About Honors
Dean Ellen Weinauer
Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to the Honors College website! Whether you are a prospective student or a current one, a faculty member or an alum, a donor or a community partner, I’m so glad that you found your way here!
I am very proud to serve as dean of the University of Maine Honors College. I am a strong believer in the transformative potential of public honors education; in fact, I am a product of this kind of education, having graduated from the honors program at the University of Wisconsin, back in . . . well, a long time ago. I knew then what I know even more deeply now: that the honors experience at a public university can provide students with life-changing opportunities to amplify their learning, discover their passions and purpose, and serve their communities. The honors experience also provides a door-opening credential to students, no matter what their future holds.
Here at UMaine, we take pride in the fact that honors education has existed on our campus since 1935, making us one of the oldest honors programs in the nation! From small but visionary beginnings, we have evolved into a college that now supports more than 700 students from all across the university. We remain rooted in many of the core principles and practices established decades ago—close mentoring relationships with faculty, small classes, engaging undergraduates in research and creative activity—even as we have evolved and developed. Perhaps most importantly, students in any major and faculty in any discipline at UMaine can be a part of our learning community. This interdisciplinarity is central to the honors learning experience: rich interactions with faculty, staff, and students from a diverse array of backgrounds enable us all to broaden our perspectives and to grow.
I hope that you’ll find in these pages the information you are seeking and—even more—that you’ll gain insight into our abiding commitment to helping students flourish. Since our founding in 1935, we have strived to nurture the next generation of innovative thinkers, change makers, and caring community members. We invite you to join us in advancing our mission and forging our future.
With warm regards,
Ellen Weinauer, Dean of the Honors College and Professor of English
Honors College Mission Statement
A welcoming home for those of all backgrounds, majors, and interests, the Honors College empowers students to develop their whole selves as learners and as people. We foster an inclusive, collaborative community that helps students become creative problem-solvers, intellectual risk-takers, and compassionate, engaged citizens.
About Honors
The University of Maine offers one of the nation’s oldest continuously-running honors programs. Open to students in all majors, the Honors College provides opportunities for motivated students to investigate diverse academic disciplines, to be challenged in a supportive intellectual environment, and to engage enthusiastic fellow students and faculty in thoughtful, provocative discussions. Students in the Honors College complete an academic major in one of the university’s five degree-granting colleges while completing most of their general education requirements and a thesis. Students and faculty involved in the Honors College come from all areas of the university. As a community of approximately seven hundred students within the University of Maine, the Honors College offers small, interdisciplinary classes, where students and faculty members interact closely, sharing ideas and insights developed through critical exploration of primary sources.
85+ years of Excellence
The Honors College at the University of Maine has a rich history as one of the oldest and most respected Honors programs in the country. Honors began in 1935, with its first group of four students graduating in 1937. Over the past 85+ years, Honors has continuously provided an environment in which top students can take advantage of the resources of a great research university while providing a rigorous and unified approach to the liberal arts core.
Honors College Initiatives
Questions?
Email honors@maine.edu