The Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College welcomed current students, alumni, faculty and friends to celebrate 50 years of the honors program this week.
On Oct. 13, the French House hosted an anniversary BBQ with an array of food, fun and live music.
The celebration marked the 25th anniversary of the official Honors College, but the honors initiative began in 1967. Ogden Honors College Dean Jonathan Earle said the program has “transformed” the University since its inception, with this year’s freshman class boasting over 600 students.
“Just think how far honors has come at LSU since those first seminars in Allen Hall,” Earle said. “[The honors program] has literally transformed the student body, and our campus.”
The honors program was first developed by Charles Bigger and Edward Henderson through a curriculum of team-taught courses, which are still offered by the college today. The Honors College has grown over the last 50 years to include a service-oriented four-year trajectory with study abroad programs, internships and independent undergraduate research opportunities.
To mark the 50th year of the college, the Ogden Honors Advisory Council has donated $50,000 toward the “Honors Excellence Fund.”
The fund supports current Ogden Honors students, as well as future students, with merit-based scholarships, research funding and financial aid for their many study abroad programs, such as Ogden at Oxford. The 2018 Ogden at Oxford program will take honors students to the oldest university in the English-speaking world for one month.
The chairman of the advisory council, Brian Haymon, said this anniversary marks an important moment for the honors program, adding that it is time the Advisory Council “serve as a beacon of leadership” for the University.
The Ogden Honors College is one of the few programs in the U.S. with a complete “campus-within-a-campus.” The 10-acre honors campus on South Campus Dr. holds a thriving residential college and several historic academic buildings, including The French House. French House is a historic landmark recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and will soon undergo renovations to expand its classroom space and modernize the interior of the building.
Students of the honors college are encouraged to attend weekly guest lectures, participate in the honors college book club and be involved in leadership positions outside of the Honors College.
Political science sophomore Emily Karr said being in the Honors College has challenged her way of thinking.
“We’re constantly attending events with speakers from all around the world, and we get the opportunity to expand our worldview,” Karr said. “That’s what I like best about the honors program…I’m always being challenged to think in new and exciting ways.”
Attendees of the event were encouraged to submit their photos, videos and memories for the “Honors Through the Years” slideshow played inside the Hans and Donna Sternberg Salon. Also in the Salon was the “Honors Through the Years” tree, where students could submit their photos via social media. The tree will stay in the French House temporarily to allow the community to see the vast history of the Honors College.
