William Paterson University Honors College

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William Paterson University Honors College

Honors College offers academically gifted students the space to explore new and creative ideas and with experience and dedicated faculty.

05/27/2026

Hey Honors Alumns! Please save the date for Friday, September 18, 2026, and join us as we celebrate 50 years of Honors at William Paterson University!

As we plan this special milestone event, we want the celebration to reflect what matters most to our Honors alumni - whether that’s reconnecting with classmates, meeting current students, or engaging with former and current faculty members. We invite you to take a moment to complete a short survey to help us shape the event experience: https://wpunj.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3gGrupAvGQycMU6?Q_CHL=qr

The official registration link and more details will be emailed to you during the first week of July. We hope to hear from you through the survey and look forward to celebrating with you in person on September 18, 2026.

Please feel free to share this message with fellow Honors College alumni and contact [email protected] with any questions!
Barbara Andrew

05/07/2026

Our Honors spotlight for May goes to Samantha Koprowski, a WP Honors College alum, who graduated as a member of the Social Sciences Honors Track. Samantha, a PhD candidate in Political Science, was recently hired as a tenure-track professor in American Politics at Middle Tennessee State University.

During her time at William Paterson, she was a double major in political science and philosophy. She speaks very highly of her experience in the Honors College, and, as someone currently pursuing a postgraduate degree, she believes that completing her Honors thesis was the “single most important thing she did in undergrad.” Samantha also expressed gratitude to the many mentors she had during her time at WP, both within and outside of Honors. She stated that they taught her what she values in a mentor and how to be one, in addition to helping her build her self-confidence. She is looking forward to paying it forward and mentoring students when she becomes a professor herself.

Throughout her undergraduate career in college, Samantha continued to reevaluate her goals as she gained new experiences and completed various internships. She recognized that her favorite classes were related to research and her thesis, and after working on a paper with one of her professors, she decided to apply to PhD programs.

Samantha encourages current students to keep an open mind because you never know how your interests can change. To do this, she suggests “seeking opportunities outside of the classroom and participating in experiential learning,” which are often offered by the Honors College. Congratulations, Samantha, on your new job, and good luck defending your dissertation! We are so proud of you!

05/05/2026

On Monday, April 27th we hosted the 2026 Honors Reception to celebrate graduating Honors students who have completed a track. Students were joined by their friends and family, and WP administration and faculty were also in attendance. It was a wonderful night of recognizing the hard work of all our graduating Honors students.

04/30/2026

Last week, April 20-24th, was Honors Research Week 2026! It was truly such a wonderful week filled with so many incredible presentations by our impressive Honors seniors. Enjoy this video where individuals involved in Honors share about their experience at Honors Research Week!

04/28/2026

Our Honors spotlight for April goes to Owen Walter, a senior Jazz Studies major here in the Honors College at William Paterson University.

Owen is a member of the Music Honors Track, and he presented his thesis, Documenting a Regional Legacy: Tracing the Collaboration of Hank Marr and Dusty Bryant, 1954-1968, at Honors Research Day this past fall. He chose his thesis topic by selecting his two favorite underrepresented musicians and focusing on their professional relationship. To do this he went through newspaper clippings from the time to uncover “the untold story” of this niche topic regarding a jazz scene that no longer exists.

Since then, Owen has presented his thesis at two conferences, the Northeast Regional Honors Council Conference (NRHC) in New Haven, Connecticut, and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, Virginia. He spoke highly of these experiences, saying they gave him the opportunity to “have long-form conversations about research with people who are interested in similar topics” while also having fun.

After graduation, he hopes to publish his thesis and present his research to jazz students at Ohio State University, where his research is based. Owen plans to pursue a Master's in Music (Jazz Studies), with the goal of teaching jazz or saxophone at a university. He also plans to continue touring with his band.

Owen encourages students in the Honors College to take advantage of every opportunity Honors offers because these experiences serve as a great resume builder, allow you to get involved, meet like-minded individuals, and can also be a lot of fun. He actually met his bandmates in Honors. Congratulations, Owen, on graduating and on a great thesis! We wish you all the best!

04/21/2026

Join Honors on Monday, April 27th, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in UC Ballroom A for the Honors Young Alumni Panel. This will be a great opportunity to hear from alumni who are successful in their fields about how they got there and how their experience in the Honors College at WPU helped them achieve their goals. Students who attend the entire panel will receive Honors All-College Meeting credit. We hope to see you there for this enlightening conversation.

04/17/2026

REMINDER! Honors Research Week 2026 is next week! From Monday, April 20th through Thursday, April 23rd, Honors students will be presenting their research and creative thesis projects in the Library Auditorium. All Honors students are required to attend a minimum of 3 presentations. Other members of the WPU campus community, family members, and friends are encouraged to attend and celebrate the presenters for all of their hard work!

Here are some pictures from last week's workshop "Telling a Good Story and Asking Good Questions: Presentation Tips and Being a Good Participant." Hosted by Dr. Amy Learmonth, the Director of the Cognitive Science Honors Track, this meeting helped to prepare Honors students for Honors Week, whether they are presenting or attending.

We can't wait to see all of the incredible presentations next week and are excited to see you there!

04/16/2026

This past weekend, the Honors College funded a trip for students to go to New York City and see "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway. Not only did students have the opportunity to see a Broadway show, but they were also able to explore the city on their own or with faculty. Thank you to the Dean of the Honors College, Dr. Andrew; the Director of the Cognitive Science Honors Track, Dr. Learmonth; and the Director of the Performing & Literary Arts Honors Track, Dr. Witt for accompanying the students on the trip. We are so grateful to provide students with experiences like these that enhance their education.

04/14/2026

Join Honors Leaders in Action for “Bridging the Gap” on Friday, May 1st from 12:00–4:00 PM in the UC Multipurpose Room. This interactive event invites participants to engage in hands-on activities focused on building mutual respect amongst differences. Join the conversation on pluralism—where different identities and viewpoints come together to strengthen community. Enjoy free food and earn HIGH-level Honors civic engagement credit. RSVP using the QR code below. Students must arrive by 12:00 p.m. and stay for the entire event. We can't wait to see you there!

04/10/2026

In honor of D3 Week, we would love to highlight Honors student-athlete, Renee Wells! Renee is a senior in the Honors College and a member of the WPU Women’s Basketball team who made it all the way to the DIII NCAA Tournament this year. She says that the secret to balancing the demands of basketball and honors-level academics is time management and prioritizing her responsibilities. Renee also emphasizes the importance of team culture, “Being surrounded by teammates who value academics creates accountability and support, which motivates me to stay focused. Our coach, Coach Monahan, also puts a big emphasis on team GPA and holding ourselves to a high academic standard, which really pushes us to succeed in the classroom.” Renee is a great example of what it means to be a student-athlete at William Paterson University, “I take pride in representing my team and the Honors College, and I want to make the most of every opportunity I’ve been given.” She will be presenting her thesis project at Honors Research Week 2026, and we can’t wait to celebrate all of her hard work!

Address

300 Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ
07470

Telephone

(973) 720-3657

Website

http://www.wpunj.edu/honors-program/

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