John Wesley Honors College (JWHC)
The John Wesley Honors College (JWHC) is an intentional community of Christian liberal learning at IWU that seeks to glorify God through the creative pursuit of academic excellence and spiritual formation.
JWHC students are a select group of bright and ambitious students who take seriously Christ’s command to love God with all one’s heart, soul and intellect. They desire, above all, to use their gifts and talents to make a difference in the world for Christ. Such students recognize that, in whatever career they choose to enter, a rigorous liberal arts education will foster the sort of intellectual skills and virtues necessary to achieve this goal. The JWHC provides a learning environment in which such students can thrive and prepare to pursue lives well-lived in service to Church and society.
Through smaller, inquiry-based, discussion-oriented classes, JWHC students engage their studies with extraordinary self-investment and creativity. The honors curriculum's focus on depth and relevance means that JWHC students spend less time on busy work and more time engaging primary sources, learning through hands-on experiences, and grappling with the enduring significance of course material for their life and faith. JWHC students are challenged to ask tough questions, to enrich their understanding of life's complexities, and to reflect critically on the relevance of their faith to contemporary issues. The JWHC also offers numerous co-curricular opportunities, both on and off campus, that allow students to connect these learning experiences to the broader world in which they live.
Ultimately, the JWHC strives to produce graduates who can compete intellectually with the best and brightest of their peers globally. But more importantly, the JWHC aims to nurture graduates who are adept at drawing faith, learning and career into an integrated life calling.
Students participate in the JWHC either as John Wesley Scholars, Luther Lee Scholars, or Mary C. Dodd Honors Students. John Wesley and Luther Lee Scholars enter the Honors College as freshmen and pursue an Honors Humanities major, which fulfills their general education requirements. Mary C. Dodd Honors Students join the Honors College as sophomores or juniors and pursue an Honors Humanities minor, much of which overlaps with their University general education requirements. Students are chosen to participate in these curricular programs through a highly selective application process.
