In 2004, New Mexico State University transformed its University Honors Program and established the first Honors College in the state. It was more than a name change, says Dean William Eamon.

“This was a commitment to the best and brightest students that helping them achieve their dreams is a top priority,” Eamon says.

He says the programs that have been and will be developed under the college structure are designed to enrich the experiences of students.

“We provide opportunities for students from all of NMSU’s colleges,” Eamon says. “We build leaders.”

Eamon’s words resonate with alumni who have been part of the Honors College that began with a single class in 1965.

Jim McKinney ’70 says he was “lucky enough to take an honors course in the late 1960s.”

“The course really stretched your mind more than a regular course,” McKinney says.

Today, McKinney, associate vice president for NMSU’s advancement services, says he is interested in working with the Honors College to build a more in-depth leadership program.

He says the Honors College should be the place where student leaders turn for leadership training and growth opportunities.

David Birnbaum ’90 recently reconnected to NMSU through the Honors College and serves on the Circle of Excellence Advisory Board. He says a great deal of the training he received in his NMSU Honors courses influences him today.

“In business you are expected to deal with problems that do not come in prepackaged shapes and sizes,” says Birnbaum, president and CEO of Public Interest Network Services, a telephone and Internet provider in the New York City area. “In my Honors courses we talked about things that didn’t work as much as those that did. That is a good way to look at problems. When hiring people, I look for flexible thinkers who can draw on general experiences.”

The Honors College does not offer a degree, but supplements the degrees of the university’s academic colleges by awarding levels of honors distinction to students who complete the prescribed honors track.

The Honors College curriculum consists of 18 hours of enriched general education courses, including a final project or thesis. Taught in a seminar format, they are led by the university’s outstanding teaching faculty, Eamon says.

About 40 NMSU faculty members from across campus choose to teach honors courses.

“This is an opportunity for faculty to try new ideas,” Eamon says.

Faculty members agree, saying their experiences teaching honors courses have been rewarding.

Honors College faculty member Nancy Baker, head of the government department, says it offers her the opportunity to collaborate with faculty from different disciplines, but she emphasizes that the biggest reward is working with highly motivated students.

Baker describes her honors students as “engaged, interested, interesting, passionate about ideas and justice and about finding their place in the world and making a difference.”

“You can really challenge these students and they will exceed your expectations every time,” she says.

Joe Denk, a college professor in the English department who also teaches honors courses, agrees, saying he is always awed by the work his honors students produce.

“I have been teaching for 50 years and I have enjoyed teaching these students the most,” Denk says.

Other components of NMSU’s Honors College are the Reading In Common Program; the Crimson and Centennial Scholars programs; and the Office of National Scholarships and International Education, formerly the Fellowships Office. Under the Honors College structure, this office is expanding to include oversight of a number of international educational opportunities and initiatives.

The Honors College also includes a residential component – the Honors Living and Learning Community. An honors residence hall was created in 2004 in a section of Monagle Hall with the intent of linking in-class and out-of-class learning experiences for honors students.

“Honors students live among a community of excellent students with outstanding academic records who are interested in getting the most out of the opportunities offered to them,” Eamon says.

Crimson Scholar Residential Mentors live in the Honors Living and Learning Community and promote academic success by tutoring and mentoring residence hall students.

“Mentors raise academic awareness and contribute to overall student success by sharing study skills and knowledge through peer tutoring,” Eamon says. “This is really all about building a community for faculty and students where academic excellence is fostered.”

Today’s honors students echo the sentiments of faculty and alumni. Marcia Mundt, who has been a recipient of the Honors College scholarship, a $5,000 award for a student to use for an international travel experience, says she was attracted to the smaller, more challenging, discussion-based courses offered by the Honors College.

“The Honors College really encourages you to step outside the box,” Mundt says.

Marisa Ortega, the 2007-08 NMSU student body president, says she became involved with the Honors College through the President’s Associates Scholarship program and became captivated with the community environment cultivated in the college, especially in the Conroy Honors Center, the university’s renovated YMCA building named in honor of former NMSU President William B. Conroy in 2002.

“There is just always a welcoming atmosphere and the Honors College really challenges me through their more in-depth courses,” Ortega says.

Honors student Jessica Lin transferred to NMSU from Columbia University, in part, she says, because of the Honors College.

“Honors programming is important in any educational environment,” Lin says. “When I decided I was interested in a smaller college experience, I looked at New Mexico schools because it was a place I had always wanted to go. NMSU stood out because of its Honors College.”

Eamon says the Honors College will continue to grow and develop new programming to attract outstanding students, but also is focused on engaging the citizens of New Mexico.

The college will continue the University Speakers Series, which is presented in partnership with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and strives to bring to Las Cruces distinguished lecturers who will appeal to a broad community audience.

This fall the Honors College will launch a new program. Great Conversations 2007 will be held Nov. 28. Arranged much like a dinner party, the Great Conversations event will include a buffet dinner with each table engaging in a different conversation topic hosted by Honors College faculty or an expert on a particular subject. Topics will include Health Care in America, Global Warming, the Middle East, Tourism, Real Estate Investing and more.

In addition to engaging the community and state, this event will benefit scholarships in the Honors College. Alumni and friends of the NMSU Honors College are encouraged to attend the new event, Eamon says.

For more information: http://honors.nmsu.edu/