Co-curricular activities, activities outside of the classroom that complement academic studies, are an integral part of a comprehensive honors education. Our co-curricular program encourages students to put their studies into practice. From student travel to performing arts events, these beyond-the-classroom activities significantly add to students' academic development.

The Honors College's co-curriculum emphasizes highly meaningful educational practices, such as writing workshops and undergraduate research presentations, and also provides a wide-variety of experiential learning opportunities allowing students to apply their analytical skills to leadership and real-world civic engagement. Social events, too, are key to depressurizing in a challenging program and to just have fun with a community of peers that become what our students refer to as their Honors "family."

Co-curricular experiences further scholarly inquiry and research by encouraging students to make connections between social, cultural, artistic, and professional enrichment outside of the classroom and the students' own academic areas of interest. Like our honors courses, these opportunities foster academic excellence by enabling honors students greater responsibility and initiative in their academic careers.

Below are some of the co-curricular opportunities available in The Honors College:

Undergraduate Research Conferences (Travel Scholarships Available)

LSC Honors Undergraduate Research Day, or HURD (Campus)

Held on each campus the Friday before Finals Week. Presenters are nominated by their professors to present their honors research projects. All honors students participate in the event as presenters, volunteers, session moderators, or audience members - all in support of their community of student scholars.

Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Honors Council Conference (Local/Regional)

The highest-ranked Spring campus HURD presenters are competitively selected for this Fall undergraduate research conference.

Great Plains Honors Council Conference, or GPHC (Regionals)

This regional affiliation associated with the National Collegiate Honors Council hosts an annual Spring undergraduate research conference. The highest-ranked Fall campus HURD presenters are competitively selected for this Spring undergraduate research conference. From this group, students may also be nominated for the BOE Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work. Students accepted by the GPHC review committee receive an Honors College travel scholarship to attend.

National Council for Undergraduate Research Conference, or NCUR (Nationals)

Students who present at the Fall GCIC or the Spring GPHC conferences may be competitively selected as LSC nominees to present at NCUR, the country's largest and most selective showcase of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study. Students accepted by the NCUR review committee receive an Honors College travel scholarship to attend. (Recent conference locations include New Orleans, Boston, and Chicago.)

Honors College Leadership Program (HCLP)

The HCLP provides leadership skills training with real-world organizational work experience. The program is designed to foster leadership skills transferable regardless of our students' next steps. The goal of the HCLP is to add a student-driven component to The Honors College that supports the overall mission of honors education by:

1. Offering leadership and key soft-skills development translatable to any transfer or career path,
2. Giving students voice and vision in their educational programming, and
3. Fostering both a sense of educational investment and a spirit of "giving back" in support of The Honors College, Lone Star College, and our surrounding communities

Peer Mentor Program

Designed to assist new Honors students with their transition to The Honors College. Second-year Honors students work as peer mentors to share experiences and guide new Honors Students through the research process, as well as academic and professional life. Students may also mentor LSC peers or younger members of the community.

Academic Service Learning and Community

The Honors College sponsors and supports numerous service projects and events, including many in partnership with other LSC groups and with community organizations. Contact your honors director for more information on how to get involved.

International Partnership Opportunities

• Honors International Capstone Travel - Students are immersed in a foreign culture which provides unique experiential learning opportunities to conceptualize their studies.
• French Embassy-LSC Partnership - The Honors College is a proud partner of the French Embassy of the United States. Each year our students receive scholarships to attend various bootcamps (recent locations include Montpellier, Paris, and Normandie) to attend their preprofessional summer bootcamp programs, both for STEM and humanities fields.
• Engineering program with French Embassy and the French n+i Consortium of Engineering Universities
• Taiwanese Culture/Language program in association with C-SAT and the Fulbright Organization
• IREX Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge - Virtual Exchange with students in Iraq and Jordan

The Honors College Model United Nations

Lone Star College offers students the opportunity to learn about global issues and the challenges of diplomacy through the competitive Model UN program. The Model UN is a simulation of the United Nations system, where students assume the role of diplomats and participate in debates on current global issues found in the UN agenda. The Model UN delegations compete in the spring semester. Participating students may receive a travel scholarship to attend the National Model United Nations Conference in New York, the world's largest university-level Model UN. The experience offers students a chance to hone skills - diplomacy, global competency, negotiation, public speaking, writing, and research - while making connections between their conference experience and their honors research. See also HONRH 2053 Honors College Model United Nations Seminar.

Press Releases:

• Lone Star College students recognized at National Model United Nations conference - April 12, 2023

Congressional and Industry Internships

Includes some virtual internships opportunities.

Specialized Workshops

Aimed at helping helping students with research and presentation skills, alumni and career panels, transfer and scholarships, academic professionalism, and more.

Cultural Events

Including community festivals, plays or concerts, speaker series, our traditional fun-filled Winter Panto experience, field trips, and more.

Socials

From holiday get-togethers to field day to our regional retreats and campus events that have included ropes courses, downtown scavenger hunts, and escape room events

Honors Tracks

Since our co-curricular events include a number of leadership, service, and internationalized events and activities, students may choose to make the most of these various opportunities by working toward one of the following graduation distinction tracks:

• Honors Leadership Track
• Honors International Studies Track
• Honors Scholar Academic Service Track