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USF Muma College of Business Unveils New Honors Program

Honors program blends coursework, research, and applied learning activities

TAMPA – The first of its kind in the state, USF's brand new Honors Program in Business is exclusively for the nation's best and most motivated students. The program blends rigorous coursework and research opportunities with special applied learning activities outside the classroom. The new program will begin this fall with an inaugural class of approximately 15 students. Business honors students will learn how to identify, solve, and communicate solutions thanks to faculty-guided/student-initiated program activities.

"The Honors Program in Business is an integrated program," said Professor Kevin Renshler, director of the Honors Program in Business. "All coursework and activities are designed to build on common themes, providing students with a greater experience than the traditional undergraduate business school model."

As part of the program, honors students are automatically accepted into the elite living-learning community known as the Bulls Business Community. As members of the BBC, students live together, study together, and network together. They also have the opportunity to take part in exciting out-of-classroom programming, such as improv activities, corporate tours, etiquette dinners, and training opportunities.

Business honors students also have the chance to interact with executives from around the world through the Muma College of Business' Undergraduate Speaker Series. In addition, the Honors Program in Business gives students the opportunity to be mentored by some of the most sought-after local business leaders. Mentors coach students, serve as a resource for them, help explore or establish career paths, and help the students develop strategies for their academic, professional, and social success.

"The mentor program is one of the most exciting aspects of the Honors Program in Business," said 18-year-old applicant Julio Novo. "To be able to converse with and learn from an established business person would be a dream come true for any student. The possible insight and lessons that I could learn from a mentor makes this opportunity tremendously promising."

Business students in the honors program have the opportunity to study overseas during a faculty-supervised summer study abroad program, making them more attractive to international companies. The program goes one step further, pairing students with business firms for internships, providing students with real-world experience, introducing them to the corporate world, and providing an edge for students as they become part of the workforce.

Under the supervision of USF faculty, honors students will also participate in business research, an opportunity normally reserved for graduate-level scholars. Faculty-guided and student-led research projects will be designed so that students can formulate their own research questions and begin to plan for their own honors thesis.

"This opportunity will give honors students the chance to better prepare themselves for a future in a competitive business world," said Renshler. "It will expose them to different paths they can choose from once they leave USF, whether it is pursuing academic or professional interests."

Students in the Business Honors Program will be selected annually from a group of applicants.