The Summer Discussion board starts up around mid-July. The discussion board features two kinds of discussions: social and academic. The first discussion will focus on providing opportunities for incoming Honors students (and those upperclassmen who wish to participate) to meet each other, swap stories, and exchange contact information. The second part of the discussion board, which will be launched around mid-July, will be discussion prompts based on the summer readings. Incoming freshmen are required to participate actively in both sections of the discussion board.

The Honors Retreat occurs annually before the beginning of New Student Orientation. All incoming Honors freshmen will attend this retreat, and the upperclassmen are invited to attend as well. The retreat features a wide range of activities from academic presentations by the professors to hiking, canoeing, and gaming. The retreat has been highly successful in past years and we look forward to building on those successes every year. For the families of incoming students, we have a dedicated family orientation (so families do not have to stay for regular family orientation) the day before leaving for the retreat. For more information, contact geoffrey.whitebread@gallaudet.edu.

25 merit-based scholarships (Presidential and Provost scholarships) are granted to select incoming Honors students. The scholarships last for four years and provide additional funding for students remaining active and in good standing with the Honors Program.