Fifty Years Of Scholarship

The Honors Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year by reconnecting with Honors Program alumni and previous faculty and staff, establishing new awards for outstanding theses that continue to improve the quality of undergraduate scholarship, and continuing to build connections with majors and programs throughout the university, according to Dr. J. Wesley Null, faculty assistant director of the Honors Program.

"The goal of the Jubilee celebration is to draw attention to the great work that the Honors Program has done in the last 50 years, and at the same time to make plans for the future," says Null. "With our Jubilee activities, we're working hard to honor long-serving faculty, reconnect with highly accomplished alumni and recruit another great class for fall '09."

Events were held during Parents Weekend and Homecoming, and a collection of memorabilia celebrating the history of the Honors Program will be on display in the Mayborn Museum through spring graduation. A special Jubilee Honors Banquet, to be held on April 23, will host special alumni and previous directors as guests. Among the honorees will be Dr. Helen Benedict, Dr. Wallace Daniel, Dr. Greg Garrett, Dr. James Marcum, Dr. Daniel McGee, Dr. David Pennington, Dr. Kevin Pinney and Dr. Alden Smith--professors who have upheld the Baylor tradition of building strong student-teacher relationships by mentoring 10 or more individuals throughout their two-year Honors thesis process.

Honors Program director Dr. Andrew Wisely says these individuals have repeatedly exemplified what it means to be committed to developing well-equipped, successful scholars. "There must be something working well for them to be asked again and again to direct a thesis," says Wisely.

In addition, the inaugural F. Ray Wilson II Thesis Award will be presented to students who have done the most outstanding work. The award was established in honor of visionary leader Dr. Ray Wilson, biology professor and director of the Honors Program who passed away suddenly in 2004. During his more than 30 years at Baylor, Wilson, known for rigorous and demanding coursework, was legendary for mentoring hundreds of students and directing dozens of theses for science students who went on to practice medicine. The F. Ray Wilson Fund will also provide faculty, who currently receive no remuneration for mentoring students, with well-earned financial support for their work.

Click here to read an article by Wilson and a tribute from one of his former students from our September 2004 issue.

To keep track of other Honors Program Jubliee events or for more information, call 254-710-6120 or visit https://www.baylor.edu/honors_program/jubilee.

To support either fund in honor of Dr. Ray Wilson, please contact Tommye Lou Davis, BA '66, MS '68, associate dean of the Honors College, at 254-710-3750.