Regent’s Scholars Weekend and Honors College
Attract the Nation’s Best & Brightest
They came from across the U.S. — 112 prospective students competing for over $1 million in scholarships at Regent University’s 15th Annual Scholars Weekend held this past February.
Representing 18 states and accompanied by 169 parents and guardians, these senior high school students competed throughout the three-day event for exclusive full and partial scholarships — the largest awards available to incoming Regent students — including the coveted Dean’s Scholarship (full four-year tuition, plus housing).
North Carolina native Emily Polson, who is pursuing her bachelor’s in political communication at Regent University, was last year’s Dean’s Scholarship winner. Yet surprisingly, that wasn’t the main reason she chose to attend Regent.
“The scholarship was certainly a part of my decision,” Polson shares. “But by that point, I already loved so many things about Regent. Getting to meet other students, explore the campus and worship at UnChapel … all brought clarity to my college decision,” she says.
For Polson and others, it was the complete experience — a place of academic rigor, Christ-centered education, and an engaging community of staff and students that made an impact on them during the weekend.
“I imagined Scholars Weekend being much more competitive and stressful, yet I was greeted with warm hospitality, God-centered principles, wonderful new friends, and an experience I would never trade,” said Elizabeth Hammer.
Polson agrees: “The most meaningful experience I had was the time spent in the dorms talking with my hosts and their friends, sharing about our Regent experiences, and talking about Christian leadership. I really got an idea of what community at Regent could look like.”
A community that also happens to be with some of the nation’s best and brightest.
This year’s extraordinary group of scholar applicants quite literally brought their A game, with a combined GPA average of 4.13 and SAT scores of 1310, representing the 92nd percentile of test-takers nationwide — the highest ever for Scholars Weekend.
Additionally, 27 distinct majors were represented, including the top three: B.S. in Psychology, B.S. in Business and B.A. in Law & National Security.
“We had the privilege of getting a personal view of these gifted young men and women in areas from intellect and leadership to communication and teachability. And each of them is truly remarkable,” said Avery Walsh, senior director of Undergraduate Admissions for the College of Arts & Sciences. “My team is humbled to invest in them and excited for the future, knowing that God is mobilizing such a high-caliber generation of Christian leaders.”
A New College
But the opportunity to win scholarships wasn’t the only good news offered to these top scholars. Over the weekend, university staff also announced the launch of a standalone Honors College on Regent’s campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Honors College will attract high-achieving students, providing mentorship opportunities and an advanced honors curriculum based on its unique educational L.I.F.E. model: great Learning, Instruction, Faculty & Expectations. The L.I.F.E. approach to honors education at Regent will be offered by some of the best faculty in the country who serve at the university.
“The university has a premier team of faculty offering leading curricula and a state-of- the- art plan to ensure that students receive the finest instruction within a challenging environment,” said Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño. “Simply said, the focus of the Honors College is to discover greatness — the greatness of God, the greatness of His ways and His acts, and the greatness that He allows us to accomplish through Him. We believe it will absolutely transform students to be great leaders to make the world a better place.”
“… the focus of the Honors College is to discover greatness — the greatness of God, the greatness of His ways and His acts, and the greatness that He allows us to accomplish through Him.”
Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño
Executive Vice President
for Academic Affairs
That news resonated with many of this year’s scholars, according to Regent staff who interviewed them over the weekend.
“I believe the invitation to Scholars and the Honors College was a key factor in their decision to attend Regent … that their hard work and accomplishments were being recognized,” explains one staff member.
But that recognition doesn’t just end with the students. Excellence is a two-way street, and in the more than four decades of training Christian leaders to change the world, Regent continues to draw the highest accolades.
Ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report, 2020, Regent is one of only 22 universities nationally to receive an “A” rating for its comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum. Recently, the university also earned its 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges — the highest level that a university can be awarded from that organization.
The launch of the Honors College comes on the heels of Regent’s robust Honors Program that was initiated five years ago, with alumni from that program already competitive in industry-leading companies.
Students who apply and are accepted into the Honors College will receive an additional scholarship, extensive mentorship and leadership training, and have the opportunity to publish content as a Center for Christian Thought & Action fellow — an initiative by Regent where leading scholars and thinkers offer sharp analysis and carefully considered solutions to a host of issues facing our nation today.
“The world needs dedicated Christians with disciplined minds, exceptional spirits and battle-tested hearts to challenge the culture and to lead and serve others to the glory of God,” said Dr. Josh McMullen, interim dean of Regent’s College of Arts & Sciences. “With great curricula, instruction, faculty, and setting great expectations, Regent’s Honors College seeks to change the way students view the world while preparing them to meet it with greatness.”
To learn more about Regent’s new Honors College, visit regent.edu/honors. The Honors College is welcoming applicants for its inaugural class beginning August 2020.
