Honors College History

The Eastern Michigan University Honors Program was founded in 1982 by the Board of Regents to recruit, retain, and support academically talented students, The program was launched in 1984 with the appointment of Dr. Robert Holkeboer as founding director. Under Dr. Holkeboer's leadership, the program grew into a valued opportunity for EMU students. In 2005, shortly after Dr. James Knapp became the second director, the Honors Program was renamed the University Honors College. It was then renamed The Honors College in 2010 with the appointment of Dr. Rebecca Sipe as Assistant Vice President.

The Honors College serves over 1,000 members from across all of the university's colleges and academic departments. We take pride in our diverse and academically outstanding student body!

The staff and faculty strive to provide the highest quality education within a large comprehensive university. We invite new and transfer students to come join us as we soar higher!

Honors College Leadership

Dr. Robert Holkeboer, Director, 1984-1992
Dr. William Miller, Director, 1992-2002
Dr. James Knapp, Director, 2004-2010
Dr. Rebecca Sipe, Assistant Vice President, 2010-2017
Dr. Mary Ramsey, Interim Assistant Vice President, 2017-2019
Dr. Ann Eisenberg, Dean, 2019-present

The Honors College Building

In January of 2016, The Honors College relocated to its current home at 511 W. Forest Ave.

The Board of Regents approved the purchase of Holy Trinity Chapel for the use of The Honors College. The purchase, which cost $940,000, speaks to EMU’s commitment to investing in student success.

“This is an outstanding property and is in excellent condition for transformation to The Honors College,” Kim Schatzel, interim president, provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs said in a statement. “Closing on this property reflects the University’s overall strategy to raise our academic profile, along with our continued efforts to enhance academic facilities across campus.”

The new facility matched the growing number of students enrolled in the program. Dr. Rebecca Sipe, then director of the Honors Program, said the space, which expanded from 8,000 to 21,000 square feet, was the biggest benefit of the purchase.

“We will have places for multiple things to happen at one time, independently,” Sipe said at the time.

The facility had the ability to accommodate classes, workshops, meetings, recitals, and luncheons simultaneously. The new building also continues to serve many other departments, including The School of Music and Dance.

The new building also gave students living on and off campus a quiet place to study and relax and enabled the program to become an even more integral part of the university.

“We will be able to honor the needs of the students who come to us,” Sipe said. “The Honors College is here to serve the university. It’s a source of innovation and a center for diversity. Those are things we’re going to carry with us. Now we’ll just have more space and the ability to bring it all to fruition.”

Homes of The Honors College

1984-2002: Jones and Goddard Hall
2002-2007: Wise Hall
2007-2016: Starkweather Hall
2016-present: The Honors College at 511 W. Forest