Honors

College Newsletter
Vol. 1
Issue 1

What’s inside
“The anticipation...”...............1
Who we are...........................2
Student of the Month...........3
Director’s letter......................3 Students lining up before the 2016 citation ceremony. Photo by Gillian Casey.

Student’s checklist.................3
“Entrepreneurship and..”......4
Upcoming events..................4
The anticipation of a piece of paper
Jenna Bachman had waited for this day for
years. She finished her capstone project,
the 16-credit curriculum and a daunting
final presentation. Her underclassman years
culminated in this day and a piece of paper.
—It was a warm, crisp fall evening when
Bachman and 488 other students funneled
into the Memorial Chapel at the University
of Maryland, College Park. On Nov. 4,
2016, these students attended a ceremony
to receive a sheet of gold-engraved paper:
their Honors citation. This eager group had
waited years for this day.
—The Honors Citation Ceremony is a
biannual event that celebrates students’
accomplishments in their Honors College
Living and Learning Program (LLP)
by awarding them with a citation. This
academic distinction is not only a formal
acknowledgment of the completion of a
student’s LLP, but also a symbol that he or
she survived a rigorous, rewarding program.
a lot to finally have the paper, and I am so
very honored to receive this citation award.”
—This past August, the Honors College
welcomed 954 new students to its seven
LLPs. With a goal of 1,000 students, the
Honors College admitted 74 new students
in Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for
Students, 94 in Integrated Life Sciences, 77
in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 73 in
Design Cultures & Creativity, 58 in Honors
Humanities, 160 in Gemstone and 418 in
University Honors.
—Like Bachman two and a half years ago,
these newly-admitted students are the latest
cohort hoping to receive the emblematic
citation at one of two annual ceremonies.
—“We have many more students who
finished the two-year sequences in the spring
term who are being awarded the citation
in the fall,” said Dean Herbert, assistant
director and advisor for the Honors College.
—With two ceremonies each year, preparing

Follow us on... —
[. . .] I am so ver y
h o no re d t o re ce i ve
@honorsspc this citation award.”
—Bachman, now a senior majoring in
@umdhoncoll English, spent numerous sleepless nights
working toward her citation. Exhausted at
times, Bachman rarely felt discouraged.
@umdhonorscollege —“I put so much work into my program and
Honors classes,” Bachman said, “It means
for the climactic event is not an easy task.
—“We start planning the ceremony months
in advance,” said Janeirah Jones, program
management specialist at the Honors
College, “It is a lot of work, but seeing the
students smile means a job well done.”
—Jones and her colleagues are busy making
final arrangements for the next citation
ceremony, which will take place on Nov. 3.
This year, Bachman will not be attending as
a recipient but as a guest.
 Who we are
The Honors programs we offer
The Honors College
The Honors College at the University of Maryland,
College Park (UMD) provides seven Living and
Learning Programs that aim to supplement students’
educational interests with rigorous classes, research
opportunities and small seminars.
Our spot on campus
The Honors College offices are located on the first
floor of Anne Arundel Hall. In addition to housing
the Honors College staff, Anne Arundel Hall is home
to the Honors Humanities program.
University Honors (UH)
The most flexible LLP, University Honors is a four-year program that
allows students to take different seminars and enriched Honors courses.
Honors Humanities (HH)
This two-year program focuses on art, reading and writing while
challenging students to consider what it means to be human.
Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES)
One of few programs allowing students to learn about cybersecurity,
ACES offers both a two-year LLP and two-year minor in cybersecurity.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EIP)
EIP allows students to learn more about the process of developing
imaginative, innovative solutions in its two-year program.
Integrated Life Sciences (ILS)
ILS is a two-year LLP designed for future doctors and scientists who
have interests in biological research or biomedicine.
The November Honors College Student of the Month
Kahn posing for a portrait. Photo by
Gillian Casey.
Alaina Kahn, the November Honors College
Student of the Month, will graduate earlier than
most students in the four-year UH program.
In addition to being a member of the Honors
College, Kahn is an advocate for C.A.R.E. to
Stop Violence, a research assistant for two labs
and a peer counselor for the Help Center.
“My end goal is to run a private psych
practice, but I’m still figuring out my interests,”
Kahn said, “I will say that taking Honors classes
centered around ethics has helped me figure out
more of what I want to do upon graduation.”
Kahn is currently applying to graduate
schools and is on track to finish UMD this May.
“I love the flexibility that University Honors
gives me,” Kahn said, “I can take seminars that
interest me while fulfilling general education
requirements and saving a full year of tuition.”
For her last UH requirement, Kahn is
taking an Honors course on how American
society views and treats animals. The class is
titled “Love me, hate me, use me, save me:
Our conflicting views of animals” and is a
discussion-based seminar.
Instead of listening to a lecture twice a week,
Kahn has the opportunity to go to meat and
dairy farms, discuss the ethics of eating meat
and learn how other students feel about issues
regarding animals.
“Our class is far from typical, but that’s one
of the reasons why I love Honors,” Kahn said,
“This program has allowed me to take classes
on obscure topics and learn more about relevant
issues in an intimate setting.”
Kahn will receive her citation at the spring
ceremony and will graduate with the class of
2018 in May.
“Although I am sad to leave UH behind, I’m
very excited for what the future holds and will
take this recognition with me,” Kahn said.

Home to the Honors College. Photo by Gillian Casey.
Our 2017 Honors students at the University of Mar yland
Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC) A letter from the Honors College director
This two-year program is for those interested in learning about the
relationships between media, creativity and the world. Dear prospective students,
Gemstone (GEMS) I remember when, like you, I was deciding
GEMS is a four-year LLP that allows students to conduct substantial between colleges. I had thought about what I
scientific research during their time at UMD. wanted to do when I grew up, and I couldn’t
believe that an 18-year-old could be expected
to choose their career path at such a young age.
Touring a small private college one day, I
was told that if I chose to attend the school,
I couldn’t change my major after the first
semester. I knew this college wasn’t for me.
I wanted the experience of having varying
research options and opportunities to pursue a
46% 54% well-rounded education that wasn’t centered
around a single field of study.
As the director of the Honors College at
the University of Maryland, I have made a
Banneker/Key scholars concentrated effort to ensure students never feel
confined to a sole area of interest as I did when I
16.1% searched for colleges. Over the past few years, I
have shaped the Honors College into a program
that allows students like you to supplement
their primary educational endeavors with
additional enriching experiences.
While you have plenty of time to choose what
you want to do when you graduate college, the
Honors College gets you closer to your choice
by allowing you to dabble in different areas
that may not necessarily align with your major.
Students are presented with opportunities that
the small college I had toured couldn’t provide.
Some students pursuing a degree in math or
engineering opt to take our Honors Humanities
program and learn about how the arts have
influenced society. The options are endless.
I hope you consider my anecdote as you
make your final decisions this spring. Go Terps!
Sincerely, Dr. Dwyer presenting at a luncheon.
Dr. Dwyer Photo by Gillian Casey.

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Entrepreneurship and Innovation students win big at IBM
Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EIP)
Honors students took home a win from the
IBM Watson design challenge held here at
the University of Maryland, College Park
last month.
Undergraduate Honors students and groups
from the Quality Enhancement Systems and
Teams (QUEST) program competed in the
monthlong challenge themed “The world is
flat: Products and services that reduce the
separation of people.” The students hoped
to impress IBM professionals and ultimately
EIP students pose after competing. Photo courtesy of Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Upcoming events for prospective Honors College students
Sept. 21
Enhance my Maryland day
The Honors College will present
all seven of its LLPs on Sept. 21
at the Adele H. STAMP Student
Union Center for Enhance my
Maryland day. Come learn about
what each program has to offer!
win a prize fit for the budding innovators: a
trip to IBM Watson’s design headquarters in
New York City.
The competition culminated in pitches on
Oct. 7 when students presented to a board
of IBM Watson executives, UMD professors
and QUEST alumni.
The winning team, which included Conor
Casey, Tim Chen, Cameron Harner, Varun
Mohan and Jeffery Zhao, won the design
challenge with their pitch for a new software
program to help win court cases.
Nov. 10
Pajama and movie night
Join EIP on Nov. 10 for a movie
night for all LLPs. Two movies
will be shown: one at 6 p.m. and
one at 8 p.m. Please be sure to
bring your blankets and pillows
to EIP’s first-ever movie night.
The team pitched JusThis, alluding to
the word justice, as a software program that
would use IBM Watson’s machine learning,
natural language processing and neural
network technologies to create convincing
arguments in small claims court cases.
“Nearly all the accused who go to small
claims court for the first time lose, as they
don’t have the resources needed to craft
a convincing argument or fail to present it
properly in court,” Casey said, “JusThis
would use IBM Watson’s technology to
help these people construct arguments and
hopefully win their cases.”
The idea took weeks to flesh out into a
coherent concept, and the pitch took hours
of coordination and practice among the five
EIP members.
“I was excited to see our hard work come
to fruition,” Mohan said, “Our rigorous
entrepreneurship education in EIP prepared
us to identify the market opportunity and
tailor our JusThis solution to fit the void. EIP
helped us a tremendous amount.”
These winning students will travel to IBM
Watson in New York City later this semester.
The team looks forward to receiving a free
tour of IBM Watson’s Silicon Alley and
having copious networking opportunities.
“The best part will no doubt be meeting
top executives from IBM,” Casey said, “I
can’t wait for our trip.”
Nov. 17
Coffee chats with students
DCC is sponsoring its annual
event featuring conversations
with current students, coffee and
cakes. Join this creative group to
learn more about DCC and the
Honors College this Nov. 17.