About the Program
The Honors Foundations program will support selected Honors Faculty Fellows from around the campus each academic year.
Any full-time permanent Morgantown faculty member, with the support of the department chair, is eligible to apply. The deadline for 2027-28 Honors Faculty Fellow applications and course proposals is Friday, November 6, 2026.
Selected fellows will teach one or two sections of the same course, depending on the type of course proposed. These courses can be special topics “big-ideas” classes or enhanced classes with deeply engaged teaching and learning practices that bring faculty expertise to Honors students at the introductory level. They provide innovative course opportunities for Honors students and space for faculty to develop new curricular and teaching ideas to bring back to their home departments.
Learn more about the program and requirements for fellows by visiting the link below.
Learn MoreApplication Process
Applications must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for the coming year.
Applications will be open in Fall 2026 for 2027-2028 Honors Faculty Fellows. Applications, with chair support, will be due to the Honors College by November 6, 2026. Applications should be emailed to Damien Clement as a single PDF file.
REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:
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A cover letter that outlines:
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Course description.
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Faculty member’s qualification to teach the course.
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Assessment of the niche for such a course, specifically for how the course is NOT currently covered in course offerings of the fellow’s home department or any other relevant department on campus.
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A detailed description of the proposed course that includes:
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Outline of the material covered including key texts.
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Identification of any specific community service and leadership components in the course.
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Assessment practices and tools to be used in the course.
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Innovative teaching tactics and learning activities to be used in the course.
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Listing of the section learning outcomes.
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Description of how the course meets the GEF learning outcomes with which it will be associated.
- If the proposed course can fit into multiple GEF areas, please include a description of how the course meets the other GEF learning area.
- Description of how the course is designed to meet the learning needs and
expectations of freshmen and sophomore students. This is typically summarized
as being at the 100/200 level.
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The applicant’s CV
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A statement of support from the faculty member’s chair, including confirmation that, if selected, the faculty member's Honors fellow course for the 2027-28 academic year will be considered part of their regular teaching load and no adjunct replacement cost will be provided by the department.
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A statement of support from the faculty member's Dean's office.
Selection Process
Applicants can review the selection process below to know more about how they may be selected
All Honors Foundations Course proposals must first be vetted by the chair in the home department in the statement of support. Except in extraordinary circumstances pre-approved by affected chairs, no more than one faculty fellow will come from any given department within a single cohort.
Efforts will be made to distribute Honors Foundation Course offerings across all six eligible GEF bins (2-7), and across multiple colleges across the university.
Faculty Fellows will be expected to participate in a two-and-a-half-day workshop on course design tailored specifically for them. This workshop will take place in May 2027. The goal of this workshop will be to provide Faculty Fellows with:
- Professional development in the principles and evidence-based practices of backward course design
- Dedicated time and space to make substantial progress on putting your course together
- An opportunity for peer feedback on course components.
Please note that there will be no expectations that Faculty Fellows have a completed course syllabus for this workshop or anything beyond the course proposal submitted with their Honors Faculty Fellow application.
COURSE SELECTION CRITERIA:
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Fulfillment of GEF learning outcomes
- Must be an on-campus course. Online courses will not be considered.
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Commitment to and proposed assessment of GEF learning outcomes
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Innovative teaching tactics/learning activities
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Interdisciplinary learning opportunities
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Integration of leadership and service elements into the course content.
Selection Timeline
A tentative guideline for the fellow selection process.
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September 14, 2026
Call for Applications
Call for applications for 2026-27 Honors Faculty Fellows
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November 6, 2026
Deadline for Applications and Course Proposals
Deadline for Honors Faculty Fellow applications and course proposals. The Associate Dean will perform an initial review of all applications. If an applicant proposes a course that extends into another discipline, the Associate Dean will seek sign-off from the chair of the department in question, before reinserting it into the batch of applications.
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January 4, 2027
Honors Faculty Fellows Confirm Participation
Selected Honors Faculty Fellows confirm participation, and Honors curriculum committee submits selected courses to Faculty Senate GEF committee for information, ideally by February 2027 Faculty Senate Meeting.
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March 2027 (estimated)
Courses Made Visible to Students
Fall 2027 courses are made visible to students.
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Mid-May 2027
Course Design Workshop
Faculty fellows course design workshop
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July 2027
Fellows Receive Course Development Stipend
Fellows receive summer course development stipend
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August 2027
First Semester of Courses
Fellows teach first semester of courses.
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Fall 2027
Fellow Lectures Held
Honors Faculty Fellows lectures held.
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November 2027 - January 2028
Next Cohort Selection Process Begins
Fellows participate in selection process for next cohort.
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December 2027
Retrospective Review of Year
Honors Faculty Fellows meet for retrospective discussion of the year to offer feedback about the program.
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January 2028
Second Semester Begins
Second semester begins.