Congratulations, SMU. In one century, you have transformed yourself from a miniscule country college isolated on the plains of North Texas into a nationally renowned center for the performing arts, business, sciences and liberal arts. This change seems likely only to accelerate as you move into the next century; huge donations and grants from alumni and friends of the university have dramatically changed the face of campus, funding top-of-the-line facilities and programs in every school. Of course, we can’t forget that you are one of the few schools in the nation to host a presidential library on campus, not to mention that it concerns one of the most controversial and pivotal presidencies in American history.

So the administration, faculty, staff and students of SMU can cast an anticipatory eye over the next few years as the Second Century campaign swings into high gear. Yet one blemish remains, one quite glaring imperfection considering that SMU believes itself a top tier liberal arts university. The University Honors Program bills itself as “the educational mainstay and intellectual core of the University,” yet in actuality it is an almost forgotten facet of the university, little more to most students involved than an addendum to their resumé.

I am a double major in Finance and Economics with Financial Applications; I also have an internship 10 hours a week; many of the classes I need to take are offered only during one semester and only have one section. These classes will contribute to my future career. The Honors General Education Curriculum classes, though edifying, really offer me nothing I couldn’t get from reading the material on my own. Hence, when my majors’ classes and the Honors sections of GEC classes conflict, as they always do, I choose my majors.

This means I likely won’t be able to fulfill the Honors requirements by the time I graduate in three and half semesters, yet I’m not concerned. My potential employers won’t look at any portion of my resumé that doesn’t concern finance or economics, and though I might gain new insights on different topics covered in the Honors courses, I read widely and voraciously in my free time anyway.

This is a shame because I wholeheartedly agree that any college education is incomplete without exposure to new learning, new ideas, new people and new ways of thinking. Yet when forced to choose between courses and opportunities that will advance their career and interesting but ultimately useless (in a practical sense) Honors Gen Ed courses, every rational agent will choose that which offers the larger potential future benefit, i.e. their major’s courses.

These problems stem from two systemic faults with the program, one a question of intention, the other of distinction.

Is it a university-wide honors program or a purely liberal arts honors program? The name “University Honors” is a misnomer, as the courses required to be taken as honors sections are all liberal arts courses. The UHP is attempting to be a curriculum available to all majors, and thus be truly a “University” honors program. Yet for that to be true, wouldn’t they have to require participating students to show excellence in all of SMU’s schools, not just the liberal arts?

Assume they broaden their scope in such a way. What, then, would be the point of participating? The most significant honors a student can graduate with are either earned through departmental distinction or through their GPA. What would be unique about graduating with additional honors? What would make students prioritize it enough for it to be significant?

The UHP should narrow its focus and define its mission more clearly. It should be a purely liberal arts honors program, similar to departmental distinction, available to liberal arts majors. Under the current system, no engineer or business student will put any serious effort into graduating with honors in liberal arts, because what does it matter to them or their employers? But if liberal arts students are offered a narrower, more intensive opportunity to show excellence in liberal arts outside of their department, that will ultimately have more of a positive impact for those few students than a diluted and unproductive distinction for many students.

If the university is determined to have a university-wide honors program, they must give the program incentive for non-liberal arts majors. As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently a member of the UHP but won’t graduate as one, yet I’m unconcerned because in the final equation it offers no benefit; I’m entirely indifferent as to whether I graduate as a part of the UHP or not.

Narrow the program’s focus to the liberal arts, intensify it so that it has a real impact for those students (more than just offering a few extra-curricular programs and a line on a diploma), and make it understood to the faculty of Dedman College that the program will be a cohesive part of the liberal arts curriculum. Students and faculty will rally behind the effort. A concentrated program with a laser focus and a clear mission will benefit liberal arts students, faculty, Dedman College and SMU more so than its current diluted and ineffectual state.

John Jose is a finance and economics double major. He can be reached at [email protected].