By Elizabeth Nielsen; Updated by Ross Sutherland.
Title: Honors Program Records, 1962-1991
Predominant Dates: 1968-1991
ID: RG 096
Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Honors Program
Extent: 1.5 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The records are arranged in 11 series: 1. Administrative Files, 1969-1991; 2. Annual Letters to the President, 1980-1991; 3. Committees, 1969-1987; 4. Director Files, 1965-1973; 5. Graduates, 1968-1991; 6. Planning Reports, 1974-1991; 7. Publications, 1968-1991; 8. Slide-Tape Program, circa 1973; 9. Student Organization (Facets of Honor), 1988-1989; 10. Theses, 1969-1991; and 11. Photographs, 1962.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The Honors Program Records consist of the administrative and student related records of the Oregon State University Honors Program from initial efforts in the mid-1960s to its closure, due to budget cuts, in 1991.
Access to some materials in Series 1, all of Series 5, and all of Series 10 are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
The Honors Program Records document the administration and programs of the Honors Program. The records include committee records, lists of graduates, information about faculty participants, director's files, publications, and photographs. The bulk of the collection consists of honors theses completed by students from the 1960s through 1991. Of note are newsletters published by students in the late 1960s and early 1970s that include announcements of Honors Program activities but also include pieces addressing the Vietnam War and environmental topics.
Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.
In 1959 Honors work began in the School of Science which developed into a joint program between the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1964. The University Honors Program was established campus-wide in 1966 and offered enriched educational opportunities to students of superior scholastic ability or of particular academic focus. In addition to participation in extra-curricular honors colloquia and seminars, students were required to complete a Senior Honors Thesis. The Honors Program was terminated at the end of the 1990-1991 academic year due to budget constraints. A new University Honors College was established for fall 1995. Today, the Honors College operates as a small degree-granting college, within Oregon State University, which offers an Honors Baccalaureate Degree in any undergraduate major.
In September 1965 Leonard J. Weber, Professor of Engineering, was the chair of the newly established All University Honors Committee. This committee was initially assigned to study the feasibility of establishing a University-wide honors program at Oregon State University. Once the University Honors Program was established, the Honors Committee became responsible for the general oversight of the program. In the fall of 1970 Leonard J. Weber became the director of the Honors Program.
The Facets of Honor, also known as FACETS, was established for students in the University Honors Program. FACETS recognized and encouraged superior academic achievement, promoted fellowship and the exchange of ideas, faciliated communication between students and faculty associated with the Honors Program and offered advisement to faculty concerning the program.
More Extent Information: 253 photographs, 4 sound recordings, and 2 computer disks; 3 boxes; 6 microfilm reels
Statement on Access: Access to some materials in Series 1, all of Series 5, and all of Series 10 are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. All other materials in this collection are open for research. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
Acquisition Note: The materials were transferred to the Archives in 1991.
Related Materials: Additional materials pertaining to the Honors Program are part of the OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC) "MC-Honors Program" and the President's Office Records (RG 013). The Honors College Records (RG 238) document the degree-granting college established at Oregon State University in 1995.
Preferred Citation: Honors Program Records (RG 096), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Oregon State University. Honors Program
Weber, Leonard Joseph
College students--Research--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon State University--Faculty.
Oregon State University--Research.
Oregon State University--Students.
Oregon State University. Honors Program
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
Universities and colleges--Honors courses--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History
Audiocassettes.
Born digital.
Floppy disks.
Photographic prints.
Slides (photographs).
Series 1 consists of administrative paperwork such as generic student application forms and program information letters. This series also includes some general statistical information and support data about the Honors Program, including a revised copy of the Honors Student Association Constitution dated January 1969.
Access to the "List of Active Honors Program Students," "Senior Projects/Theses," and "Statistics and Summaries - UHP Students" files are restricted due to the presence of confidential information. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist.
Series 5 consists of annual listings of students in the OSU Honors Program. The names are organized alphabetically and often include the school and department where each student is enrolled.
Access to all materials in Series 5 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
Series 10 consists of theses completed by honors program students. The bulk of the materials are available on microfilm, which have been inventoried. Oversize materials, photographs, sound recordings, and computer disks are available in original format.
Access to all materials in Series 10 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.