Dean’s List: 20 Years!

 By Lynda Coon

Twenty years ago, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation made a $300 million commitment to the University of Arkansas. A portion of this historic gift was used to establish the Honors College, with an eye toward creating a competitive educational option right here in Arkansas for the state’s brightest students.  This year, as we celebrate our 20th birthday, I can confirm that we’ve done that and more. 

Here are seven things to celebrate:

1. Thanks to that generous gift from the Walton family, we’re able to support honors student research, internships and international adventures, awarding more than $13 million in grants in the last 10 years alone. I’m happy to report that our students are once again venturing out to study abroad after the disruptions posed by COVID-19. Check out our Field Notes section for a sampling of the research our students are completing here on campus.
2. In our small, seminar-style Honors College courses, honors students and faculty explore topics ranging from blockchain to gene editing to how to make our cities more sustainable. Forums such as Inspired, led by Sandy Edwards, Senior Director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, introduce our students to Northwest Arkansas’ movers and shakers.
3. Our national reputation continues to grow, as evidenced by the recent article in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Guide.
4. We’ve connected with honors colleges and programs throughout the state to launch Honors Arkansas, which brings together students and faculty for online courses and statewide research. See “Tackling Hunger on College Campuses” to see what we accomplished this past year.
5. The Honors College Path Program continues to thrive, recruiting exceptional students from underrepresented populations and supporting them with scholarships and mentoring once they arrive on campus. Our Path Scholars are making the most of the opportunities that they find here, as evidenced by Takoya Marks’ portfolio and Nastajae Alderson’s essay that closes this issue.
6. Honors alumni like former Bodenhamer Fellow Ben Hood are paying it forward with generous gifts to our college. Won’t you “say yes” to our 20/20/20 campaign? It’s an easy way to give that will add up to major support for current students!
7. Most important, we’ve celebrated 7,302 honors graduates who have walked across the commencement stage and on to inspiring accomplishments beyond the Hill. We are proud of each and every one of you. We are planning a special reception this fall, Cheers to 20 Years, for alumni and the honors professors who shaped their experience here on campus and beyond. Please plan to join us as we celebrate our first 20 years and look ahead to the next.