Lester Lefton Lester Lefton - Kent State University

Chic
‘Geek’ is
Honors students find a home in the heart of campus
By Megan Harding, ’83
Honors College Dean Larry Andrews speaks to a group of freshmen during an orientation session in the new Honors College building.
Photo by Bob Christy, ’95
On any college campus in America,
students who qualify for and enroll
in an honors program run the risk
of being considered geeks and nerds by their
nonhonors classmates. In reality, however,
honors students more often pursue a wide
range of interests, participate in international
travel and form close social ties with peers.
Plus, in this era of Web surfing and instant
messaging, geek has become chic.
The Honors College at Kent State University
recently boosted its already prestigious
image with a move from the outskirts
of campus to a new residence hall complex in
the heart of campus. The new Honors Center
is located at the juncture of Stopher and
Johnson Halls, which have been rebuilt from
the ground up, following the footprint of the
original buildings in order to preserve the
historic May 4 site. The Honors Center was
dedicated on Oct. 14 in conjunction with the
Homecoming Extravaganza.
A major advantage of the new, central
location is the revitalization of the Honors
Living Learning Community. Kent State
now has 13 learning communities devoted
to student interests ranging from science to
entrepreneurship, but the honors community
is the first and oldest, dating back to
the late 1960s. Honors began as a program
in 1933 and became a full-fledged college in
1965.
“People have put up with the distance
for three decades,” says Honors College
Dean Larry Andrews, of the now infamous
treks back and forth from the former honors
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