A Message from the Dean
A Message from Dean Shawn Bingham
College is one of the few seasons of life when you have permission to become someone new.
Most people arrive at UTC asking practical questions. What should I major in? Which career should I pursue? How do I prepare for what comes next?
Those are important questions.
The Honors College invites you to ask a different set as well.
Who do I want to become?
What kind of life is worth building?
What problems are worth dedicating myself to solving?
Honors isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking questions that change you.
An Honors education is not simply about earning higher grades or collecting accomplishments. It is about cultivating curiosity, judgment, courage, and compassion. It is about learning to think deeply, to listen well, to work across differences, and to discover possibilities you could not have imagined when you first arrived.
The best education changes you. Here you will find small seminars, faculty mentors, undergraduate research, creative work, study abroad, community partnerships, and conversations that continue long after class ends. These experiences are not ends in themselves. They are invitations—to explore widely, to take thoughtful risks, to learn from failure, and to develop a life marked by purpose.
Think of the Honors College as a workshop.
Questions become conversations. Conversations become ideas. Ideas become projects. Projects sometimes fail, and often become the beginning of something even better. Students learn that meaningful work is rarely accomplished alone.
Every semester brings new people, new questions, and new possibilities. This community will shape you, but you'll shape it too. Some of the best ideas in Honors started with a student asking, "What if?" I hope you'll ask that question often and then help us build what comes next.
A transcript records what you studied. Your story reveals who you became.
Whether you hope to become a physician, artist, entrepreneur, engineer, teacher, researcher, public servant, or something you have not yet imagined, our goal is the same—to help you build a life of purpose.
The workshop is waiting. We hope you'll help us build what comes next.
Warm regards,
Dr. Shawn Bingham
Dean, Honors College
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga