Our Senior Honors program is expanding its presence on the Southern Miss Gulf Coast campus. From now on, the Honors College will have an honors coordinator for the Coast to help students through the Senior Honors process. He is Dr. David Holt of the Geography Department, and I can't tell you how pleased I am about this. Already Dr. Holt has hit the ground running and is helping Coast students through the logistics of working on their senior theses.Today Paula Mathis, Senior Honors Coordinator, and I went to the Gulf Coast for a luncheon with Coast administrators to talk about Dr. Holt's appointment. We received an absolutely terrific reception, and I predict a great upsurge in the number of Coast students who pursue Senior Honors.
Here's the press release from the university explaining Dr. Holt's appointment:
The University of Southern Mississippi Honors College has appointed Dr. David Holt, assistant professor of geography, as the first faculty representative for the Senior Honors program at Southern Miss Gulf Coast.
The Senior Honors program had previously been available to students attending the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach and on the five teaching and research sites along the coast, but now students will have easier access to the program.As the faculty representative for the program, Holt serves as the coordinator for students and their faculty advisers as well as admission for new students into the Senior Honors program.
"I am simply delighted that Dr. David Holt has joined the Honors College team," said Dr. David R. Davies, dean of the Honors College. "He is a go-getter whose enthusiasm for research and for honors students will quickly bring results. I predict a drastic rise in Senior Honors participation as a result of his many good efforts."
The Senior Honors program is the only Honors College program offered at Southern Miss Gulf Coast. Students eligible for Senior Honors must have completed 40 hours of undergraduate courses with a grade point average of 3.25.
In the program, students are enrolled in an honors class where they must complete a senior thesis. Students who complete the Senior Honors program graduate with Latin letter designation and can register for graduate school upon completing their degree.
The Southern Miss Honors College is among the oldest in the United States and boasts an enrollment of approximately 500 students.