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Washington State University

Honors College and Leadership

The Honors College hosts First- and Second-Year Honors Leadership Programs. These scholarship programs are focused on helping students develop leadership and networking skills while making connections with engaging academic and industry leaders. Additionally, our students engage in a variety of leadership opportunities throughout the university and beyond.

How to apply

Apply to Washington State University

Apply to the Honors College

Selected applicants who are admitted to WSU and the Honors College are invited to join the First-Year Honors Leadership Program.

First-Year Honors Leadership Program

The First-Year Honors Leadership Program (FHLP) is designed to help students develop their leadership skills, explore how leaders can facilitate effective teamwork, and learn from leaders in a range of different fields. This program is open to a maximum of thirty incoming Honors College students, and is made possible by corporate and private support.

Highlights of the Fall 2016 First-Year Honors Leadership Program included:

  • WSU President Dr. Kirk Schulz who led a discussion and Q&A session on developing leadership skills and becoming an effective leader
  • Lindsey Elhart, a 2014 Honors College graduate and manager of Asia Pacific and India contracts, The Boeing Company
  • Professor Bill Kabasenche, WSU School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs. Dr. Kabasenche’s research interests include bioethics, ethics, and moral psychology
  • Terry Mutter (’84), Director of Creative and Information Services, The Boeing Company
  • Fun activities about personalities, body language, motivation, and leadership styles
In addition to the Honors Leadership Programs, there are additional leadership opportunities for our students through the Honors College, students’ academic colleges, and Washington State University as a whole.

Alyssa Norris appointed to Board of Regents
Honors Student Kyle Strachila Named November Student Leader of the Month
Savanna Rogers Named Mount Vernon Leadership Fellow

Honors 298 Fall 2018 Guest Speakers

All speakers will present in the Honors Lounge on the given dates.

Mary Kay PattonSeptember 10
Mary Kay Patton,
clinical assistant professor at the Center for Transformational Learning and Leadership (CTLL) and the Department of Human Development		Cassa HanonSeptember 17
Cassa Hanon,
Vice President Cloud Operations, Oracle
Savannah RogersSeptember 24
Savannah Rogers,
ASWSU President		Travis KingOctober 1
Travis King,
Fulbright Scholar, recipient of Kaplan Graduate Award, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Dr. Kirk SchulzOctober 3rd
Dr. Kirk Schulz,
University President 		Scott MaloneyOctober 8
Scott Maloney,
Managing Director, Crain & Company
Professor Bill KabasencheOctober 15
Professor Bill Kabasenche,
Clinical Associate Professor of Philosophy
Fellow, Center for Reproductive Biology
Fellow, Center for Integrated Biotechnology
Lydia GerberNovember 5
Lydia Gerber,
Clinical Associate Professor

Second-Year Honors Leadership Program

The Second-Year Honors Leadership Program (SHLP), also known as the Global Leadership Program, focuses on leadership in a global context in areas that include world trade, the environment, and technology. The course content includes presentations and discussions with leaders who recognize the importance of leadership in a globalized world. The Second-Year Honors Leadership Program is offered annually in the spring semester and includes a global case project. In Spring 2017, teams were formed by WSU students and one honors student (per team) from Southeast University in Nanjing, China. Throughout the semester, student teams worked remotely with their teammates from China, and then joined on the WSU Pullman campus in April to present their cases and address specific issues related to the topic.

Highlights of the Spring 2017 program included:

  • Visit with Dr. Michael Scott, ‘70 Honors College graduate, Nobel Prize winner, and retired economist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
  • Visit with Dr. Asif Chaudry, retired US Ambassador to Moldova and current Vice President of WSU International Programs
  • Discussion with Lewis Lee, ’88 Honors College graduate, co-founder and partner of Lee & Hayes, PLLC, ranked #1 overall law firm for securing the highest quality patents for the fourth consecutive year by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine (IAM)
  • Visit by Robin Twyman, Consul for Business and Government Affairs, UK Foreign Office
  • Discussion with Denis Hayes, founder of Earth Day and president of the Bullitt Foundation
  • Visit with Dave Dolezilek, International Technical Director, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
  • Discussion with John Hamilton, US Ambassador to Peru and retired US Ambassador to Guatemala
  • Discussion with Jeffrey Franks (’84), Director of the International Monetary Fund for Europe, and Senior Resident Representative to the European Union