Honors Program
Honors Program History
Our History
The Honors Program started during the 1980-1981 academic year by then-Dean of the Lower Division, Delores Kelley. It was created as a response to the Board of Trustees of State Universities and Colleges’ mandate that required all colleges and universities under its jurisdiction to establish honors programs.
Timeline
1981-1982
The program enrolled its first honors students. Because this first group of honors students was small, there were no honors general education requirement (GER) courses or scholarship funding. Instead, lower division honor students took upper-level classes. At the department level, Coppin created 2 honors courses: Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar and Honors Field Practicum I and II.
1984
Dr. T. J. Bryan was named Honors Program Director and served until 1990, with the exception of spring 1986 to fall 1988 when Gwendolyn Lamont served as Acting Director.
1990
Dr. Bryan was named Dean of the newly-named Honors Division. Under her leadership, the program grew, and started offering scholarship funding. Her legacy also oversaw the development of 22 Honors Program courses: 17 honors GERs, 1 lower-division honors course, and 4 upper-division honors courses.
1998
Ron L. Collins Sr. became Dean of the Honors Division and served until 2018. Under his leadership, the mission of the program—graduate school preparation--was reinforced with the establishment of the Institute for Standardized Testing, where students can prepare for graduate school entrance exams. Towards the end of his tenure, the Honors Program mission expanded to include career development.
