University Honors Program

By John P. McCombe, Ph.D., Director of the University Honors Program

About a decade ago, the Honors Program looked very different. At the time, there were 400 Honors students at UD, but relatively few completed the Honors diploma. Back in 2007, the restructuring of the program began with the hope of identifying more incoming Honors students and creating more opportunities for them once they came to UD. Such opportunities would eventually include the relocation of the Chaminade Scholars to Honors, DC Flyers summer internships and experiential learning opportunities in the U.K. and India through the Global Flyers program, among others.

As Associate Director of the Honors Program in 2007, I recall that we had no small amount of anxiety about these changes. One major concern related to the Honors thesis, which many Honors students were then required to complete. However, with the new, expanded (and more flexible) Honors Program, Honors students would choose whether to complete a thesis.

However, one question we had no way to answer was, “What if UD Honors students showed no interest in the Honors thesis?” The Honors thesis encourages creativity and a commitment to produce new knowledge. Employers love to hire graduates who demonstrate the independence and intellectual curiosity that thesis projects cultivate. Plus, graduate programs look favorably on applicants with successful independent research projects, since this is what is expected of graduate students.

 It turns out that the Honors Program shouldn’t have worried about the thesis. In 2007, 40 students completed an Honors thesis (most of them were required to).  In contrast, in 2018, 68 Honors students completed a thesis, and every single student did so in majors ranging from mechanical engineering to international studies to music to accounting—in fact, all professional schools and the College of Arts and Sciences were represented.

Some of the 2018 thesis projects include:

 “Changes in Herbaceous Plant Diversity in an Old-Growth Ohio Forest”

• “Geopolitical Rivalry in the East China Sea”
• “When Feminism Meets Hip-Hop”
• “The Stigma of Homelessness as a Gendered Condition”

In 2018, UD Honors students are more engaged than ever in original, faculty-mentored research and creative projects. And, thanks to programs such as the Berry Summer Thesis Institute (for rising juniors in all majors) and the Clare Boothe Luce Scholars (for women in under-represented STEM fields), many students can begin Honors thesis research earlier than ever. Looking ahead to 2019, 76 soon-to-be seniors plan to complete an Honors thesis—nearly twice as many as a decade ago.  This is good news for UD Honors grads entering the workforce, graduate school or wanting to demonstrate intellectual curiosity, creativity and/or the ability to work independently on a resume.

 I am happy to report that the Honors thesis is alive and well at the University of Dayton.