The academic accomplishments of 6,819 students from The University of Texas at Austin will be celebrated Saturday, April 10, during the 62nd annual Honors Day ceremonies in the university’s Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Concert Hall.
Of the honorees being recognized in two ceremonies, 5,355 students will be given the honorary title of College Scholar and 1,464 will be recognized as Distinguished College Scholars. In recognition of these students, the Tower will be lit orange on Saturday, April 10. More information about Honors Day is available online.
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 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.
Michael Adams, Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, will deliver the 2010 Honors Day Convocation address at both ceremonies. Adams is the director of the Dobie-Paisano Writer-in-Residence Program and associate director of the James A. Michener Center for Writers.
The student speaker at both ceremonies will be Grace M. Eckhoff of Haiti, who is a 2010 British Marshall Scholar. She is a Plan II Honors student in the College of Liberal Arts and an honors biology major in the Dean’s Scholars Honors program in the College of Natural Sciences.
Introduced in 1948, Honors Day is a pre-Commencement event for graduating seniors and 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.
Students recognized at Honors Day receive honors cords they can wear at Commencement. The honors cords are provided by the University Co-op.
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.
Complimentary parking for the university-wide Honors Day ceremonies will be available in the Manor Garage (MAG) at the corner of Robert Dedman and Clyde Littlefield drives, and in the San Jacinto Garage (SJG) at the intersection of San Jacinto Boulevard and 24th Street.