Utah State University Honors Program

USU Honours students visit the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake as part of their Honours class.

The Utah State University Honours Program is an academic program within Utah State University. Established in 1964, the Honours Program engages undergraduate students from all of the University’s colleges in critical thinking, independent research, interdisciplinary learning, and civic engagement. Honours allows students to apply academic knowledge outside the classroom and trains them to reflect upon what they learn and communicate the value of their education.    

History

In 1962, a committee established to determine the feasibility of an Honours program at Utah State University determined that “justice requires of the university not that it treat all of its students identically, but that it provide an equal opportunity for each student to live a personally enriched and a socially useful life; and that an Honours Program for exceptional students…enables the university to implement this principle.” This led to the establishment of the program in 1964.

The Honours Program was given a home in the Merrill Library in 1969, having spent the previous five years in the Biology and Natural Resources Building. The next 30 years would see remarkable growth. Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunity (URCO) grants were established in 1975, helping students finance their research, and making USU home of the 2nd oldest undergraduate research program in the nation, behind only MIT. Student Showcase, an annual symposium for students’ research projects, was begun in 1986 (originally called “Scholars Day”). Departmental Honours, which allows upper-division classes to be taken for honours credit, was initiated in 1987. In 2005, Honours made its most recent move by taking up physical residence in historic Old Main.

The Honours Program is also home to the Last Lecture, a tradition initiated in 1976. Each year, one professor speaks to students as if it were their final lecture at USU. The Last Lecturer is nominated and chosen by Honours students. Video and transcripts of recent Last Lectures are available here: [1]

Academics

Honours offers general education and Honours sections of several lower-division courses taught by Honours faculty with fewer students admitted. Besides taking Honours courses, Honours students may earn Honours points for completing academic work outside the classroom and attending academically-oriented events on campus. To graduate with Honours, students must earn 28 points and complete a final Honours capstone project. Honours capstone projects are published on the Digital Commons.

Student life

Honours students can take Honours courses, register early for classes, work with Honours faculty advisors in their major/minor, more professor interaction, and engage in academic work outside of the classroom.

Honours students are eligible for several scholarships not available to the campus at-large, including the Douglas D. Alder Scholarship, the Morse Scholarship, and the Lawrence O. and Helen B. Cannon Awards. Honours students also have access to the Honours Research and Study Abroad Fund, which provides students with financial support for academic activities.

The Honours Program also sponsors applications for major fellowships, including but not limited to, the Goldwater Scholarship for students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines; the Truman Scholarship for students interested in public service; the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences; the Gates Cambridge Scholarship; and the Rhodes Scholarship.

Honours students can choose to live in the Honours House in the Living and Learning Community (LLC) next to the Honours office. Students can also engage in the campus community by attending events (Honours keeps students updated with weekly messages), and attending the regular Honours faculty-student socials.

References

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