ACU Honors College

03/20/2026

Last week, Dr. Trey Shirley, Associate Dean of the Honors College, and five outstanding students represented Abilene Christian University at the Alpha Chi National Convention in Orlando, Florida, and brought home the highest honor in the nation.

✨ ACU’s Texas Psi Chapter has been awarded the President’s Cup, recognizing the top Alpha Chi chapter in the country for excellence in research, leadership, service, and campus impact. This award is only given once every two years, and ACU is now one of the few universities to earn it twice (previously in 2017).

Even more to celebrate 👇
👏 Honors student Dylan Skelton earned a top presentation award for his presentation "On the Use of Sparse Voxel Octrees for 3D Pathfinding".
👏 Dr. Jennifer Huddleston received a distinguished service award for her leadership and dedication.
👏 Our chapter continues a legacy of excellence spanning more than 100 years.

We are incredibly proud of our students, faculty, and chapter leaders who made this achievement possible.

📍 Stop by the Alpha Chi Corner in the Honors Commons to see the President’s Cup trophies on display!

07/25/2025

👀 Sneak Peek Alert! 👀

The transformation of the Honors Commons in Zellner Hall is well underway—and let’s just say, it’s looking so good. 🙌

Think warm lighting, soft textures, modern touches, and spaces designed for both deep focus and casual connection. We’re keeping most of it under wraps for now, but here’s a little peek at what’s coming… 🔨✨

Honors students, you’re going to love your new home base. 💜

07/15/2025

Zellner Hall is getting a glow-up! 💫 We’ve been hard at work this summer reimagining the Honors Commons to make it an even better space for studying, connecting, and just hanging out. From fresh paint and updated furniture to cozy new seating areas and more functionality for group work—we're building a space that reflects the creativity and community of our Honors students.

We're not done yet, but we can't wait to welcome you back to a refreshed and reenergized Commons this fall! 👀✨

📍Stay tuned for the big reveal!

05/08/2025

📣🎓 Honoring Our Honors Graduates! 🎓📣

This Monday, we celebrated the incredible achievements of our Honors and McNair graduates at our Spring Graduate Reception! From academic excellence to leadership and service, these students have gone above and beyond. We couldn’t be prouder.

We also recognized two outstanding faculty members who make our community stronger:
🏆 Honors Professor of the Year: Dr. Dennis Marquardt
🌟 Honors Mentor of the Year: Dr. Autumn Sutherlin

Their dedication to teaching, mentoring, and inspiring Honors students continues to shape lives and futures. Help us congratulate our grads and award recipients in the comments below! 💜💐

04/25/2025

🌍 Next week is ACU Gives — and we’re inviting you to support a truly transformative opportunity!

The Honors Leipzig Innovation Semester equips ACU Honors students to tackle global challenges through design thinking and interdisciplinary learning in Germany. From science and technology to art and engineering, this program empowers students to innovate for the good of society and the environment.

🎓 Help us make this life-changing experience possible: Give here - https://alumniassociation.acu.edu/s/1565/dog20/interior-cf.aspx?sid=1565&gid=1&pgid=3671

10/01/2024

Apps for Fall 2025 are open! We can't wait for to join us!

09/30/2024

🐾🦁 What a wild night at the Abilene Zoo for our First Year Honors Living Learning Community (LLC)! Our students put their detective skills to the test during our "Zoo Dunnit" mystery event, solving the mysterious "murder" of Dr. McCracken. 🕵️‍♂️🔍 Clues were uncovered, suspects interrogated, and in the end, justice was served! 🙌 A big thank you to everyone who participated, making this an unforgettable evening of teamwork, laughter, and suspense! 🎉 Abilene Zoo

08/26/2024

🌟 Last night, we had a blast welcoming our new class of Honors first-year students with some sweet Ice Cream Sundaes! 🍨 It was the perfect way to kick off the semester, meet new friends, and start this exciting journey together. Welcome to the Honors family 🎉

07/10/2024

🎉 Big applause for sophomore Jermiah Polk, a standout in biochemistry who has earned the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship! 🏆 This national honor recognizes top undergraduates in STEM research careers. Well done, Jermiah! 🌟

Jermiah Polk, sophomore biochemistry major, has been named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar through the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation!

Polk intends to pursue research opportunities in graduate school and beyond, and through ACU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry he’s gotten a jump start as an undergraduate, assisting faculty in organometallic research.

“Even just the application process was helpful to me in thinking about how to write and share about research, which is a skill I’ll need to cultivate,” Polk said. We love watching our Wildcats accomplish amazing things! Read more about Polk's accomplishment here ☀️ https://bit.ly/3ViNsWi

07/08/2024

Congrats to student Poppy!! What an amazing accomplishment!

For the second year in a row, Poppy Teague, vocal performance major from Tulsa, OK, won First Place in her division at the National Association of Teachers of Singing national conference. Winning your division at NATS once is quite an accomplishment, but winning as a Freshman and again as a Sophomore is simply remarkable! Congratulations to Ms. Teague and to her private voice teacher, Dr. Rick Piersall. We are so proud of you!!! Abilene Christian University ACU Admissions Abilene Christian University Choirs ACU Opera

05/11/2024

Congratulations to the Honors College Class of 2024!

Despite a challenging start in the midst of a pandemic, you've shown incredible resilience, determination, and strength. Today, we celebrate your achievements as you graduate with Honors from Abilene Christian University.

As you graduate with Honors, you embody ACU's mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. Your dedication to learning, serving others, and leading by example inspires us all.

As you step into the next chapter of your lives, remember the lessons learned, the friendships made, and the growth you experienced at ACU. Your commitment to excellence and service will undoubtedly positively impact the world.

We are immensely proud of each and every one of you. Congratulations, Honors College class of 2024!

05/04/2024

We are also excited to announce that honors senior Erin Hodgson has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Grant for the 2024-2025 academic year!

Erin's journey towards this achievement began when she studied abroad in Leipzig, Germany, in the Spring of 2022, followed by an internship in Leipzig in the Summer of 2023. Her dedication to cultural exchange and language learning has led her back to Saxony (where Leipzig is located) to teach English through the Fulbright program starting this September.

As an English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Erin will be in classrooms abroad, providing invaluable assistance to local English teachers and helping to teach English language while being a cultural ambassador for the U.S.

Next week, Erin will graduate with her B.A. in Political Science, marking another significant milestone in her journey.

Congratulations, Erin! Your hard work, passion, and commitment to fostering global connections are truly inspiring. We can't wait to see the incredible impact you will make as a Fulbrighter!