Over the past decade, it has seen tremendous growth under the leadership of architectural historian Martha Bradley, who was promoted last year to associate vice president for academic affairs. Enrollment has nearly tripled to 2,500 since 2002, when the program won status as a college under Bernie Machen’s tenure as president and Bradley was named its first dean. Student body president Geneva Thompson and Truman scholar Ashley Edgette expect to graduate from the program this year.
The Honors degree requires completing seven courses, notably in writing and intellectual traditions, and producing a thesis containing original scholarly work. While honors programs are traditionally focused on the humanities, U. Honors students represent majors from all disciplines.
The U.’s signature feature is a yearlong seminar called Think Tank. Once a week, a group of 12 upperclassmen meet with distinguished U. faculty and community members to explore a pressing issue facing society. This year, Think Tanks will examine refugee communities, Wasatch water resources, aging and the tensions between law and medicine.
Less than one-third of the program’s students graduate with the Honors degree, and the thesis requirement is a stumbling block.
According to Torti, the college is pairing students with mentors to keep them on track and insisting they begin planning their theses as sophomores, rather than waiting until the end of their junior year.
Torti believes the new building will help because it provides Honors students a 24-hour hub regardless of where they live, ensuring they stay connected with faculty and each other.
But just as important, according to Bradley, is connecting students to real-world challenges. Salt Lake Tribune
