University Honors: Special and Necessary

A group of University Honors students standing outside of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Image by Joelle McGovern.

UMD’s University Honors Program Coordinator Joelle McGovern described UH using one word: special. The president of the University Honors Student Association, Isaac Conrad, said it was unfair to pick just one word, but if he had to, it would be “necessary.”

“It might seem like an odd choice, but I would argue that UH is one of the only spaces at UMD that is consistently challenging students to broaden their horizons, contextualize their place in the world and apply their scholarship to our broader community,” Conrad said. 

UH is not like the average high school honors programs. According to McGovern, UH is not just about succeeding academically, but embracing and loving learning with a willingness to take advantage of all the opportunities UMD has to offer. “I think honors is a framework and a community of students who just really want to learn and really want to get the most of their university experience - and get good grades,” McGovern said. 

A handful of University Honors, who live on the UH Living Learning Community floor, at the Winterlight Banquet. Image by Erika Doetkott.

Conrad said UH is a unique community that you can’t find anywhere else at UMD. 

“It’s really a diverse set of students with diverse goals and diverse interests who love to learn and want to be in a community where people have a similar value about learning specifically and embracing different perspectives,” McGovern said. 

Conrad also brought up the multiple perks that come with being in UH. “Guaranteed study abroad scholarship, priority registration, free printing, access to the UH lounge, and perhaps most importantly, guidance and support from Joelle [McGovern],” Conrad said. 

Both McGovern and Conrad think the requirements that come from being in UH are important for every UMD student anyway.  

“The Honors program at UMD sets up a framework of what I think all undergraduate students should strive to do,” McGovern said. “They should strive to get involved in the community, they should seek internships, they should embrace liberal education.”

According to Conrad, experiences like volunteering, conducting independent research, leading student groups or securing internships are experiences that help secure UH students with future job offers, graduate school fellowships and medical school/law school acceptances.

UH is an extra layer of support to help students, especially for those who want to and love to learn. “We are here to support students, we’re not here to make their lives harder, we’re here to support them and push them to do the things that will really help them get the most out of their university experience,” McGovern said. “Help them as they enter a competitive work world.”

Conrad summarizes the goal of UH and how it is to broaden our perspectives. “It pushes us to challenge our preconceived notions on how the world works,” Conrad said. “UH is a coalition of student-leaders, student-athletes and student-researchers all striving to better understand our place in this world and how we might better contribute to it.” 

“While UH places an emphasis on academic success, UH really prioritizes learning experiences outside of the classroom,” Conrad said. “I hope that UH students never forget that their ability to use their education to impact their communities, on any level, is limitless.”