Looking to get a little bit more out of your college experience at UM? The Davidson Honors College (DHC) is the place for you! Engaging courses, community involvement and caring professors highlight the DHC experience, adding to a more fulfilling UM experience and valuable skills that you’ll take with you after graduation.
The Davidson Honors College (DHC) is for students who want more from their college experience and for those who want to distinguish themselves from other students upon graduation. The DHC is open to all majors and is meant to enhance your experience at the University of Montana. The program has several perks, including smaller classes, allowing you to have more personal connections, a long list of visiting professors for changes in perspective and courses that challenge you to think differently.
To apply for the honors college, you will fill out an application after you’ve been accepted to the University of Montana. The application includes a personal essay on topics such as how awe and wonder have shaped your life or an issue you’re passionate about. The application also includes information like test scores and GPA. Once you are in the Davidson Honors College, you’ll need to meet all the course requirements and keep a GPA of 3.0 or above.
Read More: DHC Admissions – Prospective Students and Families
You are required to take specific courses within the Davidson Honors College to enhance your learning. These courses are Ways of Knowing, Intro to Honors and other offered courses called Interdisciplinary Colloquia Courses. Students also need to take an experiential learning course, fulfilled by an internship, studying abroad, or another approved equivalent.
Ways of Knowing and Intro to Honors are a great introduction to what it means to be an honors student, helping you understand more about the world we live in and the Missoula community, as well as yourself and your preferences as a student. Intro to Honors is always taught by the Dean of the Honors College, Timothy Nichols.
Read more: Honors Course Offerings
Read more: Experiential Learning in the DHC
Dr. Timothy Nichols is the dean of the Davidson Honors College. He is often in the honors college chatting with students, or you can find him at various DHC events or the few courses he teaches as well. I asked Tim a few questions about his role in the Honors College and how being dean has affected him.
Question: Why/how did you become the dean of the Davidson Honors College?
Dr. Nichols: Being Dean of the DHC is a dream job that came open at the precise moment I was coming onto the job market. The position provides me with the opportunity to do the work I love alongside an awesome team, on behalf of some of the most wonderful students I could ever hope for. The DHC had a competitive national search and I was privileged to be selected. I had previously been Dean of the Fishback Honors College at South Dakota State University and had taught in the honors college at the University of Wyoming. And at UM, I to do it all in the vibrant, fun community of Missoula, located in beautiful western Montana, the place my family has called home for generations.
Question: What is your favorite community event that the honors college does with the Missoula community?
Dr. Nichols: I have to say Trick or Treat so Missoula Eats. The work of the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center inspiring and so important in our community. Seeing 300 DHC first year students dressed up for Halloween and canvas the University District for donations is amazing. Having the Trick-or-Treaters come back and unload thousands of pounds of food in the truck is one of our proudest moments of the year.
Question: What is your favorite course to teach in the honors college and why?
Dr. Nichols: Introduction to Honors is special because it gives me a chance to get to know all of our first-year students and to try to get them off to a strong start in honors; I also love working with our Learning Assistant team. Teaching the interdisciplinary colloquium on Love is such a remarkable journey to share with students and the subject matter is the stuff of life. Last year I started team-teaching with my friends Eric Chesebro and Sarah Halvorson a course on Awe and Curiosity. The topics are fascinating and every week is a learning adventure for faculty and students alike — it's also been a lot of fun.”
Question: How has being Dean of the Honors College at UM positively impacted you?
Dr. Nichols: Being Dean has impacted me in so many positive ways. It has deeply connected me to a wonderful community of honorable colleagues and friends and students who enrich my life with their stories, ideas, insights, hopes and dreams. They've challenged and supported me, laughed often and cried occasionally with me. It's a joy and an honor to share the journey with these amazing humans. Being Dean has also given me the opportunity to 'work hard at work worth doing.' I whole-heartedly believe in the mission of the DHC and find my responsibilities stimulating, meaningful and fun.
The Davidson Honors College partners with various community organizations or groups for honors students to participate in. MOLLI, for example, is a book club joined by other community members to get together and discuss the Griz read for that year. Another Honors College event is Trick or Treat so Missoula Eats, in partnership with the Missoula Food Bank.
Read more: DHC Calendar and Upcoming Events
Read more: MOLLI (Montana Osher Lifelong Learning Institute)
The DHC also hosts events that are specific to your experience as a student here at UM. From Friday morning hikes to open mic nights, you can explore Missoula and explore your talents and those of your peers as well. This is also reflected in the internship and study abroad opportunities that come with being an honors student. Various scholarships are also available to support these experiences and can take you on journeys you’ve never even dreamed of.
Read more: Honors College Scholarships
You can also participate further in the honors college by joining certain opportunities for students. You can learn to be a Learning Assistant, a DHC ambassador to help recruit future DHC students, be a part of the Roots ensemble and play some bluegrass music with fellow students, attend special lectures and even more!
Read More: Opportunities for Involvement in the DHC