IUP Community of Scholars

Part of the core identity of the Cook Honors College (CHC) at IUP is that all 100 first-year students and about one-third of the upperclassmen are housed in a single residence hall, Whitmyre Hall.  This assemblage of students is called the Community of Scholars. (You can take a virtual tour of Whitmyre that has been recreated in Second Life)

One noted education author said that this community housing concept was one of three key facets of the Cook Honors College experience that caused such spectacular academic performance.  Don Asher, of Cool Colleges said, “the Cook Honors college succeeds for three reasons: residential community, unique curriculum based on critical thinking and the achievement fund which allows students expand their cultural experiences through study abroad and internships.”

The Asher section about the CHC is a good overview of what is good and bad about the CHC, and can be downloaded as a pdf.  The entire book is well worth reading.