We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.
Barack Obama
Why should I apply for a student award or honor?
Student recognition helps you set yourself apart from the crowd by showcasing strengths, passions, ideas, and accomplishments. You don't have to wait for your senior year to aim for one of these honors, many of these awards and positions of responsibility and recognition are open to students at different stages of their undergraduate career. While the top honors like the Brown-Rudder or Gates-Muller awards for graduating seniors are awarded based on accomplishments throughout your time at Texas A&M, there are also honors available to outstanding freshmen.Of course, the sooner you start discovering the type of extraordinary person you wish to be--the star undergraduate researcher? the outstanding community service leader? the Aggie who exemplifies our traditions and values? the person who does it all?--the better positioned you'll be to earn one of these awards. And as in many things, earning one of these awards is public recognition of all your hard work and positions you well for the next stage, whether that is an even more prestigious title, position, or program admission!
What Faculty awards are available and how are they determined?
LAUNCH recognizes faculty contributions to our programming in a variety of ways. The Wells Fargo award goes to the faculty member voted by the Honors students as being most invested in student success through teaching Honors courses, giving "Pasta and Professors" discussions, mentoring student projects, and/or offering exciting options through Honors course contracts.The Director and Unterberger awardees are selected by the LAUNCH staff. The Director's award recognizes faculty and staff who have made a significant contribution to the support of the University Honors Program. The Unterberger award recognizes faculty and staff who have made long-term contributions to high-impact practices such as Honors, Undergraduate Research, Capstones, and Learning Communities.
The Teacher-Scholar awards are also selected by LAUNCH staff. These awards recognize faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching and scholarship associated with University Honors.