Special Programs
Our special academic programs surround Bulldog students with more opportunities to learn:
- The Lyceum Series is a program of 24 cultural and scholarly events students attend during their time at Wingate University.
- Undergraduate research opportunities allow students to explore topics they love while gaining research training.
- For sophomores, the new W’Engage program provides students with the chance to contribute to our communities, travel for 5-7 days to a U.S. destination to bring about positive social change and engage in a weekly seminar to explore a single topic, such as poverty or sustainability.
- The Honors Program challenges nominated students with advanced courses and research. For more information check the Honors Program page here.
Find out more
Lyceum Series
What is the Lyceum Program?
Lyceums are free events offered throughout the academic year designed specifically for the needs and interests of Wingate University’s students. Wingate's Lyceum Program provides all Wingate students with a wide variety of opportunities to explore and develop academic, career, and personal goals, knowledge, and skills, as well as explore diverse faith perspectives and cultural opportunities outside the classroom. Lyceums may be the only time in their lives that they have the opportunity to see and meet famous speakers and performers from all fields of interest.
The Lyceum Program is a graduation requirement for undergraduate students. In order to graduate, students must attend 24 Lyceum events selected from four broad categories:
- Academic lectures explore scholarly topics that are relevant to current events or controversies and are of importance and interest to a wide variety of students. Prominent lecturers and panelists help students explore topics related to your own disciplines or may introduce you to important concepts from other fields of interest.
- Personal and professional growth events allow students to explore issues related to personal and career development, including understanding diversity, civic engagement, personal health and wellness, resume-building, career pathways, and leadership.
- Faith and character development events encourage students to explore their own beliefs and faith experiences, and those of others.
- Fine arts presentations and performances allow students to learn about and enjoy a wide variety of performances, including dance, film, music, photography, theater, and vocal performance, from locally and nationally acclaimed artists.
Students attend a minimum of 4 events from each category and 8 more “elective” events from any of the categories. Students who transfer in credits have fewer required lyceum events depending on how many credits they transferred.
Questions?
Keyua McElveen
(704) 233-8245
lyceum@wingate.edu
Research Opportunities
At Wingate University, students conduct undergraduate research beyond the classroom and laboratory walls. In fact, research opportunities carry students away to different parts of the United States and even abroad.
No matter what research you decide to conduct or where it takes you, a professor mentors you along the way. Your research could even be selected for publication in a journal. And while delving into your topic of choice, you’ll pad your résumé or graduate school application.
Summer Research Pays Off
Teams of one student and one professor are selected to undertake a 10-week summer research project. If you’re chosen to participate in this competitive program, you could receive funding for travel and on-campus housing during the summer. After the research is complete, students also receive funding to participate in conferences to share their findings.
Showcase Your Results
Students who conduct research for a course can present orally or with a poster during the Wellspring Symposium. Their research is displayed in the library and across campus. While summer research students are guaranteed funding for conferences, other students are not. But if funds are available, they might be eligible for support to showcase their research on a local or regional level. Take a look at past recipients <link to archive from Wellspring>
Wingate Research Review
The Wingate Research Review compiles the best undergraduate research and writing to emerge each year from advanced seminars, honors theses and funded research efforts.
Upcoming Events for Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS)
December 3, 2022
at UNC Wilmington
National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
December 3, 2022
at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Questions?
Dr. Terese Lund
(704) 233-8162
t.lund@wingate.edu
W'Engage
For Wingate University sophomores, the W’Engage program offers an opportunity to contribute to surrounding communities and travel for about five days to a U.S. destination in order to promote positive social change.
A weekly seminar focuses on a single topic of importance, such as hunger, education or ecology, explored in a course designed to ignite your need to create social change.
W’Engage helps you gain skills you can use for the rest of your life, no matter your major or intended career path. You also earn two hours of academic credit.
Faculty, are you interested in proposing a W'Engage Course? Use the button below to submit your proposal!
Grow as a Person
Throughout the W’Engage program, you grow as a person by developing a greater awareness of and respect for community issues. In addition, you learn to apply ethical reasoning to contemporary local, national and global issues. Students travel and work closely with learning teams and diverse groups. Together, you learn from one another as you have open-minded discussions in which you examine and reflect upon your personal values, assumptions and attitudes.
Find Your Voice
Through the primary-source field research and observations you conduct during the program, you help raise awareness of community concerns. As you analyze the concepts of community, leadership and development, you reflect on what you can do to address social problems. To really inspire those around you, however, you have to be able to get your points across.
Apply Your Knowledge
The program provides the opportunity to put your academic knowledge to use as you explore your topic area through hands-on learning both inside and outside the classroom. W’Engage encourages Wingate University students to identify, compare and contrast differences between their local community and the destinations they visit for field research.
Where are We Going?
Each year, destinations change based on community needs, current research projects and faculty availability. Previous W'Engage locations included:
- Hunger and Homelessness (New Orleans, 2016)
- Community Policing (Boston, 2017)
- Homelessness and LGBT community (NYC, 2017)
- Civil Rights and Freedom Riders (Washington DC, 2017)
- Sustainable Food Systems (Asheville & Boone, 2019)
- Voting Rights (Georgia & Alabama, 2020)
- The Housing Crisis in America (Denver, 2021)
Ready to W’Engage?
- You must have sophomore standing with a 2.3 GPA.
- Students can register via WinLink during regular course registration days by searching for WENGAGE. Upon registering for a seminar, you'll be automatically added to the "waitlist". You'll receive an email from Lund (dir. of under. research) requesting a short statement of interest. Based on responses, GPA and class year, 15 participants will be selected.
- Seminars have limited availability, and the cost is $250.