In May 1990, a group of Honors Directors from approximately twenty Historically and Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs and PBCUs) met at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss plans for a national organization of honors programs designed to address the specific needs of honors education for African-American students.  The group of Directors agreed to establish an organization that they called the National Association of African-American Honors Programs (NAAAHP). The group established a set of goals designed to promote the continued empowerment of its constituents (students) through enhanced cognitive and affective experiences. These goals further emphasize the need for empathetic responsiveness on the part of these constituents, who through inspiration from this organization, will be encouraged to serve as catalysts for instigating a better way of life in their communities, the nation, and the world. The first annual meeting for the newly established organization was held in Houston, Texas in October 1992.

CONFERENCE PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

• Develop, enhance, and support honors program in all HBCUs and PBCUs;
• Stimulate and encourage community service and leadership as one of the highest aims of education;
• Advocate the funding of honors programs by federal and state agencies as well as by private philanthropic foundations and organizations;
• Facilitate the enrollment of African-American students into graduate and professional schools;
• Promote a curriculum that fosters a lifelong disciplined approach to knowledge and scholarship through inquiry and exploration; and
• Develop an undergraduate educational environment that promotes scholarship, knowledge, and an appreciation of African-American culture as a mirror for understanding other great world cultures.