Opinions on MC McGill’s vs. new honors program

The McGill Scholarship Program, established in 2017, offers prestigious scholarships to incoming first-year and transfer students at Maryville College. According to the MC website, the program “seeks to attract academically prepared and motivated students who desire to be leaders in the classroom, on the campus and in their communities.”

Each year, five students are awarded the Dan and Melanie Mays McGill Scholarship, a full-tuition award renewable for four years of full-time study, with a GPA requirement of 3.25. The McGill Fellowships are awarded to 20 incoming first-year students, valued at $30,000 and renewable for four years of full-time study, with a GPA requirement of 3.0. 

Recipients are also required to live on campus and serve as an academic mentor. Four semesters are required for the fellowship and one additional semester is required for the scholarship. The application specifies that students must meet certain academic benchmarks from standardized tests like the ACT, SAT, or Classic Learning Test (CLT), minimum high school GPA of 3.6, and a demonstration of leadership abilities.

Once a student has been accepted to Maryville College, they can then apply for the McGill Program.

On Oct. 16, 2025, the Myrtle Coker Wilkinson Honors Program was announced in the Lambert Recital Hall in the Clayton Center for the Arts. The Wilkinson Family contributed $1 million to establish a program in honor of their mother, an alumni of the College.

The announcement of the program left students wondering what the benefits of it are and how it is distinguished from the McGill program. Until recently, only incoming McGill students were allowed to apply to the honors program.

KK Peyret (‘28), a student ambassador, thinks this change was necessary and discussed how a student who had a 4.0 GPA and a good ACT score who didn’t receive the McGill scholarship would not have been able to apply for the honors program under the original requirements.

With this new distinction between programs, McGill program Academic Coordinator Dr. Nancy Locklin-Sofer aims to shift the McGill program to have a more prominent leadership and community engagement component, distinct from the academic side of the scholarship. This would allow students who are interested in a more rigorous academic experience to join the Honors Program as well.

Locklin-Sofer believes that the addition of the Honors Program will be beneficial for both students and faculty members alike.

“There are some people for whom this matters a lot,” Locklin-Sofer said, “It may have hurt us that we haven’t had an Honors Program all this time. There are some faculty who would love to teach an Honors class.”

Some students, however, disagree with the existence of the Honors Program. 

“I think it is beneficial as learning is always important, but it may create a further divide between groups on campus,” McGill Scholar Jaedyn Sudderth (‘27) said, a sentiment that was echoed by many.

McGill Fellow Sahsa Hoenie (‘26) believes the addition of the honors program is not a necessary addition to MC. 

“If a student [wants] to be challenged, there are many classes at MC that already inspire critical thinking and hard study. High achievers already get scholarship rewards for their achievements; why should they also take different classes from their peers? Having a wide variety of students in classrooms helps to build everyone’s skills,” Hoenie said.

Some current students, from within and outside of the McGill Program, feel that the current McGill program needs improvement, and some wonder if the honors program will eliminate issues or simply make them more prevalent. 

“The current McGill program alienates students who receive that scholarship from the rest of their peers,” Hoenie said. “Requiring the McGills to live together in Pearsons for their first year at MC keeps the two groups unnaturally separate, even though both McGills and non-McGills generally have very similar experiences on campus.”

Austin McKee (‘26) explained some of his issues with the program, including the way the scholarship is framed by the school, which tends to put McGills above other students without acknowledging the systemic barriers and issues of inequality that play a role in whether or not a student has the resources to receive the scholarship in the first place. 

“I do not view the program as it currently stands as a positive presence on campus,” McKee said. “I understand that years ago, McGill Scholars had to do a lot of extracurricular work and community-engagement projects… Now, they simply receive the scholarship and have to live together in one of the best residence halls on campus their first year. Grouping them together in what is considered to be premium housing only further reinforces this division on campus, making them receive “perks” that others aren’t afforded.”

Hoenie agreed, saying that there is a level of embarrassment that McGills feel surrounding these perks and the framing of the scholarship by the College, and that many keep their scholarship status quiet.

Eli Cauthorn (‘28), a McGill Fellow, has different issues with the current McGill program, believing that it doesn’t have a substantial purpose, and the leadership abilities touted in the application do not play a large role in the selection process or the student experience once receiving the scholarship money. 

“The people in the program, myself included, lean heavily into the academic accomplishments and skip over the [leadership] part that [actually] translates into the real world.”

Cauthorn discussed how he doesn’t think the honors program will help with these issues and will only lead participating McGill students to further prioritize academia over the main selling point of the program, which is to develop a student’s leadership skills.

Locklin-Sofer said she is re-shaping the program to reflect students’ needs and better develop leadership skills and engagement in community service for first-year students. 

Locklin-Sofer is a member of the Advisory Task Force for the honors program, and she addresses where the two programs will overlap. She discussed how the McGill Program will sometimes work in tandem with the Honors Program while still keeping the programs separate entities. 

“Students don’t get any extra funding for joining the honors program,” she explained. “[But], we could use the McGill community money to fund opportunities that would be open to the Honors Program.”

Locklin-Sofer also wants to continue developing relationships with community partners. The McGill FYS class is encouraged to volunteer time, partnering with A Place to Stay, who host Supportive Outreach Services events throughout the year, offering services to Blount County’s unhoused and underhoused populations.

This community service opportunity is not McGill-specific, but it offers a baseline group of people who can assist during their first year at Maryville, and who can continue to be involved in future years if they choose.

The honors program would not be involved in this outreach in the same way, focusing more on academic achievement rather than community-based leadership.

Cauthorn said that he feels decent about where the program stands currently, but doesn’t see the honors program as necessary. For Cauthorn, the benefits don’t outweigh the extra effort that the courses would require, especially for someone who doesn’t plan to pursue a higher degree. He said that the major benefit is the distinction it would offer on a transcript or resume, which he doesn’t think will weigh heavily in his ability to find work after graduating.

“While I do believe the program has issues[…] many of the McGill students on campus provide a positive presence,” McKee said. “I am personally very close friends with many McGills, and I have seen them work extremely hard for what they’ve achieved and continue to achieve,” McKee said. 

Despite this divide, many McGills are grateful for the opportunity they received to participate in the Program. Sudderth said she was appreciative of the opportunity to meet new people and take interesting classes, and that she wouldn’t have been able to attend MC without the financial support that the scholarships provide.