WELCOME FROM THE DEAN
Hello. I’m Sarah Cook, Dean of the Honors College.
Welcome. I am proud to say that the Honors College is a destination for high achieving students. My goal as dean is to foster a welcoming space that engages your curiosity, empowers you to achieve your highest potential, and inspire you to find your place in the world. I am not alone in this. You will find a staff of people who are also dedicated to promoting a sense of belonging, connection, curiosity and growth.
Whether you’re coming to our community as a first-year student on the Atlanta campus, a Perimeter College student, or an enrolled student, you are all part of what makes the Honors College vibrant. I hope that you will reach out to other students, faculty, and staff to take advantage of the support they can offer you, and I hope that you will share your own ideas and passions with others as well. By remaining open to new ideas, we can innovate to help spark our students’ curiosity and offer opportunities for personal, professional and scholarly development.
During my time at Georgia State, I have witnessed and participated in the university’s growth. I have been on the faculty of the Department of Psychology since 1997. After the university founded the college in 2011, I served as associate dean under founding dean Larry Berman, Ph.D. who built a strong foundation and set a high expectation for excellence. After two years as interim dean during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was my great honor to become dean in 2022. I am proud to be a leader in one of Atlanta’s top academic institutions.
GSU is a national model for student success, and one of the most innovative in the country with a dedication to teaching. Research excellence, student success and recognition for outstanding teaching is a rare combination in institutions of higher education. I encourage you to take advantage of all the opportunities that exist in both the Honors College and across the university.
I hope you’ll take time to also enjoy the perks of being an Honors student. Study in one of our lounges, visit the kitchen and maybe make yourself a cup of coffee before class or recharge in the nap pod. When you do, please stop by and say hello to me. I love meeting with students and imagining the world you will create as future leaders in government, public and private sectors.
I am optimistic about what the future holds.
“There is nothing like a dream to create the future,” wrote Victor Hugo. With that inspiration in mind, welcome to the Honors College at Georgia State University.
The Honors College is one of the cornerstones of the university, with the mission to advocate for the educational experiences and resources needed by our high-ability students.
Over the years, we have built the foundation for a vibrant Honors community where faculty can work with our most talented students to advance undergraduate scholarship, enhance research, foster service and compete for prestigious awards and fellowships.
We are home for our university’s most innovative teachers and intellectually curious students. Our Honors community nurtures the concept of public service by serving interests larger than our own. The college fosters the development of intellectual judgment and inquiry skills through small seminars and mentoring of research projects from engaged faculty. It is a community that encourages and awards intellectual curiosity.
In these pages you will learn about our innovative and expanding honors curricula, first-hand global experiences from our students, undergraduate research opportunities and ways of competing for prestigious national awards and fellowships. We are assembling the tool kits for a lifetime of achievement.
You also will find a dean and Honors College staff whose top priority is to become a national model for undergraduate education.
Most of all, I hope you discover the sense of excitement that we at the Honors College feel for the future. There’s plenty of room, and I hope you consider joining us.
If you have questions, by all means feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Larry Berman
Founding Dean of the Honors College
