Three Rivers Honors Program Philosophy and Mission In keeping with the philosophy and mission of Three Rivers Community College to “serve a variety of higher educational needs for residents of the college district and the surrounding area,” the honors program offers enhanced and advanced study to those students who show exceptional academic achievement and motivation. The purpose of honors classes is to provide an innovative, creative approach to learning in an atmosphere conducive to meeting the challenge to higher levels of academic excellence. Acknowledging that the common tie that unites academically talented students is the desire for a challenging and rewarding education, the honors program at Three Rivers seeks to bring together students with diverse academic and social interests to foster the exchange of ideas within the associate degree experience, providing appropriate scholastic challenges as they pursue intellectual self-awareness. Honors courses are not designed necessarily to be more difficult; rather, they promote intellectual curiosity, motivate students, and offer greater depth and more intensity. The Honors Program remains flexible, allowing students to pursue a variety of scholarly interests as they engage with faculty in creative and innovative approaches to learning. Research and service learning are hallmarks of the Three Rivers Honors Program as students examine their traditions, participate in the lives of their communities, explore cultural identities, gain an understanding of and appreciation for the intangible, and search for the value to be gained from the traditions of the intellectual wealth of the past, the opportunities of the present, and the possibilities of the future. Thus, the Honors Program reflects Three Rivers' commitment to quality and excellence in learning, knowledge, and leadership development. The Three Rivers Honors Program cultivates in bright, hardworking, inquisitive, self-motivated students the college's philosophy that “education is not only a preparation to earn a living but is also a way of life.”   Return to Honors Program