By Otito Maduegbuna, Contributor
Manhattan University recently announced a new honors program co-led by New York Times best-selling author, James Patterson ‘69, that will be implemented across the institution starting in 2025.
The James Patterson Honors Program will provide students with workshops and opportunities centered around improving writing skills, personal development and preparation for entering various industries.
According to an article on manhattan.edu, “The mission of the Patterson Honors Program is to provide a strong foundation in critical thinking, writing and creative problem-solving to prepare top students for fulfilling careers in various industries. Manhattan University conscientiously equips its students to be ethical, successful citizens in the real world.”
Bridget Chalk, Ph.D., associate provost and English professor, spoke to The Quadrangle about the program’s relationship with James Patterson.
“He [James Patterson] came to us with the interest in supporting something like this, and so it’s been a really interesting process talking to him about his vision, but sharing with him the more academic, higher education side of it,” Chalk said. “The program is being developed through a dialogue with Mr. Patterson, which has been a really fascinating process to be a part of, and should be really wonderful and dynamic for our students when they enter the program.”
The James Patterson Honors Program has been declared to be open and available to students from all majors across the university and will provide a variety of experiences for students to cultivate their skills in their major.
“Right now, there’s a certain amount of courses that students have to take,” Chalk said. “We’re going to scaffold the Patterson Program on top of those academic requirements, because the Patterson Program is primarily about leadership and career development. So though there will be rigorous academics, the program is really aimed more toward developing our students abilities at professionalization, networking and seeking out opportunities and internships in the field that they wish to enter upon graduation. There will also be a high profile speaker series where students will be able to network in more intimate settings.”
The Patterson Program will be available to students regardless of major through a carefully vetted process.
Rani Roy, Ph.D., interim provost, spoke to The Quadrangle about the types of students that are considered for the program.
“Those who are receiving our highest merit scholarships would be eligible to be invited to this program,” Roy told The Quadrangle. “James Patterson was very clear that he wanted to ensure that we capture those things outside of just GPA and test scores. So we will be developing an application process for those who may not have been initially invited into the program, but once they got here they demonstrate significant leadership qualities and could be invited into the program at a later date based on the application process.”
Both Chalk and Roy touched on the importance of preparing students for entering real-world industries as well as the guidance and opportunities that the Patterson Program can provide for admitted scholars.
“We want to be very intentional about mentoring students and advising students as to the different types of career pathways they can take,” Chalk said. “Manhattan has a very strong engineering and business network, and James Patterson is, of course, in the cultural sphere. He also worked in advertising for a long time, so there are really a range of industries associated with both this university and this program that students from any one of our majors could go into. Our mentor program is organized by different industries, so students will have the advantage of working through that structure and finding their career paths as well.”
The James Patterson Honors Program will formally launch starting in 2025 with plans to prepare students to develop their leadership and creative thinking abilities in new and exciting ways.
“For me, it’s the leadership and professional development aspects and key access to industry professionals and leaders in their chosen fields,” Roy said. “It’s the fact that we’re focusing on those leadership and professional development skills that I think is what sets us apart and what the students would really be gaining from being in it.”
Chalk also commented on her hopes for the program in the future.
“I think a great benefit of this program is that as the university seeks to educate the whole person, a lot of that has to do with the content of your degree, but it also has to do with you developing your professional and interpersonal skills,” Chalk said. “I think this program is really intentional on helping students to cultivate that professional persona and develop the connections that will help them once they leave campus.”