The Honors College

Meet the Honors Team!

"The mission of the University of Arizona Honors College is to foster an enduring spirit of inquiry and discovery so that artistically and academically talented students develop the courage to address uncommon challenges and the commitment to promote social responsibility throughout their lives."

The University of Arizona founded a university-wide, interdisciplinary honors program in 1962 to offer advising, honors colloquia and independent study. Seventy-five outstanding students who showed “promise of developing into superior scholars” were accepted into the first group. They came together for a lecture series called Frontiers of Knowledge. French Professor Arthur Beattie was the first director of the honors program. Karl von den Steinen became the first student to graduate with Honors in 1964, and participation reached 300 students by the fall of 1966.

The university regularly evaluated the Honors Program to increase its academic strength. The consistent goals of these improvements were to provide a deserved recognition for Honors students and faculty, to enable the recruitment of talented students from Arizona and across the nation, and to increase the Honors Program’s profile within the university and the community.

• 1971: First recommendation for creating an Honors College .
• 1974: The Honors Coordinating Board creates a plan for offering of Honors courses and advising across departments and colleges.
• 1984: The Honors Program moves from the Student Affairs unit to the Academic Affairs unit of the University.
• 1987: Undergraduate Research Grants program established with funding from UA’s Vice President for Research
• 1996: Honors Program gains representation on the Undergraduate Council and the University-wide General Education Committee; Honors contracts are instituted.
• 1998: Initiation of First Level Honors as mid-career award based on completion of 15 Honors units
• 1999: Honors Program becomes The Honors College.
• 2004: Honors Civic Engagement Teams begin partnerships with four local non-profit organizations.

Community building has been an essential feature of the UA Honors experience since the earliest days. The Honors College fosters interaction between students and faculty both in and out of the classroom. Strong friendships between Honors students grow in Honors classes, residence halls, and student organizations.

• 1967 Student Planning Board is first Honors student organization.
• 1971: Honors Student Association gains club recognition through ASUA.
• 1983: First Five Star Faculty Award, the only university-wide teaching recognition awarded by undergraduates
• 1984: First production by the Honors Players
• 1988: Yuma Hall becomes first designated Honors hall
• 1996: Honors housing grows to three Honors halls
• 2000: Honors Student Council becomes an ASUA recognized club
• 2004: Appointment of Honors Faculty representing six colleges.

The Honors community of scholars has grown and evolved over time, with academics and camaraderie remaining the hallmarks of the program