Honors College Spring News 2020

Dear Honors Community,

This note was originally going to be a purely celebratory acknowledgment of the 50th anniversary of Honors at Boise State. There is still much to celebrate—more on that in a moment—but the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a new reality. We now live in a time when we will not gather face-to-face for the anniversary event, when our seniors will forego an in-person graduation, when all students must finish their semester in an online format. We live in a moment when hundreds of thousands have fallen ill, when thousands have died, when doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers risk themselves on our behalf. So many more face job loss, business loss, and uncertain horizons.

I am humbled by these changes across our nation and globe, and I am humbled by the perseverance of people near and far. We have ample evidence of the indomitable human spirit shown everyday by herculean generosity, kindness, sympathy, creativity, good humor, and sacrifice amid a perilous shared experience. And that human resilience seeds possibilities for a more humane future.

Much of that humane future rests on the talented students of the Honors College and their peers across America. Their youth has been disrupted on a scale not seen since those who came of age during World War II. That generation came to be known as the Greatest Generation, people who knew sacrifice, common cause, uncertainty, grief, and determination to forge ahead. Both then and now, we have learned how vulnerable populations—the poor and historically underrepresented minorities—bear the brunt of national and global calamity. Let us be vigilant in our recognition and response to that fact.

Though I would not wish this crisis on anyone, I am hopeful for how it will instill steadfastness, character, and leadership in our students and youth. My hope is not in vain, and my confidence comes from the graduating seniors I presently teach. They have exhibited all of these qualities and more. There are one thousand more like them in our college and still millions more throughout our universities and colleges nationwide. That is worth celebrating as are the articles included here.

We hope you enjoy reading how Honors has grown, how your legacy and those of others have profoundly changed our program, and how our students and staff continue to work toward a humane and brighter future.