The honors program is coordinated by Assistant English Professor Eric Meyer. The honors program promotes scholastic excellence in academically prepared and highly motivated students.
By: Patrick Olds
Opinions Editor
A few thousand dollars in cash isn’t anything to shake a stick at. With that mindset, think about a $2000 scholarship for the entire year at Meramec. This way, the students can spend their own money on whatever they might want. There is such a scholarship available for maintaining good grades at STLCC- Meramec: the Honors Program Scholarship.
Most students don’t know about the Meramec Honors Program, but its scholarship offers to pay for 12 credit hours a semester if the student maintains at least a 3.5 GPA. Approximately 1500 students qualify each year for this money and approximately 300 take advantage.
The honors program is coordinated by Assistant English Professor Eric Meyer. The honors program promotes scholastic excellence in academically prepared and highly motivated students.
“Meramec’s Honors Program hopes to provide a smaller structure within the larger college where students may enhance their education,” Meyer said. “It will challenge both recent high school graduates and nontraditional students so that they can more fully develop their potentials and abilities.”
Meyer said this is an opportunity for high school students to start over and re-create themselves into scholars.
“I like to say that we are in the business of creating honors students,” Meyer said. He said this is a place for students to come and wipe their academic slate clean. Students are able to shed old habits and create new ones for success. Meyer said he arrived at Meramec and wasn’t a good student. He ended up becoming an Honors Program scholar and said Meramec helped him start over.
Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher after 12 STLCC college-level credits to begin taking honors classes. Students may also join with acceptable grades from high school. Meyer said he is open to talking with anyone who may qualify.
Most recent graduates were awarded near- to full-ride scholarships to Pierre Laclede’s Honors College at University of Missouri-St. Louis. More specifically, one scholar, Doug Larson, is getting paid to attend Washington University. He was awarded full tuition and $12,000 in addition to that.
The level of academic excellence has risen due to those who commit themselves to tougher classes and, in turn, have been rewarded almost across the board. For those interested in joining the program, visit Meyer in CN 215.
“I tell the honors students that they should treat Meramec as their job. Universities, when they are giving big money away, want students who are engaged on their campus and in the larger community. The best evidence they have of how engaged you might be in their campus is how engaged you were at your two-year campus,” said Meyer. “That’s a mistake many Meramec students make—they think of this as only Meramec and do not get involved. Well, good luck getting big money from a university; they will likely see your apathy as a habit, one they don’t want to support. There’s really no reason not to [join the Honors Program].”
