Freshman Year Experience

The Freshman Year Experience (FYE) promotes successful student transition from high school to Lindsey Wilson College.  Three freshman advisers (FAs), along with the Director of FYE, establish a working relationship with students through intensive advising that guides them through course selection and registration, as well as provides information, referrals, and coordination with campus services.  In addition, FYE hosts social events throughout the academic year to encourage students to become actively involved in campus life.  Lindsey Wilson requires all first-time, full-time students to complete the freshman seminar course taught by the FAs and other college faculty.  This seminar provides an in-depth exploration into behaviors and activities that promote success in college including student skill-development, service learning and healthy social living.

The FYE incorporates curricular and co-curricular elements.  The two courses that are part of the FYE are Freshman Seminar and Peer Mentor Leadership.  Academic advising for freshmen is coordinated through the FYE.  The co-curricular elements of the program include ACES (Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success), Commuter Student Association, The Peak coffee house, and other social events planned by the freshman advisors.

The FYE program, formerly Freshman Advising program, was established with Title III funding in 2004.  The program has evolved over the years in which it has been in operation.  The peer mentoring program was added this academic year, 2008-2009.  This proposal seeks formal approval for the curricular components of FYE, specifically Freshman Seminar and Peer Mentor Leadership.

 FYE Program Goals

• To promote for first-year students a positive adjustment and assimilation into Lindsey Wilson College;
• To help students learn to balance their freedom with a sense of responsibility;
• To improve student attitudes toward the teaching-learning process and towards faculty who are responsible for providing this process;
• To improve relations between faculty and students;
• To involve students in the total life of Lindsey Wilson College;
• To teach students about LWC: its history, purpose, organization, rules and regulations, people, services, resources, and opportunities for student development;
• To have students use such helping resources at LWC as the Library, Career Services, Academic Success Center tutoring program, the Writing Center, and the Math Center;
• To provide students with information about health and wellness issues;
• To provide students with additional training, practice, experience, and knowledge in the following areas: decision making, goal setting, planning, study skills and time management;
• To enhance or establish a respect for diversity and tolerance as a member of the Lindsey Wilson College family;
• To help students discover the excellent opportunities that LWC offers, how student's fit in here, and how we can help students fully develop their potential.

 The ACES Club, a service-oriented club within the Freshman Year Experience, provides opportunities for freshmen to connect with fellow students; participate in on- and off-campus recreational activities; develop leadership skills and abilities; give back to others through local, regional, and national service projects; and receive encouragement to excel in the classroom.

The ACES Club, a service-oriented club within the Freshman Year Experience, provides opportunities for freshmen to connect with fellow students; participate in on- and off-campus recreational activities; develop leadership skills and abilities; give back to others through local, regional, and national service projects; and receive encouragement to excel in the classroom.

Learning Communities

Learning Communities are groups of students with shared interests who learn together.  A Learning Community provides a fun and supportive start to your college career at Lindsey Wilson College.  Students who join a Learning Community have an instant support group which fosters academic and social success.  Students will be enrolled in two or more of the same courses and will have opportunities to engage in special social and service activities.  The groups include:

• Civic Engagement Learning Community 
• Health Learning Community for Pre-Nursing Students
• Health Learning Communtiy for Other Health Professions
• Christian Living Learning Community
• Science Exploration Learning Community
• Global Learning Community

Honors Program

The Honors Program is designed to enrich the education of participating students by providing challenging and engaging curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Program Director: Greg A. Phelps, PhD, Turner 207, (270) 384-8234, phelpsg@lindsey.edu

Students who are invited to participate and who choose to do so are expected to participate in three components:

1. Enroll in the Honors Seminar in at least 6 of their 8 semesters of attendance (for students enrolled for periods other than the traditional 8 semesters, enrollment would be expected for at least of the semesters they are at the College). Seminars will focus on current topics of interest to Honors students in an atmosphere of intellectual exchange and active student involvement in the learning process. The seminar may involve speakers, projects and service-learning opportunities, meeting twice a month in two-hour blocks. (The HONR course description is located with the course descriptions near the back of this catalog.)
2. Enroll in an Honors Course during at least 6 of their 8 semesters of attendance. (For students enrolled for periods other than the traditional 8 semesters, enrollment would be expected for at least of the semesters they are at the College). Each Honors Course involves the completion of an Honors Project. The requirements for receiving an Honors designation ( H on transcript) in a course are not fulfilled unless the completed project is approved by the supervising professor and the student makes an acceptable presentation of his or her Honors Project at the designated venue (Honors Seminar or Honors Day.) If the student makes an approved, acceptable Honors presentation, the course will be tagged with an H on the student's transcript to denote completion of the Honors requirement for the course.
3. Honor Society: Students enrolled in the Honors Seminars will also be members of the Honor Society. The Honor Society will sponsor social, experiential, and service opportunities for Honors students. A constitution will be developed for approval through SGA.

Internships

Required in some majors and elective in others, internships give students the opportunity to apply the skills and understandings learned in their majors in a professional setting. Working closely with a faculty member and an on-site professional supervisor the intern receives valuable work experience and may receive an advantage in competition for full-time, ongoing employment after graduation. Pre-approved internship opportunities - paid and unpaid - are available in certain majors, and may be taken during the fall or spring semester or during the summer.

General internships are approved by academic programs. Faculty members who supervise internships offered by their programs assume responsibility for developing internship syllabi, insuring compliance with established procedures, monitoring student performance throughout the internship, assessing the intern's progress and grading the internship experience commensurate with the student's final evaluation by the work site supervisor and the intern's level of meeting academic expectations.

Note: An international student who wishes to participate in a paid internship, or any off-campus employment, must have authorization from the Coordinator of International Student Services prior to internship approval, registration, or start of the internship.

Semester in Frankfort

Through an arrangement with the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, a student may apply to spend the spring semester studying and interning in Frankfort, the state capitol of Kentucky. Students take two courses that deal with Kentucky government, legislative process, and the media, and intern 30 hours a week in either the legislative or executive branch. Students are placed in an office that complements their academic strengths and professional ambitions. The program is excellent preparation for students interested in careers in law, the media or public service. Up to 15 Lindsey Wilson credits may be earned through the program. For additional information, contact the Academic Affairs Office.

United Methodist College Washington Consortium 

Lindsey Wilson College is a member of the United Methodist College Washington Consortium. The Consortium offers students the experience of living, interning and studying in the heart of Washington, D.C. Students participating in the Capitol Hill Internship Program offered by the Consortium live in attractive apartments on Capitol Hill, intern in both government and non-governmental offices as part of select programs available only in Washington, D.C., and learn in challenging seminars and courses that are tailored to enrich their internship experience. Applications for the program are available in the Office of Academic Affairs.

International Study Opportunities 

Lindsey in London Semester In cooperation with eight other Appalachian colleges, Lindsey Wilson offers a semester of study in the heart of London, England. The program is taught largely by American faculty from participating colleges on the campus of Imperial College. Extensive use is made of guest speakers and local experts, particularly in the "British Life and Culture" course. This unique course covers a different dimension of British life each week. First in a lecture followed each Wednesday by a daylong field trip such as to a medieval castle, Shakespeare's birthplace, and the buildings of Parliament. A listing of available courses for each semester is on file in the Academic Affairs Office. One course in management may also be taken through Imperial College, as well as arrangements for spring semester and summer internships in international business.

Up to 15 Lindsey Wilson credits may be earned through the Lindsey in London semester and, depending upon individual circumstances, federal, state and college financial aid may apply. Lodging is arranged through the program. For additional information, contact the Academic Affairs Office.

Other Academic Travel Opportunities

In addition, Lindsey Wilson performing groups, classes and organizations periodically plan for and engage in travel to metropolitan areas in the United States and the world. Study, service or performance has been the goals of recent trips by a number of student groups. The Lindsey Wilson College Singers have performed on trips to England, Canada and several regions of our country. Each year various classes from humanities, fine arts, science, business and social science engage students in the study of their disciplines by traveling within and beyond our region. Students also have learned more about the United States by doing service work locally and in a variety of distant locations such as California, Florida and Washington DC.