Who We Are

Western's Honors College is a community of students and faculty who actively seek to challenge themselves and each other. Our Honors College has received recognition as one of the very best in the nation and, it’s part of Western Washington University, which earns national attention for the overall quality of undergraduate education. Western has been nationally recognized as a leading producer of Student Fulbright Scholars and Peace Corps volunteers, many of whom were Honors students.

Your Impact

With your generous donation, you help Honors students at Western through scholarship opportunities. This provides our students with financial freedom which in turn enables them to focus on their studies and explore different educational opportunities such as study abroad. Honors abroad trips are a way for students to earn credit while having a unique hands-on experience in a different culture and out of the classroom.

Why We Need Your Support

Honors students come from all over the United States and abroad. They bring a wide range of perspectives, interests, and talents with them, which enhance the quality of everyone’s education. With your donation, you help ensure students receive the best possible learning experience as well as support student research. The more support we receive from people like YOU, the more support we can give to our students. This year we seek to continue to support our student-led groups and scholarships.

Student-Led Groups

Our students are exceptional leaders and consistently wow us with their involvement in the Honors community. We strive to support them in all the ways we can - including monetarily. Each of these groups puts on events and serve their peers by creating new ways for others to get involved. The Honors Program has three main groups:

Student Honors Board

The Student Honors Board encourages community building by organizing events including Pizza and Profundity, Faculty Movie Nights and an Art Gala.

Honors Students of Color 

This group is a community that supports historically underrepresented minority students by providing a safe and inclusive social and academic environment throughout their journey in the Honors Program.

Book Club

Book Club is an outlet for students to come together and read one book a quarter in a non-academic setting. With your gift, you help us support these students get the most out of their college experience.

Study Abroad with Honors

From Ecuador to Greece and beyond, the Honors Program values the experiences that study abroad brings our students. Although our travel programs have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to learning abroad remains a program priority and something we look forward to continuing as soon as we can do so safely. Please consider sharing your support and assisting our students with new travel adventures.

We’re optimistic for future travel and look forward to sharing these learning experiences with Honors students, whose opportunities to study abroad your generosity make possible then go on to facilitate study abroad opportunities for all students at WWU. 

Greece

Led by our Assistant Director and history professor, Dr. Tristan Goldman, this is an opportunity for students to visit all the major sites located in Athens, Greece, and the surrounding region. In Greece, students will jump-start their progress in the Honors Program, build relationships with students and faculty at WWU, and start their undergraduate studies with the enhanced confidence that comes from a study abroad experience.

Ecuador

Led by our Honors Director and geologist, Dr. Scott Linneman, this trip is an exploration of the rich mosaic of the history, politics, literature, culture, and natural history of Ecuador. The itinerary includes many outstanding cultural and geological features of this remarkable country, including 5 days on the Galápagos Islands all while earning college credit.