Five Pillars of the Honors Program
Every aspect of the the Honors Program — academic, extracurricular and social — is organized around the Five Pillars of the Merrimack honors education: community, service, research, leadership and inclusivity.
Community
Learning is best and most lasting when it is done in the company of friends. The Merrimack Honors Program seeks students who strive to excel and who challenge, support and celebrate one another in their efforts to do so.
Service
What we learn finds its greatest value in the ways it benefits others. In a college nationally recognized for service, Merrimack Honors students participate in — and often take the lead in — service projects that enrich the classroom, the campus and the larger community.
Research
To effect meaningful change in today’s world requires a knowledge that is both deep (disciplinary expertise) and aware of connections to other fields (interdisciplinary competence). The Merrimack Honors curriculum is designed so that our students practice and master essential research skills in their chosen field, while always keeping in mind the larger picture, in all its scientific, social and human complexity.
Leadership
Merrimack Honors imparts the skills needed for true leadership. Through opportunities ranging from topics in classroom discussions, to the Honors Student Council, to our emphasis on educating the whole person, we strive to prepare students for when they will no longer be students, in whatever their chosen field and way of life.
Inclusivity
We recognize and celebrate the diversity of identities, beliefs, and experiences that make us who we are. The Honors Program embraces inclusivity and promotes equality, equity, and belief in the inherent humanity and worthiness of all members of the Merrimack community, inclusive of their race, sex, class, gender identity, sexuality, ability, or previous academic background.
