The first location of the Honors College was in the James R. Dickinson Library.
This building has been renovated and is now home to the William S. Boyd School of Law.
The Honors College is celebrating its 25th year during the 2009-2010 academic year. The program which began with 38 students, has now grown to more than 600 students as of Fall 2009 and 800 alumni.
The Honors College began during the 1984-1985 academic year. Provost John Unrue asked Dr. Len Zane to develop the program with two primary missions: to make UNLV more attractive to the best students in Nevada and to provide distinct and unique educational opportunities for well-qualified students who chose to attend UNLV.
Executive Assistant Bev Sabedra and Founding Director Dr. Len Zane in 1999.
Founding Director Dr. Len Zane, and his Executive Assistant Bev Sabedra are still active on the UNLV campus and for the 25th anniversary of Honors we asked them to reflect on their beginning Honors experiences.
What was the Honors College like when it first began?
Dr. Zane: I believe the initial class had approximately 38 freshmen students. It was small and more structured than the program is now; there were fewer options with respect to courses. If you wanted to participate in Honors you pretty much had to take just the courses we offered.
Bev: It had a Director who had a great big vision, one staff member and limited resources. But Dr. Zane and I were very driven due to the first group of very excited and academically talented students. This gave us the incentive to work as hard as possible to make the university’s and Dr. Zane’s vision of Honors a reality!
What do you hope students get from their Honors experience?
Dr. Zane: The program was designed to give students the opportunity to get in-depth exposure to areas outside and even far-afield from their major. The hope was that students would learn to value knowledge for its own sake as not as a prelude for a career or as a way to enhance their earning power. Of course there will always be students who see participation in Honors primarily as a way to give themselves a competitive advantage over other students and not as a way to get an enhanced undergraduate education.
Bev: I hope they get a wonderful undergraduate education that will enable them to compete with students who are applying to top graduate and professional schools. Also, I hope that students take with them a lifetime of fond memories and friendships from their time in the Honors College.
Read more...
