The Life of the Mind Honors Program was voted into existence by the Heidelberg faculty on December 2, 1993. It became a reality on October 25, 1994, with the signing of the charter.
The concept for the Honors program originated with the Campus Ethos Committee, a group containing representatives from all areas of the campus. The focus of this group was to enhance the academic climate of Heidelberg.
After the program was initiated, it was decided that Honors students should have a place to gather and be academic. Former President William Cassell, together with Dean Kenneth Porada and Vice President Jeannine Curns, established the Honors Center, located in the basement of Williard Hall.
Since the program has grown so large, former President Owens, Dean Porada and Mrs. Curns implemented the move of the Honors Center from its location in Williard to the old Development House, also the original President's home. This Honors House better serves the students’ needs.
The Honors House
The Honors Program is located in the former President’s House, a building that is rich in history. Built in the spring of 1868, Honors House is a large and spacious dwelling, two stories high, with eleven rooms. It was first occupied by President G.W. Williard and was the residence of every Heidelberg president until 1969. Located at the center of campus on Greenfield Street, this stately edifice became the Honors House in the fall of 1997.
Bryenton Honors Center is a welcoming place for Honors students to gather and to study twenty-four hours a day. Open only to Honors students who are issued keys, the house is a comfortable and quiet haven in the midst of a bustling campus. The first floor contains the Dean’s office, the student assistant’s desk, the Eisenhower seminar room, computer lab, study areas, and a mini-kitchen. The second floor includes the office of the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs, a large study room, the copier room, and the Honors Lounge with murals drawn by famous cartoonists Polly Keener, Dave Coverly, Chip Bok, and Don Lee. There is wireless reception throughout the building.
In June, 2007 the house was dedicated as The Bryenton Honors Center in honor of the contributions made to the program and to the University by former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Gary Bryenton Class of ’61, and his wife Barbara, Class of ’59. The Honors Program is fortunate to have the dedicated support of its extended family.
Heidelberg University is one of the few colleges of its size to dedicate an entire house for the exclusive use of its Honors students.