals to relate

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. It currently has links in the College of Arts and Sciences.

An endowed chair is one of the most prestigious academic appointments a university can make. The creation of such a position indicates the maturity of an institution and demonstrates its commitment to scholarly activities and academic excellence. Kentucky State University established the Endowed Chair in the Humanities as a major component in the University's liberal studies emphasis. Through its placement in the Division of Literature, Languages, and Philosophy, the Endowed Chair helps bring a central focus to Kentucky State University's mission to be the Commonwealth's unique, small, liberal studies institution. The functions of the Endowed Chair at the University are to develop and to implement innovative and comprehensive programs of liberal studies.

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.

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