Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at UT Dallas

Hobson Wildenthal Honors College

The Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at The University of Texas at Dallas, established in 2014, houses 12 programs dedicated to promoting excellence in undergraduate education.

Four programs offer a four-year cohort experience to participating students, with admission generally restricted to incoming college freshmen. The Collegium V Honors Program provides seminar instruction, personal mentoring and an enhanced academic environment. The National Merit Scholars Program provides personal mentoring and an intellectual framework in addition to a generous financial scholarship for National Merit Scholars attending UT Dallas. National Merit Scholars at UT Dallas are eligible for membership in the Collegium V Honors Program. Terry Foundation Scholarships at UT Dallas are awarded to top seniors from Texas high schools. Scholarship recipients take part in the Terry Scholars Program which provides a diverse array of extracurricular experiences with a focus on service and leadership. Liberal Arts Honors is a cohort experience for students interested in reading, writing, and the discussion of ideas. Students connect to faculty from a range of disciplines and engage with their peers in courses expecting a large amount of student participation and discussion.

The other eight programs in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College enrich the academic experience of matriculated UT Dallas students. The Office of Distinguished Scholarships provides information, guidance, and mentoring to students applying for nationally competitive scholarship and fellowship programs. The Archer Program combines Washington D.C. internship experience with classroom instruction for an intensive semester of political and policy education. The Texas Legislative Internship Program provides opportunities for individuals to intern with State Legislators during the spring semester while the legislature is in session on odd-numbered years. The UT Dallas Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi is the local chapter of the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Undergraduate and graduate students are inducted to Phi Kappa Phi each year.

The Hobson Wildenthal Honors College is located in the Cecil and Ida Green Center at the heart of the UT Dallas campus. We invite visitors to stop by our lobby and review the senior research posters from last year.

Spring 2023 Honors Capstone Projects


Hobson Wildenthal Honors College in the News

Parsa and Pouya Modareszadeh: Double Impact

Parsa and Pouya Modareszadeh, twin brothers with twin interests in biology, always planned to go to medical school.

But those plans will have to wait. The duo at The University of Texas at Dallas are entrepreneurs in a new biotech company started with their mentor, Dr. Li Zhang.

As first-year students in 2019, they were flattered when Zhang, professor of biological sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and holder of a Cecil H. and Ida Green Distinguished Chair in Systems Biology Science, approached them about starting a biotech company.

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Scholar Aims To Take Pursuits Higher with Brooke Owens Fellowship

International political economy senior Cari Reinert, a Eugene McDermott Scholar, has become the first University of Texas at Dallas student to be selected as a Brooke Owens Fellow.

The fellowship awards exceptional undergraduate women and gender-minorities with space and aviation internships, senior mentorships and a lifelong professional network. This year, 47 fellows were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants based on their “incredible talent, desire to pursue a career in aerospace, standout creative abilities, record of leadership and … commitment to their communities.”

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Hobson Wildenthal Honors College Welcomes New Dean

Dr. Donal Skinner, who led the honors programs at Ohio University and the University of Wyoming, has joined The University of Texas at Dallas as dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College, effective Jan. 17

Skinner, an accomplished educator, researcher and academic administrator with more than 25 years of experience, had been the dean of the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University since 2019 and served as the inaugural dean of the Honors College at the University of Wyoming from 2017 to 2019.

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National Merit Comet Keeps Reaching for the Stars as Phi Kappa Phi Award Recipient

A University of Texas at Dallas alumna has been awarded a fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.

Anja Sheppard BS’22, a Eugene McDermott Scholar, Goldwater Scholar and recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, was one of only 54 students nationwide to receive an $8,500 Phi Kappa Phi fellowship this year.

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Record 4 UTD Undergrads Earn Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

Each year, colleges and universities across the U.S. nominate up to four of their most talented undergraduates majoring in science, engineering or math for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awards. The Goldwater scholarships support sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise to become the next generation of research leaders.

For the first time, all four nominees from The University of Texas at Dallas were named winners of the prestigious award, a significant accomplishment that outpaced the performance of other top-tier research institutions, said Dr. Douglas Dow, coordinator of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships and interim dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College.

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UTD Professor, Mediation Team Earn International Recognition

Veda Tsai, an interdisciplinary studies senior at The University of Texas at Dallas, served as team captain for the mediation team who won the advocate-client division of the International Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament held virtually in the fall.
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From the Field: Lending a Hand After Hurricane Laura

Elizabeth “Tess” Helfrich, a biology and history senior at The University of Texas at Dallas, is no stranger to lending a hand during natural disasters and medical emergencies.

A certified emergency medical technician who serves with the University Emergency Medical Response team, Helfrich also is a rescue diver and volunteers with Texas Search and Rescue, a first responder organization that helps with ground search, floodwater rescue and dive-team operations.
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Political Science, Economics Graduate Earns Prestigious Urann Fellowship

Areeb Siddiqui, a May graduate in political science and economics at The University of Texas at Dallas, has received a prestigious fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi that will further his goal of becoming an attorney specializing in civil rights.
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