University Honors Program

Collection

Identifier: UA-008

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The records of the University Honors Program document the program from its inception in 1983 through 2012. The largest portion of this collection is student theses, including engineering seminar theses and honors theses.

The collection also includes a newsletter, Honors News, correspondence, brochures and pamphlets, and event programs.

Dates

Creation: 1983-Present

Creator

University of Dayton. Honors Program (Organization)

Access to Materials

The materials in this collection are open and accessible to the public for use in the University Archives and Special Collections reading room.

Copyright Notice

Copyright to the official records of the University belongs to the University of Dayton. The copyright to student theses belongs to the student author. These materials are protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.

History of the University Honors Program

In 1978, Provost Bro. Joseph Stander asked the “professor of the year,” Dr. Patrick Palermo, to start an honors program for academically gifted and talented students at the University of Dayton. In the fall of 1979, it recruited its first class.

The Honors Program began with only thirty students and a very low budget, headquartered in a small office in Miriam Hall. The foundation of the Program was a series of seminars that were academically rigorous and integrated across disciplines. These seminars were based on liberal education philosophy, with English, history, philosophy, social science, and systems design seminars required of every Honors student. In its early years, the Honors Program struggled to establish itself on campus. The Program soon raised endowments to overcome that challenge and funded scholarships and academic events. The thesis option improved student enrollment in graduate school.

In 1989, Dr. Palermo became associate provost for faculty and academic affairs, and the new honors program director, Dr. Alan Kimbrough, reported to him. In 2004, the University established the Dr. Patrick F. Palermo Honors Program Founders Fund to help support student thesis research. This endowment, funded by alumni of the honors program, provides students with funding for strong projects that support the goals of the endowment.