About the Honoré Program
The initiative is named after Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, a Southern University alumnus, military hero, and expert on leadership development.
Students with leadership potential and the motivation to make a difference in their communities, despite having ACT scores and GPA that do not qualify them for four-year university admission, are selected for the program. Upon successfully completing a summer preparation program, Honoré scholars are provided free housing on the SUNO campus in a holistic living and learning environment. Additional support includes a campus meal plan, a monthly $100 stipend plus all required textbooks for up to five years. Personal counseling, life skills, and tutoring resources also are incorporated to help ensure their academic and personal success.
After completing the first two years, that support continues but on a graduated scale based upon the student’s continued academic performance.
Curricular and co-curricular activities and expectations are rigorous and structured in the living and learning community. Each student signs a contract governing his expectations and benefits provided, along with a promissory note agreeing that a portion of the financial support he receives is considered a forgivable loan until he fulfills his obligations to the program.
He pledges to complete an undergraduate degree at SUNO within five years majoring in Education or another approved discipline. If selecting another discipline, he still is expected to complete at least (12) credit hours in Elementary or Early Childhood Education course content, then enroll in an alternative teaching certification program after graduation. However, a graduating Honoré student with a B.S. in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Math disciplines (S.T.E.M.) may elect to immediately pursue a Master’s degree, in which case the two-year classroom teaching obligation will be waived.
All financial support provided by the Southern System is forgiven after the Honoré CUSA student completes classroom certification and the two-year teaching requirement in an approved New Orleans area school.
SEVEN DESIRABLE TRAITS
Candidates for the Honoré Center initiative pledge to conduct themselves honorably and to exemplify these seven (7) desired traits:
- Considerate
- Disciplined
- Ethical
- Persistent
- Punctual
- Self-Aware
- Servant Leader