University of Utah’s Honors College offers unique undergraduate problem solving year-long courses. Students take on real world problems and produce creative and innovative solutions.

Please submit a separate application & essay for each Praxis Lab you are applying to.

By submitting your application you agree to the following:
Accepted students will enroll in HONOR 3700 (Praxis Lab) for 4.5 credit hours both fall and spring semesters.

Accepted students will receive a $1000 scholarship at the end of spring semester after completing all of the required work/participation.

Application

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM (MST) APRIL 1, 2020

College Affordability

Day/Time: Tuesdays 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Instructors:

Asst. Prof. Jason Taylor (PhD), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Utah

Dr. Julie Hartley (PhD), Interim Associate Commissioner of Academic and Student Affairs at the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE)

Course Description:

The costs of college have soared over the past two decades. Tuition has increased nearly 200% and living costs and other educational expenses have increased even more dramatically. The result is that students and families are paying the price for college and accumulating billions of dollars in student debt along the way. College is becoming unaffordable and the rate at which students attend and complete college continues to be stratified by income and race.

How did we get here and is our current system and infrastructure of financing college working? What is causing college costs to increase and how can we make college more affordable, accessible, and equitable for the next generation of Americans? Is the answer “free” college, expanding state investments, public debt forgiveness, increasing private investment, reforming federal financial aid, making colleges more efficient, reducing inflated administrative salaries, delivering more online education, or something else? What are our most promising solutions and who will they impact?

The current trajectory of financing college is unsustainable.  This praxis lab will explore the terrain of postsecondary education financing and financial aid policies, and it will interrogate the causes and the consequences of the college affordability crisis. The lab will offer students an opportunity to explore and assess college affordability and help us all reimagine and redesign sustainable solutions.

Aging Well in Utah

Day/Time: Thursdays 2:00 – 5:00 pm

Instructors:

Associate Prof. Linda Edelman (RN, PhD), Director of the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, University of Utah College of Nursing

Associate Prof. Troy Andersen (PhD), College of Social Work, University of Utah

Course Description:

The world’s population is aging which has implications across society. Utah, which has the distinction of being the youngest state in the nation, is also seventh in growth of adults 65 years and older. The Age Friendly Movement supports the inclusion of people of all ages to actively participate in the world around them. This Praxis Lab will explore the impact of an aging population through lectures, readings and interactions with older adults and aging services. The Age Friendly Movement will serve as the framework to explore aging topics including healthy aging, health care delivery, community planning, education and sustainability of the workforce and ageism. Emphasis will be placed on the 4M’s of age friendly health systems – mobility, mentation, medications and what matters most – and how social determinants of health and health policies influence where and how people age successfully in Utah.

Application

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM (MST) APRIL 1, 2020