Honors College ups its game with advisory council, new space and more

By Luanne Williams

Two years after the University elevated its honors pathway from a program to a college, Wingate Honors College has come into its own this fall with a new home on the Academic Quad, a jump in student enrollment, a newly developed logo and an actively engaged Honors Student Advisory Council.

Dr. Allison Kellar, dean of the Honors College and professor of English, couldn't be happier with the changes, which she says will benefit Wingate's campus community at large.

New digs in memorial library

The Honors College's move into the Efird Memorial Library earlier this year gave students access to a lounge, study space, small kitchen and upstairs conference room. Built in the 1940s in memory of John Emory Efird and his wife, Annie Turner Efird, the square brick building sits on the south side of the Quad between the Burris Building and the Ethel K. Smith Library. Since the opening of the latter in 1959, Efird has, over the years, been the home of the school's administrative and business offices and a repository of archives. More recently, it housed the offices of Title IX and Community Standards personnel.

To make Efird more inviting to students and give the campus community additional outdoor gathering space, an automatic ID-access door and patio were added to the building's west side this past summer.

"The space has quickly become a community hub for our students, especially those in the first-year cohort," Dr. Jordan Wilson, assistant dean of the college, says of the building, which has been designated a historic property by the Union County Historic Preservation Commission. "We see students using it for short breaks between classes, long study sessions with friends using the whiteboards, and watching movies together. Honors students see it as a place to come for both community and also to get questions answered, and we're thrilled that we've been able to have some student workers in the space as well."

Before the move into Efird, honors students had access to a small lounge in the basement of Burris. The new location is significantly larger, more flexible and more convenient for commuters, especially with the kitchen area. The building is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays; and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Honors students can swipe in with their card after normal business hours and bring a guest or two.

One of the Efird student lounges can double as a small informal classroom for gatherings up to about 18, and the patio can seat 40. The building includes offices for Kellar and Wilson as well as for student workers.

"Any of the rooms you go into, there are dry erase boards," Kellar says. "Depending on the day of the week, you'll see Spanish vocabulary, complex math equations, biology, where students have been reviewing for an anatomy test, all kinds of things. It's great to see all of the work that is done, as well as the friendships that are being formed."

Kellar says Efird offers a visible benefit to becoming an honors student, and, unlike mandatory honors housing at some universities, it's neither required nor exclusive.

"Honors should not be siloed, especially at a small university," she says. "Efird is a connection space where students can give back to the campus community through tutoring, leadership and how they interact with others."

Wingate's Alumni Board granted the Honors College $5,000 for indoor and outdoor furniture for Efird. Students helped put together the new patio furniture and also are giving feedback on what else Efird needs now that they're settling into their new space.

Rising Honors enrollment

Wingate's shift from a program that admitted nominated students after their first year of classes to an Honors College that welcomes qualified incoming students has expanded the number of students who can access the honors pathway. Thirteen students were in the first-year cohort in the fall of 2022. Last year, that number more than doubled to 29; this fall, 41 students started Honors in their first year. The college still admits currently enrolled students and offers a flexible curriculum so that those transferring to Wingate for their junior year still have time to complete requirements.

The college now includes 135 students representing all class levels. More than 35 percent are the first in their families to pursue four-year degrees, and nearly a third are student-athletes. More than half hold down jobs in addition to their studies.

The college also involves more than 40 faculty and staff members who teach honors classes and seminars, mentor and advise students, and supervise and support other endeavors, such as research and capstone projects.

Honors Student Advisory Council

Leadership was already a hallmark of Honors at Wingate, but a newly formed Honors Student Advisory Council has broadened opportunities for students to offer input to college administrators and to serve their peers across campus. Wilson advises the group, which began with an interest meeting that attracted nearly two dozen students representing a variety of majors and years.

"Nine expressed interest in leadership roles, and we then created an executive board to give them each unique opportunities," Wilson says. "The students expressed interest not only in organizing social events, but also study support groups, a mentoring program where students could find others who have previously succeeded in a course they're in now, and more."

Going forward, he expects the council to provide Honors College academic leadership with valuable feedback regarding their new space in Efird, the type of guest speakers they'd like to hear from and even curricular decisions.

The Honors Student Advisory Council hosted its first Community Night the week of Oct. 14, with a Halloween-themed evening of pizza and games, and it is planning an "Honors-giving," in which they will put together some treats for undergraduate and graduate students before exams. For winter festivities, the Honors College will host Wingate's first ever gingerbread-house competition in Efird.

New logo

Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's geometric studies and sketches, David Storey, Wingate's creative director, designed a new logo for the Honors College that is reminiscent of the Vitruvian Man. The logo gives a nod to the Efird Memorial Library's rectangular design and symmetry as well as the Honors College curriculum's focus on engagement, enrichment, exploration and experiential learning.

"I love how this logo symbolizes Efird's legacy on the academic quad and honors students' academic studies and discoveries," Kellar says, adding that its outer ring serves as a reminder that, after years of use as a repository and office building, the Efird Memorial Library has come full circle, once again being filled with students in pursuit of knowledge, community and memories.

"One of our goals is for Honors Students to have a memorable experience that they carry with them," she adds. "Having a dedicated space is so important for any Honors College. If it were just about doing these classes and this research, students would be missing key components, such as lifelong learning, innovation, making memories and making a difference."

Learn more about the Honors College here.

Nov. 13, 2024

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