Honors College Highlighted in 2022 Issue of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Guide

Russell Cothren

Honors students and Dean Lynda Coon discuss portal sculpture at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, on an Honors Passport course that visited sites along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through France and Spain.

The Honors College is one of six institutions singled out as providing valuable opportunities to undergraduates in the 2022 issue of U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Guide, released in print earlier this month. 

In her article "Comparing Larger Public, Smaller Private Colleges," reporter Margaret Loftus explores the pros and cons of small liberal arts colleges versus honors colleges and scholarship programs at large public universities. Pluses cited for the U of A Honors College include honors housing for first-year students; the Futures Hub, which guides students' academic trajectory; honors seminars on cutting-edge topics such as blockchain; and financial support through fellowships and grants.  

Perhaps the most compelling benefit — access to top faculty — came from Loftus' interview with Mary Jia, an honors biomedical engineering junior and Bodenhamer Fellow from Stuttgart, Arkansas, who shared an anecdote where connections created a workaround. Loftus reported: 

"When her plans to study abroad in China senior year hit a brick wall — the university isn't affiliated with a program there — an engineering dean worked with his contacts in Hong Kong to arrange for her to study there.

"'It's very easy to get access to higher-up people and communicate with them,' Jia says."

The U of A is in good company here, with other colleges and universities featured including Clemson University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Furman University, Colgate University and Macalester College. Programs at the U of A and others are presented as offering a great education at low cost, which students are choosing over elite private institutions throughout the United States. 

The U of A Honors College's inclusion in this article stemmed from a recommendation to Loftus made by an academic counselor in Virginia.

"The word is out that we offer excellent opportunities to ambitious honors scholars," said Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College. "Mention in the Best Colleges Guide will bring even more outstanding students to the University of Arkansas."