Honors Advising

Honors Advisors

Honors advisors uphold the National Collegiate Honors Council's definition of honors education by providing distinctive academic experiences that offer broader, deeper, and more complex learning opportunities tailored to Kent State University’s culture and mission.  

Each honors student is assigned an Honors College advisor. Honors advisors collaborate with students to customize their educational experiences in alignment with their interests and goals. They offer tools for navigating honors requirements and connecting students with resources and experiential opportunities throughout a student’s entire academic career at Kent State. This relationship creates a distinctive and enriching academic experience.  

While honors advisors provide guidance regarding the appropriate honors course selection, they do not replace the primary major advisors responsible for tracking academic progress.  Honors advisors work in tandem with primary advisors when specific disciplinary curricular questions arise. 

• Customized Learning Experiences  

  • Honors advisors help tailor academic activities to provide broader, deeper, and more complex learning experiences suited to individual students' interests. Honors advisors work closely with their advisees to make sure that students take the appropriate honors course to fulfill their honors academic requirements.   

• Multidisciplinary Approach 

  • Honors advisors support students in engaging with cross-disciplinary cohorts, enhancing their exposure to various fields and promoting a well-rounded education.  

• Skill Development 

  • Through advising, students develop critical skills such as problem-solving and communication, which are crucial for academic and professional success.  

• Community Engagement 

  • Honors advisors facilitate service learning and leadership opportunities, helping students gain practical experience and skills that lead to engaged citizenship. 

• Experiential Learning 

  • The Honors College encourages hands-on, student-driven projects that foster exploration, discovery, and personal growth through reflective practices. The Honors College strongly urges students to avail themselves of various experiential learning while at Kent State, such as study abroad, study away, internships, individual honors work and research to name a few.   

• Support for Post-Graduation Goals 

  • Honors advisors assist students in formulating and critically evaluating detailed academic and career plans, ensuring they are well-prepared for their future pursuits.  Conversations regarding professional and or graduate school begin early in the student’s time at Kent State University.   

• Learning Communities

  • Honors advisors assist students in formulating and critically evaluating detailed academic and career plans, ensuring they are well-prepared for their future pursuits.  Conversations regarding professional and or graduate school begin early in the student’s time at Kent State University.      

The Honors College believes in the philosophy of cura personalis, care for the person. Advisors get to know their advisees well and develop a deeper and more profound relationship beyond the typical transactional advisor/advisee relationship, which allows them to meet the student where they are and forge a deeper relationship.  Because of this, students routinely turn to advisors for non-academic issues and advisors are always willing and happy to help facilitate help and assistance. 

Below are some student thoughts about honors advising and advisors:

My honors advisor Stacey is such a genuine person who focuses on the wellbeing of her students. She is not just there to make sure we get our honors credits completed, she is someone you can depend on and trust with whatever you are feeling and as an out-of-state student, I feel so grateful to have a safe space when I need it.

Theresa has been incredibly friendly and helpful in my time at Kent State. She helped me with deciding my major, discussions of graduate school, stress with classes and my personal life, and just generally being a friend to me.

To learn more about the Honors College advising staff and their additional Honors College programming responsibilities, visit the staff directory.