Welcome!
The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College attracts a diverse body of high-performing students to the University of Mississippi and provides them a vibrant center of academic excellence to help them become outstanding in their fields and engaged citizens of their communities and the world. Established in 1997 through a gift from alumni Jim and Sally Barksdale, the Honors College merges intellectual rigor with public service. It offers an education similar to that at prestigious private liberal-arts schools and universities, but at a far lower cost. Small, discussion-based classes, dedicated faculty, and a nurturing staff enable honors students to experience intellectual as well as personal growth.
News & Events
Congratulations SMBHC Class of 2012!
The Honors College held its 2012 Commissioning Ceremony Friday, May 11 at 4:00 pm in the Ford Center. Mariel Parman provided the Welcome Speech, Taylor McGraw delivered the Keynote Address, and Kely Markley concluded the ceremony with a Charge to fellow students. During the ceremony, Chancellor Jones presented medallions and Thesis Advisors presented stoles to each graduate. We are proud of your accomplishments, SMBHC Class of 2012! Congratulations!
Welcome SMBHC Class of 2016!
A record class of 356 outstanding students have accepted our offer to join the Honors College this Fall! Congratulations to a wonderful group of high school seniors who have chosen to come our way! 65% are in state, 35% out of state (representing 27 states and 1 foreign country), 67% are women, and the class averages a 30.1 on the ACT. We are excited and look forward to orientation this summer!
Honors Orientation
The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College is excited to offer a special Orientation session on May 24-25 for incoming freshmen officially accepted to the Honors College. We realize that not all of our incoming students will be able to attend this session. We recommend registering for one of the first 4 general sessions if you are unable to attend the Honors session. Please visit www.olemiss.edu/orientation for session dates and to register. If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Upshaw at 662-915-1303 or honors@olemiss.edu.
New Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Research
SMBHC welcomes our new Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Research Studies, Dr. Jason Ritchie! As research is such a vital part of the Honors College, we are excited to have Dr. Ritchie join our team in this way. To read more about Dr. Ritchie and this story, please visit http://news.olemiss.edu/students-get-a-mentor-for-engaging-in-intellectual-curiosity-2/.
SMBHC Student Named 2012 Fulbright Scholar
Martin Ducote, senior mechanical engineering and German Language Initiative student, was recently selected for a Fulbright U.S. Student Award. Martin is using the grant to travel to Germany for the 2012-2013 academic year and further his passion for the development of automobiles. He will study automotive engineering at the Institut für Fahrzeusystemtechnik (FAST) at the Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT) where he will focus on composite materials and manufacturing – a topic, which piqued his interest last year during his internship with GE Aviation. Congratulations, Martin!
SMBHC Student Named 2012 Udall Scholar
Taylor Cook, Public Policy Leadership and Spanish, is a 2012 Udall Scholar. The Udall Foundation awards 80 undergraduate scholarships to students committed to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care. Taylor has championed the implementation of Green Fund on campus and helped to empower other sustainability leaders in our state, region and nation. Her most significant contributions have been to the Mississippi Alumni & Students for Sustainability (MASS), the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) and our very own Office of Campus Sustainability. Click here for a video and more information. Congratulations, Taylor!
SMBHC Student Named 2012 Goldwater Scholar
Nikki Reinemann, chemical engineering and chemistry, was recently named as a Goldwater Scholar. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is an award given to the most outstanding young research scientists, engineers and mathematicians in the country. Nikki has been performing original research in Dr. Nathan Hammer's spectroscopy lab. She has published a paper, as first author, in the Journal for Physical Chemistry A, which was featured on the cover of the June 23, 2011 issue, and she is currently drafting her second research manuscript. To learn more about Nikki and her award, you may watch this video and read the press release. Congratulations, Nikki!
The SMBHC is Getting Ready for the World Cup in 2014
Will you be joining us? Check out the SMBHC Campus to stay up-to-date with the latest in World Cup goings-on. There you will find information on related events, books, and films. We will even have World Cup-related coursework over the next two years, starting with Elementary Portuguese and Soccer Cultures this fall. Most importantly, we are inviting all of you students to get involved in the conversation. Make sure that you check out the Locker Room to see how you can contribute. The SMBHC will be sending some students to Brazil; those who have been the most engaged with the opportunities will have the best shot at being selected.
Fall 2012 Honors Course Updates
We want to highlight some special courses we are offering in the fall, and also give some updates on a couple of courses. Click here to learn more about these update. Also, you can see a list of all the courses (and more course descriptions) at the Fall 2012 Schedule link to the left or pick up a hard copy in the lounge.
Clinical Shadowing Program Participants Announced
We congratulate the inaugural group of honors students selected to participate in the Clinical Shadowing Program this summer at UMMC: James Howard Evans, Mary Ball Markow, Ann Marie Mercier, Natalie René Phongam, Kathryn Janeanna Shell, and Candice Ashton Walters. The students will participate with rising M2s in one or two 2-week shadowing rotations in Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, Radiation Oncology, or Surgery. They will also have the opportunity of helping at the Jackson Free Clinic.
Investigating Shakespeare's Signature
SMB Honors students work as “detectives” over Spring break at the Folger library in Washington, DC! Check out this fascinating story about the Lazarus Project and Shakespeare's alleged signature! See http://zing.olemiss.edu/shakespeares-signature-analyzed/.