Jacksonville, FL – November 13, 2019 – Edward Waters College (EWC) has heightened its academic profile and institutional competitiveness with the establishment of the EWC Honors College. Twenty students from throughout the nation are participating in the Honors College’s Alpha Cohort, a diversely talented group of future leaders who are primed to make their individual and collective mark on the world.

Established in August 2019, the Honors College engages students in enhanced academic and experiential learning opportunities that incubate, promote and support exceptional scholarly academic achievement. Serving as the facilitator for the college’s academic enterprises, the Honors College will support future initiatives such as the development of a comprehensive President Scholarship program that connects students with corporate partners.

The Honors College At Edward Waters: The Alpha Cohort

“The Honors College is part of our strategic vision to create an environment of high leveled interdisciplinary inquiry and learning,” says Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., President and CEO of Edward Waters College. “This collage of distinguished scholars is intended to reinforce the Edward Waters College commitment to excellence and opportunity for all students, and further defines why EWC is, in fact, a best in class destination institution for higher education in the State of Florida, the nation, and beyond.”

The Honors College (HC) Experience at Edward Waters College engages students in unique curricular and co-curricular experiences designed to help them explore the many opportunities offered by Edward Waters College. The HC experience consists of an honors curriculum, featuring small classes with engaged learning led by EWC’s talented and dedicated faculty; a residential experience and co-curricular programming, which provide global, leadership, and service opportunities; and a meaningful and impactful undergraduate research/scholarship experience.In addition, The Honors curriculum includes Honors General Core Sections, Honors Seminars, Honors Internship Experience, and a Honors Thesis.

The Alpha Cohort are passionate and highly knowledgeable in their academic work, for they have discovered a way to use education as a gateway to emerging eminence in academia and the global community. The cohort boasts a 4.01 average high school grade point average and an average score of 1127 on the SAT. The Alpha Cohort are Presidential Scholars and the Presidential Scholarship is a renewable, merit-based award covering full tuition, room, board, general fee, and the cost of textbooks.

“The Honors College will achieve Dr. Faison’s strategic vision by creating community, emphasizing critical and creative thinking across disciplines and fostering top-quality undergraduate research and creativity,” shares Dr. Donna H. Oliver, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. “This program and these students are an example of the premiere academic excellence and eminence at Edward Waters College.”

The Honors College at EWC was made possible through generous funding from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Guided by the Last Will & Testament of Jessie Ball duPont, the Fund works to expand access and create opportunity by investing in people, organizations and communities that were important to Jessie Ball duPont.

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About Edward Waters College
Edward Waters College (EWC), accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), is a private, historically black, urban college which offers a liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the Christian principles of high moral and spiritual values. EWC was established in 1866 and is an African Methodist Episcopal Church-related institution of learning. It is the first private institution of higher education in the State of Florida.