Dr. Keith Garbutt
Welcome to the Honors College. The purpose of the Honors College is to provide highly
motivated students with an extra dimension to their education. We do this by providing
experiences through classes, study abroad, and experiential learning that take the
student on that broader, deeper, and different educational journey. We will challenge
students in Honors, but not by calculus on steroids, but by asking them, sometimes,
addressing clearly and intellectually topics which might be considered difficult in
the sense of perhaps being uncomfortable or controversial. We asked them to think
across disciplines to get out of their disciplinary box and see the connections that
lie between engineering and philosophy, biology and history, or agriculture and politics.
We strongly encourage our students to be involved in the research enterprise of the
university which is perhaps one of the most rewarding and important experiences a
student can have during their undergraduate education.
We provide support for our students and encourage them to reach that personal goals
and sometimes perhaps go beyond where they ever thought they could go. It is not an
accident that the majority of the students who recently have received Goldwater scholarships,
Udall scholarships, and other prestigious national and international awards were part
of the Honors College. Honors provides students with that broader portfolio that will
make them not only employable but successful in their future careers.
It is also perhaps important to note that it is actually a lot of fun to be in Honors.
Many of the classes are exciting taught by enthusiastic and passionate faculty and
the Honors community, particularly in the first-year residence halls, is vibrant and
active and an important part of the overall university community.