Effective July 1, the University Honors Program will change administrative homes, from the Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Studies to the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). Honors will remain an all-University program, with the director reporting to A&S Dean Cathryn Newton.
Under the leadership of Vice President Ronald Cavanagh and the Honors directors--professors Robert McClure, Gary Radke and Bruce Carter--the Honors Program has garnered a record of accomplishment over the last decade. Enrollments have tripled, growing from about 280 in the early 1990s to the present enrollment of about 800 undergraduate students in general and thesis honors. During the past five years, senior thesis projects have increased by a factor of five. The Honors Program has also created a curriculum that has successfully integrated liberal arts and professional studies.
"The Honors Program forms a critical component of the academic experience for our most accomplished students," Newton says. "I truly look forward to working with Honors as we move toward implementation of Vice Chancellor Freund's academic plan."
The change in administrative setting seeks to capitalize on the program's remarkable progress as the University seeks to ensure greater student success in the coming decade. Locating the Honors Program in the core college of the University will support the program's efforts to bring greater cohesion to the Honors curriculum and will facilitate the strong faculty participation the program must have to provide challenging and exceptional educational opportunities for students.
"I am very proud of all that has been accomplished during the years I have had stewardship of the Honors Program," Cavanagh says. "I have found it a joy to work with all of those who have contributed to the growth and success of the program, including the directors and staff, the faculty who have stepped forward to teach Honors sections, and, of course, the outstanding students who have elected to accept the intellectual challenge. I look forward to continuing to support the Honors Program as it charts its new course."
During the late spring and early summer, Dean Newton will work with the Honors Council to convene a faculty task force to review the program and ensure a smooth administrative transition.
