Congratulations to the following institutions and their innovative projects:

Loyola University Chicago
Discernment in the Age of AI: A Loyola Honors Program AI Literacy Symposium
Artificial intelligence is now deeply integrated into students’ academic and personal lives. A recent survey by Loyola Honors Student Government revealed widespread AI use among students, alongside a significant gap in understanding its ethical and technical implications. To address this, Loyola will host an AI Literacy Symposium, bringing together students, faculty, and experts to explore responsible AI engagement and preserve creativity and ethical reasoning in education.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
“Honors Without Borders” – Global Virtual Honors Collaboratives
This project will create an interdisciplinary, high-impact virtual study abroad program for Honors College students, enabling global engagement without financial barriers. Through virtual exchanges with peers across all seven continents, students will broaden their cultural perspectives and collaborate internationally, laying the foundation for a Global Virtual Learning Institute.

University of North Carolina Wilmington
Collaborative Research for Community Connections: The Williston Navy Day Program
Building on a successful pilot program, UNC Wilmington will expand its partnership with Williston Middle School and the Wilmington African American Community Remembrance Project. Honors students will mentor middle schoolers in genealogical and historical research, culminating in a public presentation honoring local World War II veterans and strengthening community ties.

Interested in applying for a Portz Grant?
The NCHC Awards & Grants Committee invites honors programs and colleges to submit proposals for innovative projects. Grants range from $500 to $1,500. Applications for Spring Portz Grants open January 25 and close March 15.

/>NCHC Fellows are honored for their significant contributions of time, leadership, and expertise in shaping and strengthening honors education. These individuals are recognized not only for their dedication to the national honors community, but also for their outstanding teaching and leadership on their home campuses.

The 2025 Fellows will be formally recognized at the NCHC Awards Ceremony during the NCHC Annual Conference in San Diego on Saturday, November 8, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. (Pacific Time).

The 2025 Class of NCHC Fellows includes:

• Susan Dinan, Adelphi University
• Kathryn (Kat) MacDonald, Monroe University
• Andrea Radasanu, Northern Illinois University
• Aron Reppmann, Trinity Christian College
• Irena van Nynatten-Janikowska, Hogeschool van Amsterdam | Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
• Eddie Weller, San Jacinto College

NCHC President, Darryl Peterkin shares, “The Fellows represent the very best of our honors community. Their generosity of time, talent, and leadership has strengthened honors education in countless ways—on their home campuses, through regional councils, and within NCHC itself. We are grateful for their unwavering commitment, and we celebrate the inspiration they provide to colleagues and students alike.”

Additional details and biographies of the 2025 Fellows can be found on the NCHC Fellows Award webpage

Lincoln, NE — The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship, an annual award supporting undergraduate honors students in pursuing original research and creative projects that cross disciplinary boundaries.

The Fellowship committee reviewed a highly competitive pool of diverse applications from across the country, ultimately selecting six awardees: three recipients of the top-tier $5,000 fellowships and three recipients of $1,500 secondary awards. These projects represent a wide range of disciplines, from biomedical science to cultural geography, and demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary thinking to address complex societal questions.

Established in 2010 through a generous gift from honors education advocates John and Edythe Portz, the Fellowship program encourages both individual and collaborative research that transcends traditional academic silos.

2025 Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship Award Recipients

$5,000 Award Winners:

• Mary Helene Marmande, University of South Alabama
  Project: Assembling norcantharidin bioconjugates to explore the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David C. Forbes
  
  Read about the project

• Hailey Patchett, Washington State University
  Project: A new human-dog co-evolutionary paradigm via social media positive feedback loops
  Faculty Sponsor: Joanna Schultz
  
  Read about the project
  

• Grace Tavi, Central Michigan University
  Project: Assessment of the efficacy of liraglutide on ameliorating the cognitive, biological, and biochemical deficits in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
  Faculty Sponsor: Gary Dunbar
  
  Read about the project

$1,500 Award Winners:

• Treasure Affia, Eastern Michigan University
  Project: Investigating Attachment Styles, Social Anxiety, and Emotion Regulation through The Sims 4
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ryan Wessell
  
  Read about the project
  

• Terri Hamilton, Lincoln Memorial University
  Project: Folklore as Geography: How Do Cultural Narratives Shape Place?
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Abigail Heiniger
  
  Read about the project

• Dev Mehta, University of South Alabama
  Project: Comparative Study of Microbial Populations and Biofilm Formation on Inpatient & Outpatient Orthoses: Implications for Infection Prevention
  Faculty Sponsor: Terrence Ravine
  
  Read about the project

These student-led projects reflect the innovative and interdisciplinary spirit of honors education. The NCHC congratulates this year’s recipients and looks forward to following the impact of their research.

This spring’s awardees are pioneering initiatives that exemplify the power of honors education to drive civic-minded, student-centered learning. From pro bono grant writing to culturally immersive study abroad, these programs are designed to deepen student learning while fostering social and ecological impact.

Spring 2025 Portz Grant Recipients:

California State University, San Bernardino

Project: Funding Local Change: Startup Funds for a Pro Bono Honors Grant Writing Service
Now in its second year, CSUSB’s Honors Grant Writing Program equips students with professional training in grant writing and pairs them with nonprofit partners across the Inland Empire. The initiative offers pro bono services to organizations while allowing students to gain real-world experience in skills-based volunteering that benefits their communities.

Read more »

University of Maryland, College Park

Project: Expanding Global Perspectives through Experiential Learning in Puerto Rico
This new study abroad experience for students in the Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) Honors Program integrates scientific inquiry with cultural immersion. The program encourages students to examine environmental and health challenges through historical and social lenses, cultivating a more holistic and ethical approach to global scientific engagement.

Read more »

University of New Mexico

Project: Healing Human and Ecological Communities through Reciprocal Restoration
This advanced seminar, offered through UNM’s Honors College, emphasizes the interconnected healing of people and landscapes through service-learning. Portz Grant funding will enable students to design and implement ecological restoration projects at sites such as Valle del Oro National Wildlife Refuge, deepening their understanding of climate adaptation and community resilience.

Read more »

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Project: Creating Transformative Experiences through Cultural Immersion for Underrepresented University Students
This interdisciplinary initiative begins with faculty training in honors pedagogy and culminates in experiential learning for first-year students. Through site visits to culturally rich urban areas such as Paterson and Newark, the program highlights immigrant contributions while fostering ethical inquiry and cross-disciplinary learning among students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Read more »

These awarded projects embody the spirit of honors education: combining academic rigor with community relevance, personal growth, and collaborative learning. NCHC looks forward to sharing the outcomes and insights from these innovative programs as they develop over the coming year.

A former honors student herself, Dr. Allen has been teaching interdisciplinary honors courses for over twenty-five years. She directed Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts Honors Program from 2008-2012 and led the university-wide team that designed the curriculum for the university’s new honors college, for which she served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2012-2021. In 2021, Dr. Allen launched the Blue Sky Lab, which focuses on developing, scaling, and translating innovative honors pedagogy. Professor Allen regularly mentors undergraduate researchers and in 2024 published an institutional history with a team of honors students, Forging the Future: A History of the John Martinson Honors College, 2013-2023 (Purdue University Press).

Prior to joining the editorial board at NCHC, Dr. Mecklenburg-Faenger served as Editor of InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching from 2018-2023. Her research focuses on writing across the curriculum and 19-20th century women’s rhetoric, and she has published on topics including accessible WAC practices, writing in STEM disciplines, and historical cookbooks and scrapbooks as rhetorical artifacts. Committed to fostering equity and innovation in education, Dr. Mecklenburg-Faenger looks forward to supporting the NCHC’s mission to advance honors education through her role as editor of the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (JNCHC).

Dr. Richard Badenhausen, Dean of the Honors College at Westminster University and chair of the journal editor search committee for NCHC’s Publications Board, shares “We are thrilled to welcome Emily and Amy to their roles as new editors for Honors in Practice and the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council and look forward to the expertise, experience, and new ideas they will bring to our organization’s publications.”

For more information about the National Collegiate Honors Council and its publications, visit the National Collegiate Honors Council’s website or contact the National Office at 402-472-9150 or hello@nchchonors.org.

Lincoln, Neb. – In partnership with the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) proudly announces the formal launch of their collaborative initiative, Partners in Peace (PiP). The Partners in Peace initiative recognizes NCHC member institutions for the achievements of their honors students and faculty in creating, implementing, and assessing curricular and co-curricular offerings that illuminate the work of Alfred Nobel and recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals and organizations making significant contributions to peace, as outlined in Alfred Nobel’s will. These efforts include fostering fraternity between nations, reducing standing armies, and advancing peace congresses. The Partners in Peace initiative encourages college students to explore the lives and actions of past and present peace laureates to better understand the leadership strategies required to build peaceful communities. Beyond studying these figures, the initiative challenges students to think globally and act locally. Through hands-on, co-curricular activities, students apply insights gained from laureates to make a positive impact on their campuses and surrounding communities.

Kjersti Fløgstad, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Center, shares, “We are very excited and thankful to partner with NCHC who allows us to connect with a wide range of students and educators who are passionate about making a difference. Together, we can inspire meaningful conversations about peace and foster a spirit of dialogue, collaboration, and learning.”

The International Education Committee of NCHC, originator of the initiative, proudly recognizes the following institutions as the inaugural cohort of 2024-2025 Partners in Peace institutions:

• Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
• Ball State University
• California State University - LA
• Columbia College
• Elmhurst University
• Georgia State University - Perimeter College
• Hutchinson Community College
• Oregon Institute of Technology
• San Jacinto College
• Shippensburg University
• Stockton University
• The Citadel
• Thomas Jefferson University
• University of Central Arkansas
• Western Carolina University
• Wichita State University

Honors-affiliated representatives from each institution will receive symbolic recognition of their commitment to establish and complete a curricular or co-curricular project at the Awards Ceremony of the 59th Annual NCHC Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, November 1. Jørgen Frydnes, current chair and youngest member ever of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, will participate in the awards ceremony. Institutions that complete their proposed project and submit a final report will be fully recognized at the 2025 NCHC Conference in San Diego.

Dr. Eddie Weller, President of the NCHC, remarks:

“NCHC is so honored to be able to work with the Nobel Peace Center and these institutions. This is a monumental program that allows these colleges and universities to offer transformative courses and activities, which should not only change student lives, but also improve the surrounding community. Using the Nobel Peace Prize winners as a catalyst, these courses and activities will appeal to our better natures as our students put on the mantel of peace for their generation.

Can there be a higher calling than peace? I think not.”

For more information about Partners in Peace and this unique collaborative effort, visit the National Collegiate Honors Council’s website or contact Dr. Kevin W. Dean, Coordinator – Partners in Peace, at kdean@nchchonors.org.