The 61st Annual Honors Day celebration at The University of Texas at Austin on Saturday, April 4, will honor the academic accomplishments of 6,590 students during two ceremonies in the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Concert Hall.
Of the 2009 honorees, about 5,011 students will be given the honorary title of College Scholar and more than 1,579 will be recognized as Distinguished College Scholars. In recognition of these students, the Tower will be lit orange on Saturday, April 4.
The first ceremony at 10 a.m. will honor Distinguished College Scholars and College Scholars from the School of Architecture, McCombs School of Business, College of Education, Jackson School of Geosciences, College of Liberal Arts and School of Nursing. The student speaker will be Dhananjay Jagannathan, recipient of the 2009 British Marshall Scholarship and the 2008 Beinecke Scholarship.
The second ceremony at 2 p.m. will honor Distinguished College Scholars and College Scholars from the College of Communication, Cockrell School of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Natural Sciences, College of Pharmacy and School of Social Work. The student speaker will be Naeem Husain, recipient of the 2008 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Terri E. Givens, vice provost for undergraduate studies and international programs at The University of Texas at Austin, will deliver the 2009 Honors Day Convocation address at both ceremonies.
Introduced in 1948, Honors Day is the occasion when students who have achieved academic excellence are honored by academic officers and deans, members of the faculty and student leaders. The Honors Day Convocation includes a procession of student honorees, presentation of medallions to Distinguished College Scholars by academic deans, inspirational messages and celebratory music.
To qualify for participation in Honors Day and be designated a College Scholar, a student must be registered as an undergraduate and have a grade-point average of at least 3.50. Distinguished College Scholars are undergraduates with an in-residence university grade-point average of at least 3.80. Scholars in both categories also must meet other criteria to qualify for participation in the Honors Day program.
Based on the large number of positive responses to Honors Day invitations, plans have been made to accommodate a possible overflow at the Bass Concert Hall. Student scholars will be seated on the lower level. Should guest attendance exceed the remaining seating capacity, accommodations have been made to provide remote viewing in adjacent lobby areas.
Complimentary parking for the university Honors Day ceremonies will be available in parking lots 38 and 40 on Red River Street to the east of the LBJ Library, in the Speedway Garage (SWG) at the corner of 27th Street and Speedway, and in the San Jacinto Garage (SJG) at the intersection of San Jacinto Boulevard and 24th Street. Inform the attendant at these locations that you are on campus for Honors Day activities.
Honors Day participants are encouraged to allow ample time for parking and to enter the campus from Dean Keeton Street (26th Street) to avoid the Texas Relays congestion on Robert Dedman Drive and Clyde Littlefield Drive south of the Bass Concert Hall.
