Spring Break
Editorial: Honoring the Honors College
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Opinions
Watching the Wildcats be bested by the Sun Devils is painful on the football field and the basketball court alike. But it's even worse in the academic arena. Despite the UA's clear claim to superior academics, there's one area where ASU increasingly has us beat - our Honors College. It's time for that to change.
ASU's Barrett Honors College is a media darling. In recent years it's been hailed as "a rising star" and "the best in America." Its hefty $10 million endowment gives it the resources to recruit and promote top students, and that investment is paying off - the school is consistently in the top-10 at enrolling National Merit Scholars. It's also consistently landing more and more national awards - an ASU student won a prestigious Truman Scholarship just last week. Seriously, ASU?
Problem is, by most measures - especially considering our limited financial resources - the UA's Honors College is equally excellent. We continue to recruit more and more top students (92 National Merit Scholars in 2006), and UA students perform just as well when it comes to nationally competitive scholarships. Unfortunately, a few policies ensure that our Honors College keeps a low profile. Instead, we ought to be proud.
The way the two colleges admit students is fundamentally different - ASU requires students apply to the Barrett Honors College separately, while the UA considers admission to the honors college with regular applications. There are benefits and drawbacks to both, but the two approaches highlight different visions of an honors college.
ASU gives the Barrett Honors College the same business-like treatment as its other university institutions, focusing on the superior quality of students and programs. The UA's approach to student recruitment is more holistic than that of ASU, focusing on cultural and community benefits of the Honors College rather than prestige in the long run. But by lacking a separate application of substance, the UA's laid-back approach sells us short.
ASU's Barrett Honors College is a media darling. In recent years it's been hailed as "a rising star" and "the best in America." Its hefty $10 million endowment gives it the resources to recruit and promote top students, and that investment is paying off - the school is consistently in the top-10 at enrolling National Merit Scholars. It's also consistently landing more and more national awards - an ASU student won a prestigious Truman Scholarship just last week. Seriously, ASU?
Problem is, by most measures - especially considering our limited financial resources - the UA's Honors College is equally excellent. We continue to recruit more and more top students (92 National Merit Scholars in 2006), and UA students perform just as well when it comes to nationally competitive scholarships. Unfortunately, a few policies ensure that our Honors College keeps a low profile. Instead, we ought to be proud.
The way the two colleges admit students is fundamentally different - ASU requires students apply to the Barrett Honors College separately, while the UA considers admission to the honors college with regular applications. There are benefits and drawbacks to both, but the two approaches highlight different visions of an honors college.
ASU gives the Barrett Honors College the same business-like treatment as its other university institutions, focusing on the superior quality of students and programs. The UA's approach to student recruitment is more holistic than that of ASU, focusing on cultural and community benefits of the Honors College rather than prestige in the long run. But by lacking a separate application of substance, the UA's laid-back approach sells us short.
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