April 9, 2026
From Game to Classroom: Honors College Students Take a Swing at America’s Favorite Pastime
The Baseball and the American Experience Honors College course explores how the story of baseball mirrors the story of the United States itself. The course has featured numerous guest speakers and included outings to places like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Photo courtesy of Bill Horner. Story by Riley Palshaw Eight World Series rings sat on a classroom desk as 93-year-old former Major League Baseball scout Bill Clark told stories from more than four decades in the game. For students in the University of Missouri Honors College, it wasn’t just a lesson about baseball; it was a lesson about American…
April 8, 2026
In Memory of Bill Bondeson
The Honors College mourns the loss of Bill Bondeson, who passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Bondeson joined the University of Missouri as a professor of philosophy in 1964. He retired from Mizzou in 2011 after decades of service, including directing the Honors College from 1969-72 and teaching in the Honors College Humanities Sequence nearly every semester of his tenure. Below, Rachel Harper, associate dean of the Honors College and longtime friend of Bondeson, shares her memories of Bondeson and the impact he made in the lives of others. In fall 1998, my discussion section…
April 2, 2026
Mizzou to Collaborate with SEC Honors Colleges on Athletics Course
Next fall, Mizzou Honors College students will have the opportunity to explore the history and mission of NCAA athletics through a collaborative Honors course. The class includes Zoom sessions with SEC partners and in-person, Mizzou-specific seminars. Story and photo by Logan Jackson The University of Missouri Honors College will collaborate with Honors Colleges from nine Southeastern Conference (SEC) universities this fall on a course that will explore the changing landscape across collegiate athletics. Through a combination of Zoom sessions with SEC partners and in-person, Mizzou-specific seminars, the course will explore the history and mission of NCAA athletics and recent legal…
Jan. 21, 2026
Bringing Education to Life
Gary Smith, director emeritus of admissions and registrar, has brought the cases of lawyer Clarence Darrow to life through a Mizzou Honors College seminar course over the past 30 years. Story and photos by Logan Jackson For the past 30 years, Gary Smith has brought the cases of renowned lawyer Clarence Darrow to life through a Mizzou Honors College Seminar course, “Attorney for the Damned” (GN_HON 1050H). Along with diving deeper into Darrow’s high-profile work, Smith engages with students on current events and Mizzou history. “I have always been fascinated with history, and I think I maybe wanted to be…
Jan. 15, 2026
Honors College Welcomes New Cohort of Tarkow Teaching Fellows
Story by Logan Jackson For the past two years, Mizzou faculty from across campus have shared their expertise with students pursuing the Honors College Certificate through the Tarkow Teaching Fellows program. The program was developed to honor the incredible teaching legacy of Ted Tarkow, a professor emeritus of classical studies. Funded, in part, through an endowed gift in honor of Ted and Marjorie Tarkow, the Tarkow Teaching Fellows form a collaborative cohort that work with Honors College faculty and administrators to develop and teach the “Honors Book Club” course, which offers students the opportunity to dive deeper into the selected…
Oct. 24, 2025
Amanda Paz Herrera Fosters Love of Scientific Research to Honors Students
Story by Sophia AndersonPhoto by Logan Jackson Amanda Paz Herrera is passing on her love of scientific research in her Introduction to Research (GN_HON 2453H) Honors College course. Paz Herrera started teaching this course in fall 2023 after completing her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Mizzou and becoming an adjunct professor. Now an assistant professor and core Honors College faculty member, Paz Herrera helps connects students with research through her teaching efforts. In her Introduction to Research course, students look for antibiotic producing bacteria in soil. “It’s a way to explore some microbiology techniques and get some hands-on practice in the…
Oct. 17, 2025
Redefining the Pursuit of Happiness
Sam von Gillern’s course Lessons from Positive Psychology on Happiness and Success allows Honors College students the opportunity to explore research in the field of positive psychology. Story by Riley PalshawPhotos by Logan Jackson As humans, we’re told that happiness is something worth pursuing. But what does happiness actually mean? Sam von Gillern explores this question with his Honors College students in Lessons from Positive Psychology on Happiness and Success, an Honors Seminar course centered on research in the field of positive psychology. For von Gillern, who created and teaches the course, the idea began at Iowa State University when…
Oct. 13, 2025
The Force, Football and Fandoms: Honors College Takes on Pop Culture
Doug Valentine’s Honors Tutorial course — Fandoms: Gamers, Football, and K-Pop, Oh My! — invites students to break down the culture and community that surrounds pop culture. Story by Tanner O’Neal RileyPhotos by Logan Jackson When one thinks of an Honors College class, what most often comes to mind? History, theology, anthropology and perhaps sociology, to name a few. What one doesn’t think of? Harry Potter fan rivalries, the rise and fall of Beanie Baby mania or the new-fangled cultural icon bringing the most stoic of men to their knees, the Labubu. That’s exactly what Doug Valentine’s one-credit Honors Tutorial…
Oct. 7, 2025
Discovery Fellows Program Connects Students with Research Opportunities
Nora Pryor’s research journey at Mizzou began through the Discovery Fellows program. The scholarship, offered to incoming Honors College students, can last for up to two years. Students who receive the scholarship work closely with Honors College staff to find the perfect research fit. The Honors College awards around 15 Discovery Fellow Scholarships each academic year. Story and photos by Logan JacksonVideos by Eric Kiekeben Like many undergraduate students just beginning their research journeys, Nora Pryor was tasked with reading multiple research papers and articles in 2022 when she first began working with Heather Hennkens, an associate professor in the…
Sep. 23, 2025
Katherine Fapp Joins Honors College Faculty
Story and photo by Logan Jackson During her time as a departmental lecturer in the University of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute (RAI), Katherine Fapp interacted with a variety of students – even some from the University of Missouri. RAI and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy have collaborated in a variety of ways over the years, and Fapp – who lectured on U.S. History – had the opportunity to meet with several Mizzou students while at Oxford. This fall, Fapp began teaching Tigers full time. Fapp joined Mizzou as an assistant teaching professor, with appointments in…