Honors Community

2025/2026 Application

Please note: Students must apply for admission to Saint Vincent College and be accepted prior to applying for an Honors Community program.

The Western Intellectual Tradition

The Aurelius Scholars program is offered to motivated students interested in the Western intellectual tradition and rooted in a diverse course sequence meant to satisfy part of Saint Vincent’s core curriculum. As part of their liberal education, students engage some of the great texts, ideas and perennial questions of the Western world.

Extracurricular Opportunities

In addition to the course sequence, Aurelius Scholars participate in enriching extracurricular opportunities, such as reading groups, campus lectures and student trips. Many events encourage Aurelius Scholars to engage in thoughtful conversation with students in other Saint Vincent Honors Community programs.

Competitive Scholarships

A limited number of competitive scholarships are offered for incoming freshmen each year. Select recipients will receive an annual $2,000 scholarship applied toward tuition as part of their financial aid package, over the course of four years. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of superior academic credentials and their interest in the program. Non-scholarship recipients are also invited and encouraged to participate in this program.

Program Requirements

Students will be expected to enroll in CORE 1201 (American Regime) in their first year of the program, demonstrate satisfactory progress in completing the Aurelius course sequence, attend occasional lectures sponsored by Saint Vincent’s Center for Political and Economic Thought and periodically meet with the Aurelius program director to discuss their progress.

Contact

For more information, contact the Director of Aurelius Scholars:

Jason Jividen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Political Science

jason.jividen@stvincent.edu 

724-805-2825

Impassioned Leaders

Benedictine Leadership Studies (BLS) is a virtue-based, ethical structure for the study of leadership. The program is grounded in the Benedictine Wisdom Tradition, which has been developing since The Rule of St. Benedict was published 1,500 years ago.

Engaging Students

Among the highlights of BLS are courses in leadership, ethics, politics and Benedictine spirituality; leadership seminars and experiential activities; spiritual formation guided by Benedictine monks; professional development and internship opportunities; service projects; and a three-credit capstone course trip to Rome in your senior year.

A Call to Serve

You will analyze who you are as an individual called to serve and promote the common good of your community, and to develop a meaningful understanding of God’s purpose for your life, using the teachings of the Catholic Church and Benedictine spirituality as guides.

Cultivating the Complete Person

Recognizing that all leadership takes place in the context of communities, whether they be civic, natural or supernatural, the BLS program seeks to cultivate the complete human person: mind, body, and soul.

Contact

Fred Rogers Scholars Program

The Fred Rogers Scholars Program encourages interdisciplinary work toward the continues advancement of the legacy and philosophy of Fred Rogers. Students have found meaning in engaging with Fred Rogers’ philosophy on music, human development, medicine, business marketing, and other fields. The possibilities are endless! Students from any major are encouraged to apply –you do not need to plan to pursue a child-focused career.

Opportunities for Students

Coordinated by faculty and staff at the Fred Rogers Institute, FRS students will study within the Fred Rogers Archive and contribute to Institute-driven initiatives that support children’s helpers around the world. FRS students will have opportunities to engage with scholars, professionals, and leaders within child and youth development, children’s media, music, children’s health, and more.

Program Expectations

FRS students are expected to work collaboratively to understand and extend the philosophy of Fred Rogers through research and service to others. Students should be interested in advancing Fred’s legacy by helping the helpers and investing in the strengths of families and caring adults to support the healthy development of children. 

Contact

For more information, contact the Director of the Fred Rogers Scholars Program:

Dana Winters, Ph.D., The Rita McGinley Endowed Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Institute

Faculty, Saint Vincent College School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

dana.winters@stvincent.edu

724-805-2750

Commitment to Excellence

The Saint Vincent Honors Scholars Program brings together students from across the college who share a vigorous commitment to intellectual life. The backbone of the program is the set of Honors courses that enable students to pursue a liberal education characterized by intense conversation and work with dedicated professors.

Challenging Coursework

Professors design classes to challenge students who desire substantial intellectual development. Honors courses, distinguished by quality, not quantity, approach the subject matter from the pedagogical point of view of an examination of the material in breadth and depth. Students are rewarded with a special, congenial setting for their intellectual growth, both during classes and through extracurricular events.

Enriching Experiences

Honors students participate in special extracurricular activities, including evening discussions and cultural excursions. They also interact with faculty outside the classroom, and receive support and mentoring throughout (and often beyond) their time at Saint Vincent.

Program Requirements

Students seeking to graduate as Honors Scholars must take a minimum of five Honors classes, plus the Honors Capstone Seminar. To remain in the Honors Program, students must maintain a GPA above 3.25, participate in Honors classes, and partake in at least two major Honors Scholars Program events per semester.

Contact

For more information, contact the Director of the Honors Scholars Program:

Timothy Kelly Ph.D.

Professor, History

tim.kelly@stvincent.edu

724-805-2340

STEP Scholars (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS TALENT EXPANSION PROGRAM) 

Incoming freshman students majoring in the interdisciplinary programs of biochemistry or data science, or minoring in biotechnology, are eligible to apply to be a STEP Scholar, and receive a four-year, $5,000 annual scholarship. Students are selected based on academic performance, personal essay and financial need. Students must also complete the FAFSA form to be eligible.

Collaborative Learning

Students must participate for the first two years in the Collaborative Learning Program (CLP), aimed at providing them with supplemental instruction in the rigorous courses of their major.

Program Requirements

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA. A student that drops below a 3.0 will be placed on academic probation for their STEP Scholarship. When on probation, if in any future term (Fall or Spring) their GPA falls below a 2.75 for that term or is below 3.0 for two consecutive terms (Fall and Spring or Spring and Fall) or fail to maintain appropriate major or minor in biotech they lose the STEP Scholarship award. Students must graduate with a major in biochemistry data science or minor in biotechnology.  If the STEP scholarship recipient chooses to minor in Biotechnology, their major must be in a degree offered by the Boyer School.

Goal Oriented

STEP Scholars are committed to engaging in our rigorous interdisciplinary programs in

biochemistry, data science or biotechnology, using the knowledge and skills they gain at Saint Vincent to build a foundation for success and innovation.

Contact

For more information on the STEP Scholarship and how to apply, please visit the STEP Scholarship page

Annual Exam

The Wimmer Scholarship Competition is an annual exam held each fall at Saint Vincent. To sit for the exam, students must:

• Apply for admission.
• Submit an official high school transcript documenting your cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.
• Submit a documented SAT (ERW and Math) score of 1300 or above, a minimum ACT of 28 or a CLT of 86.
• A test score is required to sit for the exam unless a student has a 4.0 GPA with at least six AP courses.

Full Scholarship

One winner will receive a full scholarship to cover tuition, room and board for eight semesters at Saint Vincent – valued at more than $200,000.

Full-Tuition Scholarship

Four additional winners will receive a full-tuition scholarship for eight semesters at Saint Vincent – a value of more than $150,000.

Placement in Honors Program

Students who win one of the five scholarships available through the Wimmer Scholarship Competition will receive automatic placement in the Honors Program and be part of an engaged, scholarly community when they arrive at Saint Vincent.

Contact

For more information about the Wimmer Scholarship Competition, contact the Office of Admission:

admission@stvincent.edu

800-782-5549 Ext. 2500