Dean's Message

Welcome to the John H. Martinson Honors College home of the Bantivoglio Honors Concentration!  Though we span the university with majors from every college, Rowan Honors students, faculty, and staff find common ground in our shared interest in academic excellence, taking advantage of all university life has to offer, and being active members of our thriving community. Our tagline—“think, thrive, share”—encapsulates our commitment to cultivating citizen scholars.

Think: Our students have distinguished themselves with exciting undergraduate careers comprised of conducting cutting-edge research with Rowan faculty as well as others at a range of other institutions. Our students have won places in competitive NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) at institutions such as Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, UCLA, and U Penn, as well as Fulbright UK Summer Institutes, and a DAAD RISE Fellowship to Germany. Our graduates have embarked on fully funded PhD programs at Carnegie Melon, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Penn State (among many others) as well as on Fulbrights to South Korea and Finland. Other major awards our students have recently won include the Boren and Goldwater.

Thrive: Because of our active community and endowment, we are able to provide students with (free) experiences that enhance their undergraduate careers. We regularly travel to museums in Philadelphia and New York; attend theater, dance, and music performances on campus and in Philadelphia; support a number of Honors-only clubs that reflect the range of extracurricular interests our students share; and host special events such as our annual Murder Mystery Dinner, which is written, directed, acted, and organized by our students. Lastly, we support study abroad and have recently had students study in Australia, China, England, France, the Galapagos Islands, Germany, Scotland, Spain, and Sri Lanka to name a few.

Share: From planned or impromptu study sessions in the Honors wing to tutoring jobs on campus, our Honors students share their skills and knowledge. Indeed, their intellectual generosity is part of what distinguishes us from other honors communities. Our students also volunteer their time in a range of activities from fundraisers on campus and work in animal shelters, to on-going projects with local religious organizations, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. Giving back to one’s community is an integral part of the citizens we are and are continuing to become.

As you contemplate your college career, consider incorporating Honors. We’re confident you’ll find your people here and that you, too, will make our vibrant community home.

Dean Lee Talley, Ph.D.

Listen to the Rowan Rising podcast featuring Dean Talley.