“This program has added so much depth to my college experience,” he says. “I’m in awe of the relationships I’ve formed across class levels within honors. These relationships have cemented my appreciation of 91����Ƶ as a place filled with wonderfully curious and compassionate people.”

Intellectually stimulating, supportive relationships are the foundation of the at 91����Ƶ. Launched in 1993 with five students, the program started its third decade in 2013 with 32 incoming students.

The huge investment 91����Ƶ makes in this program was on full display during Honors Weekend, Feb. 7-8. Sixty-nine high school seniors admitted to 91����Ƶ next year, with GPA and standardized test scores that qualify them for the honors scholarship of $15,000 per year for four years, traveled to the Harrisonburg (Va.) campus. Some flew from Arizona and Wisconsin; others walked from the adjacent neighborhood of Park View.

They were hosted by honors students, interacted with faculty members who lead the program, and began to envision their honors experience at 91����Ƶ. “This program lives or dies on student enthusiasm. Our students sell it to other students,” said professor , PhD, who has directed the program since 2011.

Later entrance into program now possible

During the weekend, 56 honors-qualified students competed to be chosen one of two Yoder Scholars, who receive full-ride scholarships. Yoder Scholars are selected on the basis of their essay question responses, interviews, and interactions during honors weekend. The group from which the scholars were drawn averaged 1285 on their SATs (in critical reading and math), 29.5 on their ACTs, and 4.1 for their GPAs.

The honors program is no longer just a reward for high school performance. It is now a voluntary academic minor, and its acceptance thresholds are more inclusive. First- and second-year students who demonstrate high levels of academic achievement (but whose high school numbers did not qualify them for the honors scholarship) can apply for the program as well.

When she entered 91����Ƶ, junior Becca Longenecker’s combined SAT scores and GPA were slightly below the qualifying threshold for an honors scholarship. Yet her strong academic performance in her first years at 91����Ƶ gave her the confidence to apply for the honors minor in her sophomore year, and she was accepted.

Connecting to highly motivated students

“The program has helped me connect with faculty here and at other schools,” says Longenecker. “It’s also connected me with other students who have the same vigor and enthusiasm for education that I do. The program is always looking for students like me who are missed on the first round of selection to expand the program and improve the experience for the students in the program.”

“What I tell parents and students who are considering the value of 91����Ƶ’s Honors Program,” says , PhD, director of , “is that we’re making a four-year commitment that goes beyond financial. Our goal is to educate the whole person, preparing them to lead in whatever field their gifts take them.”

Junior honors student Holly Jensen appreciates the “backbone” courses of the program. “Freshmen take a class called Ruling Ideas, which explores different disciplines and the ideas that ‘rule’ those disciplines. From biology to mass media, we learn how people in those disciplines work with the central ideas of their fields.”

Throughout the program, Jensen notes that students are exposed to classes outside their majors and to interests outside their chosen fields.

As an 91����Ƶ honors student (graduating in 2005), Good has seen the program from the inside. He says, “The Honors Program takes a holistic look at student growth that goes beyond just academics to include an education that also challenges students personally, socially, and spiritually. Students expand their worldview and learn to think critically about the world around them. This comprehensive preparation leads to great successes for our students in graduate school, their careers, and as leaders in their communities.”

Applause for honors approach

A majority of honors graduates responding to a 2009 alumni survey “strongly agreed” with the following statements about the program:

• The honors program helped me more consciously develop a worldview.

• The courses I took within the Honors program increased my overall learning at 91����Ƶ.

• The honors scholarship influenced my decision to come to 91����Ƶ.

• The honors program deepened my quality of thought and insight as evidenced by critical thinking.

One described the first-year seminar experience as “stepping into a buffet of ideas. It was intoxicating at times.”

“Our Worldview senior seminar was very meaningful,” wrote another alumnus. “Never before and not since have I seen such true displays of humanity in an academic setting.”

Forty-two percent of the survey respondents indicated an educational track beyond their undergraduate degree.

Sawin champions preparing students for a wide range of academic and vocational futures: “Rather than teaching a specific set of skills for a specific content area, our goal is to prepare students to research and write about anything. With the honors program, we’re creating a liberal arts curriculum on steroids.”

Each of 91����Ƶ’s sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men’s volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.  The CVC will also release an all-academic team later this summer.

The full ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the sixth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the third year in a row.  With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only, Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only, and Shenandoah University for field hockey and track & field only), 1,350 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2011-12 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.  He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC’s home on the Internet at .  Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click ) and follow  on Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.  to see the full list of the ODAC All-Academic Team.

Nels Akerson – Cross Country
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country
Laura Beckler – Women’s Soccer
Bradley Billings – Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden – Softball
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Bethany Crouse – Women’s Soccer
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Allison Eanes – Cross Country
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada – Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Lynae Fry – Women’s Volleyball
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan – Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King – Baseball
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Soccer
Valerie Landis – Field Hockey
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Jenna Longenecker – Field Hockey
Becca Longenecker – Field Hockey
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Thomas Millary – Cross Country, Track & Field
Michelle Miller – Women’s Soccer
Katarina Napfel – Softball
Peter Nelson – Cross Country
Cara Paden – Women’s Soccer, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Stephanie Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Andy Richter – Baseball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Bryce Shank – Men’s Soccer
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Amber Shelly – Women’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Raquel Stoltzfus – Women’s Soccer
Scotty Tiosso – Men’s Soccer
Jon Trice – Baseball
Keri Weaver – Cross Country
Kori Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Taylor Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Roberto Wingfield – Cross Country
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Marla Young – Women’s Basketball
Kelsey Zook – Women’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Plaugher was among a group of veterans and conscientious objectors who participated in “Ways of War & Peace,” a spring 2012 class taught by , professor of in the at 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ).

The course was designed to look at selected readings – memoirs, poetry, fiction and drama – emerging from World War II and examine them for clues about Christian attitudes toward war and . In addition, students collaborated with conscientious objectors, veterans and their spouses to generate oral histories covering fresh ground.

“We should never forget the contributions of those who did not fight – those who kept feeding the people who were suffering because of the war,” said Plaugher.

91����Ƶ the course

When she could, Eads paired students from peace-church backgrounds with military veterans and students from non-peace-church backgrounds with conscientious objectors “so everyone involved would have a chance to engage in appreciative dialogue with someone from a different perspective.”

“Serious Christians have a wide range of views about war and peacemaking and taking time to hear each other out is well worth our while,” added Eads.

Becca Longenecker, an and double-major from Lancaster, Pa., spoke with Landon Walker, a veteran, about his experiences during the war. Longenecker wrote in her final paper for class that by learning from the past and trying not to contribute to similar events, “I can respect his story and the suffering and loss that he and so many others that lived through WWII experienced.

“I realized in thinking about my respect and admiration for Landon that I did not need to change my convictions about pacifism in order to respect him.”

For Amanda Grace Lewis, a major from Richmond, Va., the power of peacemaking stuck with her as she interviewed Hubert Pellman ‘38, a retired 91����Ƶ English professor.

“I was amazed by how he took the ‘peace church’ tradition and showed his passion for Jesus’ teachings in all areas of his life,” said Lewis. “He chose to be a conscientious objector because of his belief in God’s love being stronger than human violence and conflict and the belief that God calls us, as Christians, to follow Jesus’ example of peace and nonviolence.”

Pellman said the “peace view” was broader than he had originally thought when the war broke out, but added, “I think peace means far more than saying, ‘I don’t kill.’ I think it means doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. It intersects with Jesus’ teachings and way of life.”

Eads said she hoped all the students would leave the class holding the peace position, but knew “real dialogue could be risky.”

“University life, though, ought to give students opportunities to examine beliefs closely and then own them for themselves.”