The Honors College is one of six institutions singled out as providing valuable opportunities to undergraduates in the 2022 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Guide.
By Kendall Curlee
In her article “Comparing Larger Public, Smaller Private Colleges,” reporter Margaret Loftus explores the pros and cons of small liberal arts colleges versus honors colleges and scholarship programs at large public universities. Strengths cited for the U of A Honors College include honors housing for first-year students; the Futures Hub, which guides students’ academic trajectory; honors seminars on cutting-edge topics such as cybersecurity and gene editing; and financial support through fellowships and grants.
Perhaps the most compelling benefit — access to top faculty — came from Loftus’ interview with Mary Jia, an honors biomedical engineering senior, Bodenhamer Fellow and Goldwater Scholar from Stuttgart, Arkansas, who shared an anecdote where connections created a workaround. Loftus reports:
“When her plans to study abroad in China senior year hit a brick wall — the university isn’t affiliated with a program there — an engineering dean worked with his contacts in Hong Kong to arrange for her to study there.
‘It’s very easy to get access to higher-up people and communicate with them,’ Jia says.”
The University of Arkansas is in good company here, with other colleges and universities featured including Clemson University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Furman University, Colgate University and Macalester College. Programs at the U of A and others are presented as offering a great education at low cost, which students are choosing over elite private institutions throughout the U.S.
History professor Shawn Austin leads a discussion session in Peru. Photo: Russell Cothren