4:13 p.m., May 8, 2009----Nearly 250 graduating students were recognized for their academic achievements and hard work, as they were presented special medals at the University of Delaware Honors Program awards ceremony on Friday, May 8.

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“You're here because you made a choice four years ago to challenge yourselves. You made a choice to test your limits and take advantage of everything the University of Delaware had to offer you,” UD President Patrick Harker told the students, who all are candidates for honors degrees or honors degrees with distinction. “I thank you for setting an example, not just for your fellow graduates and the underclassmen who will come after you, but for all of us.”

To earn a bachelor's degree with honors, a student must meet all University and college graduation requirements for a particular major and also graduate with a GPA of at least 3.4 and at least 30 credits earned in honors classes, including a three-credit honors seminar or capstone course. In addition to those requirements, a student earning an honors degree with distinction must complete a six-credit honors thesis or project and present it to a faculty committee.

Participants in the University Honors Program come from all colleges and majors, but they share intellectual curiosity, said Alan Fox, program director and professor of philosophy. “Thank you for being part of our family,” he told the students at the ceremony. “I hope you continue to feel that you are so.”

The Honors Program seniors have long lists of undergraduate accomplishments and activities. Many studied abroad at least once, participated in campus choral or dance groups, were members of the UD Marching Band, took part in club sports including wrestling and the equestrian team, assisted their fellow students through the Writing Center, wrote or took photos for the Review student newspaper, served as Blue Hen or Spirit Ambassadors and worked with service organizations such as Amnesty International and Engineers Without Borders.

With majors from animal science to violin performance, the students have a variety of short-and long-term career plans as well. Many will attend law, medical, veterinary or pharmacy school in the fall, while others are looking forward to graduate school in such fields as physical therapy, engineering, genetics and social work. Several are joining the AmeriCorps and World Teach programs, while others will soon be working in such jobs as middle-school math teacher, hospital nurse, accountant and marketing specialist.

In addition to recognizing the students' accomplishments, the ceremony also was a way to thank faculty and family members for their help and support.

UD faculty and advisers “helped you set a path and cheered you on with every course correction and every milestone passed,” Harker told the students. And to their family members, he said, “We know that while the achievements are theirs, you set the stage for them. Achievement can triumph over adversity, but it more often thrives on support.”

The University Honors Program enrolls about 400 freshmen each year and is designed for students who want to take on additional academic challenges. Honors instruction emphasizes writing, interdisciplinary study and original analysis. For more information, visit the Honors Program Web site.

Article by Ann Manser
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson