The Bailey Scholars Program is a unique opportunity to learn through community. It is a program of possibility and potential, where we aid you in your pursuit of your learning interests. We focus on scholarship, excellence, and community.
Those interested in joining the program may receive information about how in their MSU email, or you can reach out to us directly to express interest. We’ll schedule a conversation about the program and next steps. There are no admission requirements—just curiosity and a desire to learn. Students may participate with or without completing the minor.
Program Overview
Bailey Program Philosophies and Principles
Bailey Scholar Program classes are convened by one faculty member and one graduate student, not a professor. This model of teaching and learning respects the diverse backgrounds and valuable knowledge of the BSP community of learners. The syllabus is created collaboratively, with scholars (students) controlling the semester’s topics, the topic’s mode of learning, and how that learning will be assessed within the bounds of the learning assessment model.
Minor in Integrated Learning and Leadership
To earn the minor in Integrated Learning and Leadership, Bailey Scholars must complete three core courses, ANR 210, ANR 310, and ANR 410, each worth 3 credits. Scholars must also complete nine elective credits, also known as the Middle Nines. The Middle Nines are chosen by scholars with approval from the program advisor. The Middle Nine credits can be from courses already contributing to your primary degree requirements.
During a scholar’s final year at MSU, they present their Learning Journeys to the rest of the community. This is the capstone experience in the BSP where scholars typically provide evidence and reflection of their time in the BSP and at MSU.
Core Courses
In ANR 210, co-learners will decide what kind of learning activities to pursue to achieve the course learning objectives. Together, we will approach learning in multiple ways, including reflecting, doing, sharing, and serving.
Students who successfully complete ANR 210 will learn how to develop collaborative learning communities, mastering the following principles:
- We are a dynamic, diverse, learning community.
- We rely on our interdisciplinarity for the cultivation of authentic learning experiences.
- We foster relationships through dialogue and accountability within a larger community by remaining a small collective of scholars.
- We employ democratic decision making to conceptualize knowledge.
- We are all co-learners who share multiple roles and responsibilities to foster the learning process.
Building on the pedagogical concepts introduced in ANR 210, this course emphasizes critical and creative investigations. Student scholars explore different areas of content while simultaneously learning about alternative group planning processes and learning environments. Through this exploration student scholars will practice effective communication and facilitate learning experiences for themselves and others.
Students who successfully complete ANR 310 will learn about their own talents and strengths while recognizing those of their peers as well, mastering the following principles:
- We welcome, value, learn from, and rely on diverse voices, stories, and experiences.
- We cultivate exploration and creative thought.
- We are radical thinkers who depend on self-reflection to deepen and stretch our learning.
- We foster the holistic growth of the individual through experience-centered, scholar-driven learning journeys.
As the last of the core courses in the Bailey Scholars Program, co-learners practice problem-based learning (PBL), giving each class the opportunity to develop a semester-long inquiry consisting of a real-world or community-based problem that needs to be addressed in a creative and authentic way. In the process of addressing the problem co-learners will meet program standards and learning objectives that are integrated into the project, not separate from it.
Students who successfully complete ANR 410 will create a radical influence while developing these principles:
- We are leaders and role models in the scholarship of student-centered, experiential learning.
- We are intentional, critical, and reflective in our practices.
- We question and challenge traditional power structures within and beyond the classroom.
- We deliberately make space for diversity and individuality in learning.
- We foster leaders in integrated learning.
Learning Assessment Model
The Learning Assessment Model is a reflective framework designed to help learners intentionally engage with and make meaning from their experiences. The model guides students through six stages that support self-directed learning and personal growth. Learners start by Envisioning what they hope to learn and Preparing for the experience. They then Do the activity and Gather evidence of what happened. Next, they Reflect on what they learned and how it connects to their goals and Bailey values. Finally, they Connect these insights to their growth and identify next steps.
Together, these phases foster a holistic process that centers curiosity, agency, and intentional lifelong learning.
Five Questions
The five Bailey Questions help guide the scholar through their learning journey in the program. Scholars’ answers allow them to reflect on personal, professional, and academic development.
- Who am I?
- What do I value?
- How do I learn?
- What is my worldview?
- How do these connect?
