Vice President For Academic Affairs & Provost. Honors College (University of Maine) Records

Following a Provost's Commission on an Honors College in the spring of 2001 (Toward a Century of Honors at Maine: A Blueprint The University of Maine Honors College), the University of Maine Honors College was founded on October 26th, 2002. The College transitioned from the Honors Program, which began in 1935. The transition process included a revision of the Honor College's curriculum resulting in a new four-semester sequence entitled Civilizations: Past, Present and Future.

The Honors College considers all first year students who apply to UMaine for membership in Honors. Students in the Honors College (and Honors Program before this) produce a Honors Thesis. An archive of Honors Thesis can be found online in DigitalCommons@UMaine.

In 2002, the Honors College relocated from the original Robert Thomson Honors Center, constructed in 1975, to the newly renovated Center on the first floor of Colvin Hall. The Center had been named in honor of Robert B. Thomson in 1983. Thomson had been the director of the Honors Program from 1962-1977. Thomson's artist wife Arline Thomson, who also worked at the University of Maine in the Division of Marketing and Communications, designed the College's first logo.

The Honors College had room to house students starting in Colvin Hall (1999), then in Stodder Hall, and eventually also in Balentine Hall (2003) and Penobscot and Estabrook Halls. Starting in 2002, the Honors College's space in Colvin Hall has gone through a series of renovations, including a makeover of the basement in the fall of 2003, office, housing areas in 2004, and the 2008 renovation of the Oscar Remick Student Forum and Margaret Chase Smith Visiting Scholars Suite (named by Betsy (Class of 1955) and Bill Leitch), which provides overnight accommodations for speakers and guests of the Honors College. In 2014, the Honors College also expanded to include administrative office space in Estabrooke Hall. The most recent renovation of Colvin Hall was completed in 2022.

The first director of the Honors College was Charles (Charlie) Slavin, director of the Honors Program since 1997, having joined the University of Maine mathematics faculty in 1984. In 2004, Charles (Charlie) Slavin was appointed the dean of the Honors College. Long time Honors College dean Charles (Charlie) Slavin died on July 30th, 2012. A memorial service in honor of Dean Slavin was held on campus and attended by more than 700 members of the UMaine community. The Charlie Slavin Research Fund was established in 2012 and a terrace honoring him was constructed in 2013 outside Colvin Hall. There is the Charlie Slavin Memorial Tree by the northwest corner of Deering Hall.

Following Dean Slavin's death David Gross was appointed the interim dean of College, until in 2013 François Amar, Associate Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Chemistry Department was appointed permanent dean. In 2020, Stephanie Welcomer served as interim dean of the Honors College. Most recently, in the summer of 2021 Ellen Weinauer was named the new permanent dean.

Among the opportunities provided by the Honors College include studying abroad and research opportunities through the Maine IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) NCRR/NIH supported initiative established in 2009.

The Honors College has hosted numerous renowned speakers, including as part of the Honors Read Lecture, Distinguished Honors Graduate Lecture Series (established in 2002), and starting in 2005 the Last Lecture series for Honors College faculty. Starting in 2002-2003, the Honors College began hosting the annual Rezendes Ethics Lecture and Essay Competition which was made possible by Dennis Rezendes (Class of 1957) through the John M. Rezendes Ethics Fund, dedicated to providing students and community access to important ethical issues.

In 2010, the Honors College held a 75 years anniversary celebration at which Robert H. Edwards gave a keynote address and was awarded the first-ever honorary Honors College graduate from the University of Maine.

First published circa-1998 as a newsletter for the Honors Program, the Honors College since 2003 has published an annual magazine Minerva which highlights current students, faculty, alumni, and friends. Minerva has been recognized by the National Collegiate Honors College (NCHC) newsletter competition including winning 1st place in 2005/2006, 2007, 2018, and 2020. The newsletter was edited by Emily Cain for many years.