Ashton Cooper, Assistant Director
The Honors Leadership Program (HLP) is the University of Tennessee’s campus-wide honors leadership program. In partnership with the Center for Leadership and Service and the Department of Educational, Leadership, and Policy Studies, the HLP provides students with a foundation in both leadership theory and practice.
The program is built upon the core values of personal and social responsibility, community engagement, experiential learning, and diversity and inclusion. HLP students complete the Honors Leadership Studies minor, participate actively in campus organizations, and engage with a community of leadership scholars. HLP students develop a personalized style of leadership that will serve them on campus and in their post-graduate endeavors.
The Honors Leadership Living and Learning Community welcomes first-year students. Students living in this LLC also participate in a specialized Ignite program prior to the fall semester, designed to foster a sense of community among Honors Leadership students. Subsequent programming is designed to engage students in academic conversations about leadership as well as provide them with opportunities to apply their developing leadership skills. Honors Leadership Program students maintain active involvement in campus organizations, participate enthusiastically in program-sponsored events, and engage in campus conversations about leadership and service.
Eligibility
Admission to the Honors Leadership Program is available to entering first-year students. High school seniors with superior academic credentials and an interest in the study and practice of leadership are invited to apply.
Requirements
Honors Leadership students complete the honors track of the Leadership Studies Minor, which includes coursework in leadership theory, leadership ethics, and the preparation of a leadership portfolio.
Student also complete co-curricular requirements, which include:
- Participation in the Honors Ignite session
- Participation in the Honors Leadership Living and Learning Community (first-year students)
- Completion of twenty-five hours of documented community service annually
- Attendance at a minimum of two Leadership Legacy Series offerings annually
- Annual advising/planning sessions with HLP staff
Students in the HLP are required to maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA while making timely progress on their graduation requirements and the requirements of the leadership studies minor.
