Information for Faculty

The success of the John Martinson Honors College (JMHC) depends on the contributions of Purdue faculty who teach honors courses and mentor and engage students in a variety of academic pursuits.

Teaching Honors Courses with the JMHC

H-sections and honors contracts

Discipline-specific honors courses and opportunities are offered by respective departments, either as H-sections or through honors contracts, and through departmental honors programs. Faculty interested in teaching an H-section should contact their department head for further information. Information for department heads and faculty on the honors contract process can be found here.

HONR courses

The JMHC’s “four pillars” derive from the National Collegiate Honors Council’s primary modes of learning, which define honors education nationally. These are:

Interdisciplinary academics
Undergraduate research
Community and global engagement
Leadership development

HONR courses are specially designed to extend from a faculty member’s expertise to meet the JMHC’s four pillars. These innovative and engaging small-format (maximum 24 students), variable title seminars may be offered at the lower or upper divisions. They can cover any academic topic, but they must be inclusive of Purdue students from any academic discipline on campus. Any Purdue student with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above may enroll.

Faculty interested in teaching an HONR seminar should contact Liz Brite, director of faculty affairs, at britee@purdue.edu. An application and committee proposal review are required.

Sustained Engagements with the JMHC

The JMHC offers several programs through which Purdue faculty interested in more sustained teaching, research, and mentorship with honors students may engage with us. Information on the various programs is below.

Teaching-based Opportunities

JMHC Faculty Fellows

JMHC Faculty Fellows are impactful, innovative teacher-scholars who offer HONR courses and design and lead programming for honors students. The JMHC Faculty Fellows program is a sustained, three-year commitment to JMHC teaching and engagement.

The commitment framework can vary for faculty and must be arranged and agreed upon with their department head through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Normal expectations include teaching one three-credit HONR course per academic year on topics related to the candidate’s field of specialty, participating in programming to support a vibrant residential college, and mentoring honors students.

Interested faculty should confer with their department heads before applying and must complete an application.

Faculty may inquire and apply to be an Honors Fellow at any time during the academic year. JMHC administration is available to discuss and consider applications on a rolling basis. However, the JMHC maintains the following deadlines to ensure timely course scheduling:

The deadline for faculty applications for fall teaching is Nov. 15. The deadline for MOUs signed with the department is Dec. 1.

The deadline for faculty applications for spring teaching is April 15. The deadline for MOUs signed with the department is May 1.

Following the establishment of the MOU in early Dec./May, the JMHC will confer with the faculty member to facilitate course design and registrar scheduling.

All tenure-line and clinical faculty with FTE appointments are eligible to apply. Visiting faculty, lecturers, and clinical faculty with one year or less remaining on a non-renewing contract are ineligible. Faculty acceptance is contingent on department head approval.

Questions or inquiries for application can be sent to Liz Brite, director of faculty affairs, at britee@purdue.edu.

H-Innovate Fellows

H-Innovate is a course adaptation initiative that creates new, sustainable, and scalable honors experiences in high-demand courses across Purdue University (West Lafayette and Indianapolis). H-Innovate uses a faculty cohort model that extends the structure of Purdue’s groundbreaking IMPACT initiative to honors course design and includes honors students in the process. Working together, Purdue faculty, students, and expert course designers work to make existing courses “H-ready,” expanding opportunities for honors credit in high-demand courses. Information on H-Innovate Fellows and some of the courses they have transformed can be found here.

Questions about the H-Innovate program and how to get involved can be sent to program director Emily Allen, at elallen@purdue.edu.

Research-based Opportunities

JMHC Scholarly Fellows

The JMHC’s Scholarly Fellows Program seeks Purdue faculty with extraordinary dedication to, and skill in, undergraduate mentorship. Scholarly Fellows bring undergraduates into research and, similar to a JMHC Faculty Fellow, informally interact outside the classroom with (mostly) first-year JMHC students living in University Residences. Responsibilities include engaging in formal mentorship of a group of honors students in a research or original creative project(s) related to their scholarly expertise and working with an honors house liaison to plan and attend residence-related events.

This is a one-year commitment with the possibility of renewal. Scholarly Fellows receive a stipend to enable the mentorship of honors undergraduates in faculty-led research, scholarly or creative projects, with the intent of completing honors students’ scholarly project curriculum requirement.

All tenured/tenure-track faculty, clinical faculty, and continuing lecturers are eligible to apply. Projects that engage first-year students and students without prior research experience will be prioritized. Any area of interdisciplinary research is eligible.

Calls for applications to the Scholarly Fellows Program are typically announced over the summer. Questions about this program, upcoming application calls and requirements can be sent to Sarah Vaughn, program administrator for research, at svaughn@purdue.edu.

JMHC Research Fellows

JMHC Research Fellows are directors and affiliates of the JMHC’s Interdisciplinary Research Generators (IRGs). The IRGs serve as thematically focused research hubs designed to accelerate faculty-student research collaborations and prepare the next generation of innovators and global leaders.

Each IRG is led by a Purdue faculty member who serves as the IRG director. The director’s role is to establish an interdisciplinary hub to integrate JMHC students in transformative, cutting-edge research experiences. The IRG enables honors students to complete their scholarly project requirement through research experiences mentored by the IRG director(s) and by IRG afﬁliate faculty brought together as collaborators within the hub. All IRG faculty (directors and afﬁliates) will be designated JMHC Research Fellows.

All tenure-line and clinical faculty are eligible to apply.

Further information on the current IRGs can be found here. Questions about this program, upcoming CFPs, eligibility, and requirements can be sent to Sarah Vaughn, program administrator for research, at svaughn@purdue.edu.

This program welcomes inquiries regarding potential proposals on a rolling basis. Please contact Sarah Vaughn for further information.