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This year’s Honors College incoming freshmen class totaled 516 students, representing 22 states and three countries (Egypt, India and the U.S.). Many of these students reside on campus in the Honors Living-Learning Community, composed of Stopher and Johnson Halls, as well as Centennial Court B. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, some students have also opted to participate in courses virtually this semester and have stayed at home for the Fall 2020 semester. This year’s freshmen class already promises to excel academically, boasting a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.87 and a composite ACT score of 28.9. These new honors students are also diverse in their areas of study. The College of Arts and Sciences holds the most freshmen honors students this year at approximately 34% of the Honors College freshman class. The College of the Arts follows at just over 14%, with a significant number of honors students pursuing careers in the arts. The College of Nursing, the College of Communication and Information (CCI), and the College of Education, Health & Human Services (EHHS) also encompass significant portions of the Honors College freshman class.

With many changes to campus life at �鶹ӰԺ State this year, the Honors College is still working to provide its students with many opportunities and resources, as they have in the past. Nicholas Krentz, a freshman aeronautics major in the Honors College, said, “I am most looking forward to the benefits the Honors College has to offer, like the free printing and the early advising. I am also interested in a senior thesis.” The Honors College still continues to offer their free printing services to honors students, although the location has been moved and monitoring/usage policies have been adjusted to meet university protocol in light of the pandemic. Honors students were still able to register for courses earlier than their peers this fall with their priority registration benefit, and continue to connect remotely with their Honors College advisors during the semester. Ahmed Barghout, a freshman Bio-chem pre-med major, said, “The advising is pretty helpful and the advisors are always there for you.” The Honors College advisors and staff continue to work to ensure that all students feel supported during these unprecedented times.

Part of the way through its third year, the Honors Leadership Academy has been holding class meetings both in-person and virtually with the leadership academy honors advising staff. The Honors Leadership Academy program is comprised of freshmen students wishing to gain more leadership experience on the �鶹ӰԺ State campus and in the surrounding community. This year, the program has two sophomore student advisors, Maya Huffman and Tyler Micco to share the benefits of the Honors College and HLA with the incoming freshmen and provide guidance from an honors peer perspective. “HLA was the best thing to ever happen to me at �鶹ӰԺ. I learned a lot about myself as a leader and it was a positive experience socially, academically, and personally. Sharing my passion with HLA and helping the new members realize their potential is awesome.” says Tyler Micco, sophomore biology pre-med major. Huffman, a sophomore psychology and political science double major, echoed this and added that she believes the students will gain an extra support system through HLA this year. Krentz said, “HLA has had the biggest impact on me so far. I got to move-in early and made my first friends on campus since I didn’t know anyone yet.” While this semester has looked slightly different for many students, the Honors College still strives to maintain a sense of community both in-person and virtually, holding small gatherings in-person and online throughout the semester through pumpkin painting festivities, book club and informal discussions with honors advisors.

For more information about the Honors College, please visit the website at www.kent.edu/honors. Additional information regarding the Honors Leadership Academy is available at /honors/honors-leadership-academy. For current updates and information regarding �鶹ӰԺ’s COVID-19 protocol for academics and university changes, please visit the website and university dashboard.

The Honors College was founded in 1933 and is one of the oldest collegiate honors programs in the United States. The program has produced nine Portz Scholars, one Goldwater scholar, and one Fulbright scholar. Guided by the mission to challenge students intellectually and the desire to provide students with a liberal education, the Honors College offers students the opportunity to grow academically and socially at �鶹ӰԺ State.

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Banner PHOTO:

Photo of honors students observing their instructor, as class is taught in the Honors College Library, which was converted to be used as additional classroom space for the 2020-2021 academic year..

Media Contact:
Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, (330) 672-2312