Chippewa Valley Times

The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is celebrating its largest graduating class to date, with 133 students completing the program. This surpasses the previous record set in 2019 when 100 students graduated from the honors program.

Dr. Heather Fielding, director of the Cosby Honors College, highlighted the diverse academic interests among this year's graduates. "We have students studying everything it’s possible to study at this university," she said. "This graduating class is impressive in part because of the diversity of paths they are choosing."

Graduates are set to pursue further education or careers across various states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Arkansas, Vermont, and New York.

Chancellor James Schmidt emphasized the significance of the Honors College within UW-Eau Claire's 2030 Vision Plan. “The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College is a critical building block in UW-Eau Claire’s 2030 Vision Plan as we focus on academic excellence across a variety of disciplines,” he stated. “This spring’s record-setting graduating class in honors speaks volumes about the great support and the great work being done by Dr. Fielding.”

Fielding attributed the increase in graduates to recent program changes that offer flexibility for students from different majors and those entering with college credits from high school. The curriculum requires completion of a 26-credit hour program with a minimum GPA of 3.5.

Ray Nelson, an accounting and business finance double major from Owen, shared his positive experience within the honors community. “There are tons of opportunities to connect with new people and find our own communities,” he noted.

Students are drawn to honors courses for their engaging format that encourages discussion and diverse perspectives. Nelson found these courses beneficial beyond his major studies: “These courses served to give me a break from crunching numbers over in Schneider Hall and allowed me to express more of my creative side.”

The upcoming fall semester will feature courses such as “AI in Health Care,” “Game Analysis and Design,” and “Animation: Drawn to Life.” Fielding remarked on the unique breadth of their curriculum compared to other honors colleges nationwide.

Olivia Philippon, a sociology major from New London, expressed appreciation for her favorite course titled “Debating the Perfect University.” She valued both its content and design: “Not only was the subject matter useful for me...the course design was uniquely ‘honors.’”

Philippon also appreciated discussions with fellow honors students who demonstrated deep engagement with their academics and interest in university life.