When Paul Gilmore visited the University of Oklahoma Honors College for the first time, he saw a strong foundation and a chance to build something even bigger.

The strengths of the OU Honors College showed up on the national stage last fall, when three of its students were named Rhodes Scholar finalists—the most in OU history. It is a sign of more good things to come, the college’s new dean says.

“It was obvious that the OU Honors College already had a rich history and devoted faculty,” he says. “But it was also ready to pivot and change.” 

Gilmore stepped into his new role as dean of the Honors College at the beginning of the academic year, backed by decades of experience shaping other high-impact honors programs. At Rutgers University–New Brunswick, for example, he served as the founding dean in the launch of a model that rose to national distinction. As the dean of liberal arts and honors at Long Island University, he was praised for leading multiple academic units while strengthening the university’s interdisciplinary structure. 

Gilmore says what drew him to Norman was OU’s potential: an opportunity to more thoroughly integrate an honors college with the university’s mission and fulfill OU’s ambitions during a pivotal period.

The college’s efforts complement OU’s Strategic Plan refresh, Lead On, University: The Next Phase, and its recent entrance into the Southeastern Conference, which placed it among institutional peers already invested in honors programs as recruitment engines. 

Establishing a Sense of Identity

Describing the nature of an honors education is difficult, Gilmore says, and getting that definition right shapes how a program develops. Many people assume an honors college is only for students with outstanding high school GPAs. 

“Honors colleges have tended to reward what students did in high school rather than their potential or dedication to intellectual curiosity,” he says. “We need to move more toward the latter.”

A healthy honors college curates some of the university’s best interdisciplinary opportunities and resources to ensure they’re readily available to any student likely to take advantage of them, he says. That means intensive access to faculty, undergraduate research opportunities, international experiences and tight-knit advising—all while faculty members encourage inquisitive minds to explore connections between academic disciplines.

The OU Honors College has a strong foundation in small, interdisciplinary seminars taught by core faculty. Gilmore says his goal is to build on this foundation to expand students’ intellectual experiences by incorporating more faculty from across the university.

“An honors college is defined by the sense of community it creates, the connections students develop through a broader array of programs and organizations and the opportunity for a ‘living-learning’ community.” Just such a community exists on two floors of OU’s Dunham Residential College.

The honors college is also adjusting expectations regarding the traditional, written honors thesis. Gilmore’s own academic background is in 19th-century American literature, and he values deep, scholarly work. However, disciplinary differences matter. He admits that the path he experienced as an undergraduate might not work as well for every student and wants to avoid the one-size-fits-all approach.

“If you’re an aviation major, maybe a thesis isn’t the best capstone,” he explains. “There are multiple ways to reach the same goals of writing a thesis—which are deep intellectual engagement with a subject that synthesizes their undergraduate education, individual accountability and accomplishment and reflecting on how others might have approached the same subject.”

Ultimately, Gilmore says, his goal is to maintain academic rigor while encouraging creativity and authenticity in how students demonstrate their excellence.

Strengthening OU’s Research Engine

One facet of the OU Honors College, in particular, has already proven the university’s proactive commitment to excellence: undergraduate research. Some 435 research projects were carried out by honors students in just the past year, Gilmore says.

The college doesn’t wait for students to find research opportunities on their own. OU’s First-Year Research Experience program, or FYRE, matches freshman students with faculty mentors based on interests, then supports them through a methods course and semester-long project. 

This approach is particularly helpful to students with honors-level ability but who might have no idea where to start with research—particularly those from rural areas and first-generation families. 

“Students shouldn’t have to chase down faculty or navigate research on their own,” Gilmore says.

Early engagement with undergraduates also matters as OU works toward qualification for consideration by the Association of American Universities, or AAU. Although AAU metrics focus largely on graduate education and research funding, the OU Honors College contributes through talent pipeline development and expanding the pool of students who ultimately pursue research careers.

Experience shows that students who are most likely to pursue Ph.D.s have an honors college background, Gilmore adds. And the talent pipeline so crucial to professions is boosted by existing pathway partnerships with the OU College of Medicine and the OU College of Law, including longstanding Medical Humanities and Pre-Law Scholars programs. Gilmore would like to see that type of vigor spread across a wider swath of OU’s programs.

Energy Meets Strategy

Brian Johnson, director of the OU Honors College Student Success program, says he has noticed that many freshmen arrive with tremendous depth in their academic majors, but they lack breadth. 

Under Gilmore, the Honors College is filling that gap by challenging students to think laterally across disciplinary boundaries, Johnson says. 

“I’ve been at OU for 20 years, and even with that perspective, I am genuinely impressed by Dean Gilmore’s energy, attention to detail and his ability to move fluidly between the finer points and the broad vision. I think we have a strong leader in front of us.”

Other longtime honors faculty members are equally energized by Gilmore’s direction.

“As an adviser, I especially applaud his focus on increased recruitment of high-performing students from all academic interests,” says Carolyn Morgan, a professor emeritus and former associate dean who now helps steer honors students throughout their academic careers.

“The emphasis on interdisciplinary education comes at a critical time when we face a multitude of societal challenges. It’s an exciting and optimistic time at the OU Honors College.” 

The Future Ahead

The college will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027. Gilmore believes the comparatively young program is brimming with untapped potential and that the history of its most impactful era has yet to be written. He foresees a college that ultimately reflects OU’s highest aspirations, positioned to attract students nationwide who are seeking challenge and community in equal measure. 

An effective student experience provides opportunities for leadership, research experience and innovation, he says. To help students reach their full potential, the OU Honors College must follow the same path.

“We are drawing on all resources and faculty across the university,” Gilmore says. “We are moving toward the cutting edge by rethinking how we define the OU Honors College and how we serve our students.” 

Brian Brus is a proposal specialist for the OU Foundation who served as a reporter for several of Oklahoma’s largest newspapers.

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