Elizabethtown College Honors Program

06/02/2026

The Elizabethtown College Honors Program recently named Dr. Robert Northington, Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, as the recipient of the 2025-26 Outstanding Honors Professor Award!

Since joining the College in 2023, Northington has expanded learning opportunities beyond the classroom as advisor to Etown’s Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society chapter.

The Honors Council, a student-led governing body for the program, noted Northington’s ability to cultivate an engaging classroom environment in which students feel inspired to participate in meaningful discussion and raise thoughtful questions.

“I am humbled and honored to receive the Outstanding Honors Professor Award this year,” Northington said. “I always strive to provide every student I teach with meaningful learning experiences, but I applaud the willingness of my Honors students this year to challenge themselves beyond the classroom.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/49sWGqL.

05/19/2026

The Elizabethtown College Honors Connections Alumni Board is happy to announce the Call for Applications for two Honors Alumni Awards - The Outstanding Young Alumni Award (For recognizing the achievements of Elizabethtown College Honors Program Alumni that graduated within the past 10 years - May 2016 and onward) and The Honors Distinguished Alumni Award (For recognizing the achievements of Elizabethtown College Honors Program Alumni that graduated in January 2016 or before). Nominations and self-nominations are welcome. The nominations are due by August 31st, 2026. Please see the Call for Applications link, https://www.etown.edu/programs/honors/alumni.aspx, for more detail on the criteria.

04/20/2026

The Honors Council is hosting a “Paint a Pot” event for Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22nd from 3:30-4:30 pm at the Honors Center Patio where students can paint small pots in honor of Earth Day. We hope to see you there!

04/17/2026

Elizabethtown College is pleased to announce that Alysse Smith ’26 has been selected as the student speaker for the College’s 123rd Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. in the Dell! 🎓

Recently named the 2025–26 Points of Distinction Award recipient, the highest Student Life honor at , Smith, a Biology major with a Health Professions concentration and minors in Spanish and Chemistry from Silver Spring, Md., was chosen from a competitive pool of seniors who submitted and presented draft speeches.

An engaged campus leader, she serves on the executive cabinets for the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and the Honors Program. Smith is also actively involved as a Blue Jay Ambassador, Peer Mentor, Peer Tutor, and Ubuntu Mentor.

A Stamps Scholar, Smith completed a medical internship in Cusco, Peru, and earned a TriBeta Research Foundation grant to support her undergraduate research. Following graduation, she will continue her education at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ctrngd.

04/13/2026

Please join us this evening, Monday, April 13 at 5:00 pm for our Spring 2026 Honors Alumni Panel will feature four esteemed Honors Alumni: Sarah Kleb ’22, Sagar Patel ‘23, and Matthew Smith ‘21. They will generously share their invaluable insights, experiences, and advice on topics such as applying for graduate schools, securing internships and jobs, cultivating a success-oriented mindset post-graduation, and developing essential transitional skills like networking. The panel will be conducted in a hybrid format, available both at the Honors Center (Myer Hall) and via Zoom. We will have pizza in the Honors Center for everyone joining us in person!

04/09/2026

Please join us on Monday, April 13 at 5:00 pm for our Spring 2026 Honors Alumni Panel will feature four esteemed Honors Alumni: Sarah Kleb ’22, Sagar Patel ‘23, and Matthew Smith ‘21. They will generously share their invaluable insights, experiences, and advice on topics such as applying for graduate schools, securing internships and jobs, cultivating a success-oriented mindset post-graduation, and developing essential transitional skills like networking. The panel will be conducted in a hybrid format, available both at the Honors Center (Myer Hall) and via Zoom. We will have pizza in the Honors Center for everyone joining us in person!

03/30/2026

The annual Northeast Regional Honors Council’s conference was held this year in New Haven, Connecticut from March 26-29, 2026. The theme of this year’s conference was: “The Haven of Honors: Cultivating Innovative, Upstanding, and Impactful Leaders.” This year, two Honors seniors, Justin Cedeno and Kellie Simon attended the conference along with Assistant Director Luke Mackey.

Justin Cedeno presented a poster based on his engineering projects on Saturday, March 28 titled, “Effectively Leading: Where There is A Will, There is A Way: Improving Life for Disabled People Through Innovative Technology.” Kellie Simon presented a posted or Sunday, March 29 titled, “Investigation of the Role of AP-1 Transcription Factors in T1 Antigen Transformed Human Dermal Fibroblast Cells” which featured research done with Dr. Amy Defnet.

03/25/2026

We are deeply grateful for the generous donations to our Power of One Day Campaign. Thanks to your support, we can expand the signature learning experiences that empower our Honors students to learn, serve, and lead!

03/25/2026

Thank you for supporting the Honors Program during the Power of One Day!

03/24/2026

Support the Honors Program during the Power of One Day!

This Power of One Day, we have a goal to raise $2,000 to help alleviate financial barriers so our Honors students can focus on their studies and professional development. With your gift, you provide access to life-changing experiences, like:

✨ Studying abroad to gain global perspectives
✨ Securing internships that pave the way for future careers
✨ Preparing for graduate school and prestigious fellowships
✨ Participating in conferences to showcase their research and expand their academic horizons
✨ Completing senior honors theses that showcase their passion and expertise

You can give using the following link: https://www.givecampus.com/s/73jboq

Join me in supporting the Etown Honors Program!