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鈥極ur success is our students鈥: Shackouls Honors College celebrates 50 years of honors education at MSU

鈥極ur success is our students鈥: Shackouls Honors College celebrates 50 years of honors education at MSU

Sumner Fortenberry of Tupelo, a May 2018 summa cum laude political science bachelor鈥檚 graduate, smiles for the camera during a trip to Blenheim Palace as part of the Shackouls Honors College鈥檚 study abroad program in Oxford, England. (Photo by Megan Bean)

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斞侵奚墒悠碘檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College is celebrating 50 years of the university鈥檚 honors program supporting some of the nation鈥檚 best and brightest students in their pursuit of educational excellence.

Chris Snyder, who became the honors college鈥檚 first dean in 2011, said the celebration marks five decades of undergraduate student accomplishment and highlights the university鈥檚 dedication to helping tomorrow鈥檚 young leaders reach their full potential.

Donald M. 鈥淔ield鈥 Brown of Vicksburg, MSU鈥檚 second Rhodes Scholar, graduated summa cum laude in 2014 with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in English and philosophy. Completing his dissertation in African American literature at Harvard University, he is pictured at Christ Church College in Oxford, England, where he studied English literature as an MSU student. (Photo by Megan Bean)

Over the last five years, MSU honors students have been accepted to some of the world鈥檚 most competitive graduate schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, universities of California-Berkeley, Cambridge, Michigan, Oxford, Texas at Austin and Virginia, as well as Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Rutgers universities. 聽

鈥淲e are witnessing鈥攁t Harvard, Columbia, Oxford and other world-class institutions鈥攖he realization of the investment made by Judy and Bobby Shackouls and MSU presidents like Donald Zacharias and Mark Keenum in recruiting top undergraduates to MSU and providing them with outstanding teachers and mentors,鈥 said Snyder, also a professor of European history.

In 2006, a generous gift from Judy and Bobby Shackouls transformed the University Honors Program into MSU鈥檚 Shackouls Honors College. Bobby Shackouls, a Greenville native and MSU chemical engineering alumnus, is retired chairman, president and chief executive officer of the oil and gas company Burlington Resources Inc.

Chris Snyder, dean of MSU鈥檚 Shackouls Honors College, is pictured with Oxford study abroad program participants at a spring croquet social in the Griffis Hall courtyard. Snyder is among world-class honors faculty who enjoy sharing knowledge and providing mentorship to students throughout their MSU experience. (Photo by Megan Bean)

To mark the 50th anniversary celebration, MSU鈥檚 honors college is planning special events for alumni and friends during Super Bulldog Weekend. C. Donald 鈥淒on鈥 Whitmire Jr., a 1978 MSU accounting bachelor鈥檚 graduate and former president of the Student Honors Council, is part of the organizing committee.

鈥淲e anticipate a weekend highlighted by special tours of MSU鈥檚 Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, capped off by a gala dinner that will highlight the honors program鈥檚 rich history and the fantastic accomplishments of our students and dedicated faculty,鈥 said Whitmire, a 2010 MSU College of Business Alumni Fellow.

Snyder attributes some of the honors college鈥檚 success to expanded recruitment efforts, including visits to 100 individual Mississippi high schools in the last year. Receiving a record-high 1,346 applications in 2018, the honors college experienced a record first-time freshman enrollment of 632 this fall, bringing the college鈥檚 total enrollment to 1,755 students, the largest in Mississippi. The average ACT of enrolled honors freshmen is 31.2, and the average high school GPA of enrolled freshmen is 3.94.

Tommy Anderson, a professor of English and the honors college鈥檚 associate dean for academic affairs, said MSU honors students benefit academically and socially from the choice of two residence halls on the north side of campus. Complete with seminar classrooms and study spaces, these facilities are part of Zacharias Village, the only university honors village in Mississippi.

MSU鈥檚 Shackouls Honors College presents Seneca鈥檚 tragedy, 鈥淧haedra,鈥 in the Zacharias Village courtyard behind Griffis Hall. The all-student performance was part of the honors college鈥檚 annual Classical Week celebration of Greek, Roman and other ancient-world cultures. (Photo by Megan Bean)

鈥淔irst-year honors students live together in Griffis and Nunnelee, take honors seminars together in the residence halls, and enjoy an array of events that contribute to establishing an honors community,鈥 Anderson said.

The 亚洲色吧视频 honors community includes students who are recipients of two of the university鈥檚 most prestigious undergraduate awards鈥攖he Presidential and Provost scholarships. Presidential Scholars have opportunities to interact with members of MSU鈥檚 extensive research faculty and participate in the honors college鈥檚 University of Oxford summer-study program in England, among other enhanced learning experiences. Provost Scholars also receive major support for academic, research and study abroad endeavors.

Through its Oxford study abroad program, the honors college supported 15 students earlier this year in their studies of English, history, creative writing, psychology, law and the sciences at the one of the world鈥檚 most prestigious institutions. Students enrolled in Oxford tutorials with an Oxford professor and took a seminar on author C.S. Lewis led by Snyder. The summer experience also included a performance of Shakespeare鈥檚 Hamlet at the Globe Theatre and tours of London and Windsor Castle.

Lucas J. Ferguson of Batesville, MSU鈥檚 first Gates Cambridge Scholarship recipient and a 2017 magna cum laude biochemistry/bioinformatics bachelor鈥檚 graduate, now is pursuing his Ph.D. in immunology at University of California, Berkeley. He is pictured in a lab at MSU鈥檚 College of Veterinary Medicine, where as an undergraduate he collaborated with a team of researchers working to improve the system for developing life-saving flu vaccines. (Photo by Megan Bean)

over the years. Honorees include a Rhodes Scholar and three Rhodes Scholar finalists, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, two Truman Scholars and four Truman Scholar finalists, four Goldwater Scholars and eight Goldwater Honorable Mention recipients, as well as a SMART Scholar, Boren Scholar, NOAA Scholar, Astronaut Scholar, and Humanity in Action Fellow. Three Fulbright Scholars, three Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Fellows, and four Andi Leadership Institute Fellows also have been recognized.

鈥淥ur alumni are excited about the college鈥檚 success and want to use this anniversary year to highlight the achievements of honors students past and present鈥攊ncluding our recent Rhodes and Gates Cambridge Scholars鈥攁nd to encourage more support for our distinctive curriculum, our summer program at the University of Oxford, and our prestigious Presidential and Provost Scholars programs,鈥 Snyder said.

Discover more about MSU鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at .

MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .