Message From The Dean
Welcome to the Honors College at Michigan State University – one of higher education’s oldest and most distinctive honors programs. Just as the University celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150 years) in 2005, the MSU Honors College marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2006-07, having been created by the faculty in 1956. Even while the Honors College celebrated 50 years by looking back on a rich history of educational innovation and student achievement, more importantly the College continues to focus on providing even more substantial contributions to students and society in the future.
Over these 50 years the College certainly has progressed. Today, in addition to the core honors program for high-achieving undergraduates, the College also includes the Academic Scholars Program, a Gifted & Talented Education division to provide enrichment opportunities for high-achieving pre-college students, and the nationally-competitive MSU Debate Team. There are about 3,000 MSU students involved with the Honors College program, about eight percent of all MSU undergraduates. This year departments and colleges offered approximately 190 Honors classes, more than 250 faculty members across the University served as Honors advisers, and at least 500 Honors College members worked directly with faculty on research or creative projects.
Perhaps the greatest legacy of the Honors College – and that for which we are most proud – is the accomplishments of our students, both during their time at Michigan State and subsequently in their lives and careers. And 2006-07 was a remarkable year for Honors student accomplishment and recognition. Eighteen current or past HC students were announced as recipients of major national/international academic awards during 2006-07, including a Marshall Scholarship, a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, a Truman Scholarship, three Goldwater Scholarships, a Hollings Scholarship, two Udall Scholarships, a Homeland Security Scholarship, four NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, a Phi Kappa Phi National Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and two Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarships. A number of others received University awards – including 16 of the 23 Board of Trustee Award recipients for highest GPA among graduates and 15 of the 21 students recognized as Outstanding Seniors by the Senior Class Council. Many other Honors College seniors received fellowships, scholarships or recognition from the graduate or professional schools that they will be attending – including awards to cover the costs of attending law school, medical school or graduate school
There are now some 13,000 Honors College alumni who are located around the globe and are leaders in a wide variety of professional endeavors – including government, education, business, and the arts. Among them are some of the University’s most recognized and influential alumni – including such folks as the current US Senator from Michigan, Debbie Stabenow, the academic Vice Presidents of both MSU (Kim Wilcox) and the University of Michigan (Theresa Sullivan), and the President of Meijer (Mark Murray), among many others.
The College has recently launched two new initiatives. A new program of Honors Research Seminars provides freshmen and sophomores with research experiences under the close supervision MSU faculty members. The students in each seminar work on common research, scholarly, and creative projects, culminating in a scholarly product presented at the University’s undergraduate research conference. The College has also collaborated with the Graduate School to enhance the information and assistance provided to students who are competing for major national and international scholarships and fellowships. Although MSU students have an exceptional record of achievement in attaining major national and international awards, participating successfully in these competitions is more difficult than ever before, and the additional advising assistance for those students should be invaluable.
Please explore the remainder of the Honors College web site to learn more about the opportunities the University and College provide for Honors students and about the extraordinary achievements of Honors College members.
