“Let Them Be Born in Wonder”. In North Carolina and elsewhere, the lessons of John Senior’s Integrated Humanities Program endure.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | September 8, 2025 | Josh Herring

[karpov]

The 2025-26 academic year began with a fell note of doom for the humanities. Dr. Jenn Frey at Tulsa University had built a beautiful Honors College grounded on the Great Books, seminar discussion, and service learning (an experiential model intended to help students ground their intellectual discoveries in practical, hands-on service within specific communities). After taking her program to a position of national prominence, Frey was abruptly released from her deanship, and her program pivoted to look like every other program at every other college.

...

There is another story happening at the same time, however, on the fringes of higher education. This story looks back to a specific moment for inspiration: John Senior’s Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas. This program did not last long, but it has produced significant fruit. While this essay focuses on specific college programs that illustrate a direct connection to Senior’s project, it is worth noting that enough K-12 schools have now been founded in a similar vein that Crisis Magazine classifies a genre of “John Senior Schools” as part of the growing educational renaissance in American K-12 education.

[Bigg Red]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

We desperately need these programs.

[married21]

The Honors Program At Mississippi State included a great books exposure. For a public university, it definitely takes some pride in Western Civilization.