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In philosophy, “telos” is an ultimate end or purpose. Faithful to the mission, values, and vision of Fontbonne University, the honors program (known as TELOS) seeks to foster a community of thinkers for motivated and intellectually curious students in and outside the classroom. TELOS is a holistic program that focuses not only on classroom experiences but also on leadership, service and social justice, and personal and professional development so that students can apply their education to their highest purposes.
Through the program, students who display outstanding intellectual curiosity in and outside their major fields of study have the opportunity participate in a community of shared scholarship and exploration to build a shared community and develop professional networks. Graduates of the program are recognized as such on their transcripts and at commencement and honors convocation.
The TELOS program is designed to help motivated students gain the most from their Fontbonne education. The flexible nature of the program will allow students to design their particular requirements in consultation with their academic advisors and the program director. Students will have opportunities to deepen their work in their major fields; to do interdisciplinary thinking in fields outside their majors; and also to explore personal, professional, service, and leadership activities. These requirements will be filled by coursework and/or related co-curricular activities.
Active members of the program also have the privilege of early registration for all classes, have access to shared space for study and community building, and participate in personal development and professional networking activities developed for students in the program. The program also sponsors or co-sponsors a variety of co-curricular activities, such as lectures, field trips, and performances or readings, intended to support the intellectual lives of honors students and to enrich the culture of the entire campus.
Joining the Program
A small number of first-year students will be invited to join the TELOS program on the strength of their academic, service, leadership, and creative experiences in high school. The program will assess students holistically, not focusing solely on grade point averages or test scores but on the potential for contribution to a thriving community of learners engaged in active exploration of a world in need.
A student may apply to the program at any point prior to the completion of 75 hours of college credit (or, in the case of transfer students, within two semesters after matriculation) and may complete requirements in a flexible amount of time, in consultation with the student’s advisor and the TELOS director.
In addition, faculty and staff may nominate students who are considered good candidates for the program.
To remain in good standing in the program, students must maintain a grade of C or better in all honors courses, maintain enrollment in a zero-credit honors section, and remain in good disciplinary standing with the university.
Program Requirements
Honors Coursework
Honors students will complete a minimum of 9 credits of honors coursework, at least 6 of which must be honors seminars. Students may complete 3 hours of honors coursework via honors sections of general education courses.
Honors courses promote intellectual curiosity and exchange across a range of major fields and academic interests. They will also tend to focus on how one’s learning can be applied to a world in need. Valuing liberal education, honors courses emphasize experiential learning, critical exchange, interdisciplinary approaches, and moral and ethical understanding. Students not enrolled in the honors program may be permitted to take honors courses if space is available and instructor permission is granted. Honors courses are not graded differently than other courses. Some honors seminars will also offer general education credit.
Senior Honors Project
The senior honors project is usually accomplished in conjunction with the capstone experience in the academic discipline and offers students an opportunity to pursue in depth an interest developed in the course of their education. The student will pursue a research project, a scientific experiment, a field experience, a series of readings, creative writing, the production of a film, or some similar culminating experience that will result in a product or artifact. Students combining the senior project in the major discipline with the senior honors project do so with the understanding that the project will exceed the ordinary requirements defined by the department for such work. It will be completed under the direction of a faculty advisor in the student’s major program and coordinated with the TELOS director.
Departments will formalize expectations for students who are pursuing honors. The TELOS director will approve all projects in consultation with students’ respective academic advisors. TELOS students will also be expected to share their senior honors projects at the TELOS showcase.
Customized Experiential Portfolio
Students will design a portfolio of experiences that will help them meet their own personal highest purposes. Experiences that will satisfy the portfolio are planned and pre-approved in consultation with the director.
Transformation: Experiences or coursework related to personal, spiritual, and/or creative growth
Exploration: Experiences or coursework related academic inquiry outside the major field or general education requirements, encouraging breadth of knowledge and perspectives
Leadership: Experiences or coursework related to understanding a variety of forms of leadership (e.g., introverted, extroverted) and influence and students’ unique leadership qualities and how to employ them
Occupation: Experiences or coursework within their academic major fields that allow students to deepen their preparation for their professional lives
Service and Social Justice: Experiences or coursework related to applying one’s education and personal experiences to a world in need, on and off campus
The specific ways in which students fulfill these categories will vary by student interest and need. Students may fulfill some categories through coursework but may also apply extracurricular and co-curricular experiences to their portfolios. Students will document their experiences and create written or creative work that expresses the ways in which these experiences or courses met the learning outcomes and help to shape personal and professional goals. Students will register for a 1-credit Portfolio Development course in their final semester.
Active Participation
Students are expected to participate regularly in the community life of the program.
Each semester, the student will enroll in a zero-hour TELOS course to indicate their ongoing participation in the program; this designation will not require coursework but will allow the student to maintain his or her membership. Students who fail to maintain registration must reapply to the program at a later date, within the first 75 hours of course work, and will not be guaranteed reentry.
Students will also present at the TELOS showcase at least twice before graduation; one of these presentations will share the student’s senior honors project.
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