History

  • 1968 – Honors Programs Established: Four discipline-based honors programs established in the departments of Chemistry, Foreign Languages, Political Science and History.
  • 1981 – Guidelines and Policies Approved: Guidelines and policies for honors programs approved by Faculty Council. The University Honors Council established as a standing committee of the faculty.
  • 1991 – Interdisciplinary Honors Program name changed to University Honors Program: Interdisciplinary Honors Program name changed to University Honors Program and moved to the College of Arts and Sciences. 150 students are enrolled.
  • 1992 – Dr. Al Maisto Appointed Director: Provost and Vice Chancellor Phil Dubois appoints Dr. Al Maisto, Professor of Psychology, as Director of the University Honors Program.
  • 2003 – Honors College Established: The Honors College begins oversight of a wide array of honors programs.
  • 2004 – Pre-Health Professions Advising Begins: Pre-Health advising established for all high-achieving students on campus. The Honors College relocates to Cato Hall.
  • 2011 – Additional Honors Programs Developed: First Goldwater Scholarship in the history of UNC Charlotte awarded to honors student Casey Rimland.
  • 2012 – Dr. Malin Pereira Appointed Executive Director: Dr. Malin Pereira, Professor of English, appointed Executive Director of the Honors College. Redesign of honors education begins.
  • 2013 – Faculty Governance Restructured: Creation of the Honors Faculty, the electoral body of the Honors Council.
  • 2016 – Albert Engineering Leadership Scholars Program moved to Honors College: The Honors College assumes responsibility for Albert Engineering Leadership Scholars Program in partnership with College of Engineering, with students as members of the University Honors Program.
  • 2017 – Martin Scholars Program Launched and Levine Hall Opens: Martin Scholars Program launched, with students as members of any honors program on campus. UNC Charlotte’s first Rhodes finalist, honors student Nemah-Allah Saleh, invited to interview. Highly anticipated Levine Hall opens in January.
  • 2018 – Fifty Years of Honors Education at UNC Charlotte: Celebration of 50 years of Honors Education at UNC Charlotte! Honors staff restructured and expanded. Capacity in honors for high-achieving undergraduates has grown 46% since 2011.
  • 2019 – New Scholarships are Added: Two new honors scholarships are added: Freeman and Johnson to help students pay for tuition and fees.
  • 2022 – Honors College Formally Recognized with Dean Reporting to Provost: Dr. Malin Pereira appointed dean of the Honors College. The creation of a new deanship and change in reporting structure recognizes the role of honors programming in the University’s strategic plan. Number of students enrolled expanded to almost 800.