Southeastern University’s School of Honors is designed for students with a record of academic success who would like to be challenged in preparation for their careers or continued graduate studies. Upon successful program completion, students receive the designation of University Honors Scholar.
We are delighted you are interested in becoming a member of the Southeastern University School of Honors. Students who have been accepted to this prestigious program receive additional scholarship funds up to $3,000 per school year.
Once you have completed your undergraduate admission application, you will be contacted by our office if you qualify. Please email us at honors@seu.edu with further questions.
Dean, School of Honors
Professor, College of Education
gmiller@seu.edu
Education
MBA, Southeastern University (2008) – Business Administration
EdD, University of Tennessee (2000) – Education
MEd, Georgia State University (1988) – Educational Administration and Supervision
BS, Lee University (1973) – History (Secondary Education)
Biography
Prior to coming to Southeastern University in Fall 1999, Dr. Gordon Miller had extensive background experience in public and private education (teaching and administration), as well as experience in ministry, as a Sunday School teacher and Director of Children’s Ministries, and missions, with international mission travel in Ghana, India, Jamaica, Brazil, and Thailand. During his 21 years at Southeastern he has held various academic and leadership positions as Vice President and Executive Assistant to the President, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Director of the Southeastern University Honors Program, and, currently, Dean of the School of Honors. In addition he has taught classes in the College of Education, the Jannetides College of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology.
Dr. Miller’s deep passion is for his students. He was the founding Director of the Honors Program and has overseen its growth and development since it was established in Fall 2009. During that time the School of Honors experienced continual growth and, as a result, in 2018, the Honors Program transitioned to become the School of Honors with Dr. Miller serving as the Dean. In addition to his academic and administrative leadership, he has maintained an active presence on the SEU campus, involved in various other areas of student life during his tenure, including serving as Chaplain of the Men’s Soccer team, leading a student mission team to Ghana, West Africa, and leading two student groups to Australia/New Zealand as part of Southeastern’s then Summer Down Under Study Abroad program. Most recently he assisted in an Honors-specific Study tour in Israel in Spring 2019.
Honors & Recognitions
Cambridge Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals – 2007
Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers – 2004, 2005, 2006
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society – 1999
Outstanding Young Men in America – 1988
Asst. Dean, School of Honors
Asst. Professor, College of Education
mrowen@seu.edu
Education
MEd, Southeastern University – Educational Leadership
BA, Southeastern University – English Education 6–12
Biography
In spring 2012, Professor Molly Owen joined Southeastern University’s College of Education as an adjunct professor and then came on as a full-time assistant professor in fall 2014. During this time, she served as the Clinical Education Coordinator, overseeing field studies and student teachers as well as teaching various methods courses.
Then, in 2018, Professor Owen changed her role to serve as the Asst. Dean for the School of Honors. In this role, she hopes to help students to join their hearts and heads in order to conduct research studies that will positively impact communities and organizations.
Prior to her higher education career, Professor Owen began her teaching career in 1996, in South Carolina, teaching high school and middle school English in both Christian and public school settings. She also served as a lead teacher as well as a mentor and evaluator for first-year teachers. However, it was a three-year stint at an alternative school, filled with students from very desperate situations, that helped her realize how necessary it is for teachers not only to be great educators but also to show Christ’s love to their students and families each and every day. Knowing that for many students, a teacher may be the only one who believes in them, she learned how to love the unloved and tries to instill that principle within her university students.
In addition to her teaching career and because of her love for English, Professor Owen has also had her hand in book and magazine editing and writing for various organizations and rising authors. Moreover, Professor Owen worked alongside her husband, who, for more than fifteen years, served in various pastoral roles. They have led multiple church ministries including youth, children and adult Christian education.
Professor Owen has a special love for Southeastern University, as it is not only her alma mater, but the place where she and her husband first met and began dating in 1993. Because of the positive impact the faculty and staff of Southeastern had on their own lives when they were students, it is their passion to invest in students and continue that legacy.
Administrative Coordinator, School of Honors
ksbrett@seu.edu
Education
BA, Southeastern University – Communication
Biography
In spring 2020, Kaitlyn Brett joined the School of Honors as Administrative Coordinator. Kaitlyn is a recent alumna of SEU, having earned a BA in Communications and the merit of University Honors Scholar. While a student in the School of Honors, Kaitlyn wrote a thesis entitled Story as the Force that Gives Us Meaning and was as an active member of the Honors Leadership Team.
During her undergrad years, she served as the Associate Producer of Torch TV and Raw TV, worked for the School of Unrestricted Education, and served as a Teaching Assistant for both the College of Natural & Health Sciences and the Department of Communication.
Before joining the School of Honors as Administrative Coordinator, Kaitlyn worked with an international missions’ organization, which sought to bring self-sustaining solutions to poverty with the love and hope of Christ. She continues to volunteer extensively at her church in the Media Ministry and Women’s Ministry.
Because of the positive impact the faculty and staff of Southeastern had on her life, Kaitlyn is passionate about helping students find their voice and discover their calling.
With approximately 200 active students, the SEU School of Honors greatly impacts our community— both locally and globally— through student leadership, community service, mission trips, athletics participation, and by conducting thesis research studies.
Contributions allow the School of Honors to fund special courses and programming, to secure research advisors, to sponsor student travel for engaging in learning and service activities, as well as study abroad trips. Furthermore, your gift allows the School of Honors to invite community and national leaders in the fields of academia, government, business, and the non-profit sector for lectures and small-group meetings with Honors students. Such interactions and opportunities are essential to inspiring Honors students to reach his or her greatest potential.
To learn more about how your gift can and has impacted our students, scroll through the highlighted School of Honors Alumni below.
This event, held every semester, gives students the chance to present and discuss their thesis research. Several of the completed theses have led to publication, founding of organizations, and employment for our students.
See recent thesis topics below.
Every year, our students have the opportunity to travel abroad to experience a full immersion into various cultures. Past trips have included Israel and Oxford, England.
Our world-class faculty continually invest in the development of our honors students by serving as instructors, mentors, and advisors, both in and out of the classroom.
“The School of Honors impacted my life by emphasizing the importance of community. It
is so important to be around people who uplift you and understand your personal and academic
goals. I loved having a supportive community through the SEU School of Honors.”
Thesis Title: A Comprehensive Analysis of
Roe V. Wade and its Legality in Respect to Scientific and Christian Perspectives
Grad School: University of Florida Levin College of Law
Thesis Title: Artificial Intelligence: An Analysis of Alan Turing’s Role in the Conception and Development
of Intelligent Machinery
Grad School: Applied Biostatistics at Boston University School of Public Health
Current Job: Data Analyst at Qlarant
"The School of Honors benefited me by building my analytical and intellectual abilities,
teaching me how to analyze texts, think on a deeper level, and communicate my thoughts and
ideas in an effective and cogent manner. All of this was critical to my preparation for my career
as an attorney, where the majority of my job involves analyzing issues and communicating
arguments clearly and effectively."
Peter's Thesis Title: Democracy in Postmodern America: Why the Postmodern Worldview Is Incompatible with American’s System of Society and Government
Katherine's Thesis Title: Effectiveness of Peer-Facilitated Workshops on Student Performance in Principles of Financial Accounting
Peter's Grad School: The George Washington Law School
Current Job: Peter is clerking for a federal judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Katherine worked in the Finance department at Special Olympics headquarters.
“I realized hardly anyone would want to read a 50-page thesis, so turned the
research into a documentary. After the response, People Like Us was created and now
serves as a consultant to other communities who want to start inclusive performing arts
programs. We offer curriculum, courses, and coaching.
I am so grateful for the role SEU Honors played in my undergrad. Dr. Miller is
kind and encouraging, and was just the voice I needed on the many occasions adding a
thesis to my plate felt unnecessarily overwhelming. I am so grateful for his
encouragement to endure, as I now am able to work full-time for the non-profit
corporation that was birthed out of my thesis. I highly recommend the process!”
Thesis Title: Society’s Attitudes Toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and the Most
Effective Advocacy Strategies to Address Them
"Being a part of the School of Honors was a huge blessing in my life. Financially, it was part of the reason I could afford to come to Southeastern. Academically, my thesis boosted my graduate school applications and prepared me for graduate level work. Personally, Dr. Miller became a mentor throughout my 4 years in Lakeland and helped me walk through the transition out of Southeastern. I am truly grateful for my time in the School of Honors."
Thesis Title: A Comparative Analysis of Pauline Missiology, Assemblies of God Missiology, and Conclusions for Today
Grad School: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
“Completing my thesis for the School of Honors was one of the most profoundly impactful experiences of my life. It was through this project that my passion was unlocked and everything else in my life since then has been building on that foundation. The School of Honors confirmed, solidified, and expanded my God-given calling.”
Thesis Title: Dancing Close to God: The Spiritual Needs of Christian Adults with Intellectual
Disabilities and How the Church Can Help
Grad School: Master of Education in Exceptional Student Education at SEU
"I absolutely loved being part of the SEU Honors family during my time at Southeastern University! Personal-wise, God led me to my three best friends who were also in the SEU School of Honors. We shared many wonderful experiences together while in college—including writing our honors theses and attending all of the fantastic events each semester created just for us honors students—and we remain close to this day. Professional-wise, my academic studies helped to prepare me for the start of a successful career in the workplace. Some of my favorite honors courses—such as Speaking and Understanding Human Diversity—have prepared me well. And the topic I chose for my honors thesis put me in contact with several leaders at the company I dreamed of someday working for, which I now do!"
Thesis Title: An Evaluation of The Walt Disney Company's Parks, People, and Practices in Correlation to Modern Leadership Theories as an Instructional Guide to Students of Leadership
Grad School: Southeastern University, MBA in Executive Leadership
Current Job: Disney Institute at the Walt Disney World Resort
“Without a doubt, Southeastern University’s School of Honors was an integral component of my development and success on my journey to become a physician. The thesis requirement greatly enriched my biomedical ungraduated education and helped me refine skills that I use daily when seeing patients, such as critical thinking, analyzing and synthesizing high volumes of information, and weighing the validity and authority of various sources of information. In addition to academics, Honors instilled the strong value of excellence through servant leadership. This value has not only impacted me, but it impacts each and every patient and healthcare professional that I come in contact with. In short, the additional Honors requirements are a small price to pay for the grandiose impact that it will have on your life.”
Thesis Title: Targeted Use of DNA Vaccines Against Cancer – Highlighting the Application of ROR-1 Specific Recombinant Vaccine in the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Grad School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
