Kent State University. Honors College

The Honors College at Kent State University was first established in 1933 with the first student thesis published in 1934. As the Honors College grew in the 1960s, the first scholarships were offered, Honors versions of departmental courses were offered, and the Honors program began to coordinate high-school early admission programs and advance placement. However, the Honors College reached a significant turning point during the aftermath of the Kent State Shootings on May 4, 1970, creating the Experimental Programs. The Experimental Programs established various courses taught by teacher-guides (voluntary faculty and community members) to address an array of social issues. Due to the creation of the Experimental Programs, during this time period, the Honors College would become known as the Honors and Experimental College. The Honors College also became the coordinator of the university's artist/lecture series on campus. It would also implement a major test competition for scholarships for a number of years (which would later be abandoned) and the Creative Artist Award freshman scholarship. By the 1980s, regional campuses of Kent State University began their own sections of Honors. In 2006, the Honors College celebrated the grand opening of the new Honors Facility in the rebuilt Stopher and Johnson Residence Halls.