Dear Alumni,
Greetings from the University Honors Program! Our fall semester is well underway, and soon the leaves will be changing colors and the temperatures cooling as the seasons shift. This year has already been one for the record books: we welcomed the largest incoming class of freshmen in our history, updated our curriculum, hosted an alumni career panel, and are preparing for our October We’d Be Honored banquet. We also had the pleasure of recognizing two outstanding faculty members with the Innovative Teaching Award. There is still much more to come, but I wanted to share some updates on our exciting start to the 2025–2026 academic year.
This fall, we welcomed a record 739 new Honors students to our community of leaders. Eighty-five of them arrived early through the Link Up to Lincoln program, which helps new students get acquainted with campus opportunities and culture. We also completed an internal curriculum review and introduced small but meaningful changes to keep our students on track while opening more pathways for non-traditional students to join the Honors Program.
We were thrilled to welcome back four alumni who shared their career paths and insights with current students. Our panelists—representing fields such as academia, engineering, and law—offered invaluable advice and reinforced the sense of community that defines Honors at UNL.
Looking ahead, we are excited to host the Fall 2025 Honors banquet, We’d Be Honored, on October 30 at the UNL Union. This year’s keynote will be delivered by distinguished educator, Husker legend, and Super Bowl champion Dr. Jamie Williams. Space is limited, but we would love to see you there to reconnect with fellow alumni, faculty, students, and community members in support of the Honors Program.
As we head into the cooler months—or, as we like to call it, chili and cinnamon roll season—we would love to hear from you. Dr. Tamy Burnett and I are also planning alumni gatherings in a few cities outside of Lincoln, so stay tuned for details. Until then, enjoy the fall colors, the crisp air, and of course—Go Big Red!
Tyler R. White, PhD
Faculty Director, University Honors Program
We'd Be Honored: A Celebration of the University Honors Program
Tickets are going fast for the University Honors Program's annual fundraising dinner on October 30, 2025! Limited space remains to see Dr. Jamie Williams, of the Husker Football Hall of Fame, deliver the keynote address. Individual tickets are available for $80, and purchases support the University Honors Program. Funds from this event support the Dr. Patrice Berger Student Experience Fund, which supports students in pursuing research, education abroad, unpaid/underpaid internships, and other valuable hands-on learning opportunities!
Link Up to Lincoln Kickstarts the Semester
Eighty-five new first-year students started their college experience in a unique way through the University Honors Program’s annual Link Up to Lincoln program this August. Link Up students moved to campus early, and they spent the week before classes exploring their new home, learning about valuable college opportunities like research, and building relationships that will last beyond their time at UNL.
The Link Up to Lincoln program offers students a head start on learning about campus and the Lincoln community. Emily Abraham, a Forensic Science major from Kansas City, Missouri, said “I had only been to Lincoln twice before, and through Link Up I learned how to get around and navigate the city. I found all my buildings for classes ahead of time.” Abraham especially appreciated visiting the East Campus Dairy Store. “Link Up made it easy to get to East Campus, and I recommend the Dairy Store’s banana chocolate chip ice cream.” Outside of campus, Abraham also enjoyed touring the Nebraska State Capitol building.
Beyond learning about campus and the city of Lincoln, Owen Snodgrass, a Meteorology-Climatology major from Norfolk, Nebraska, said he “enjoyed making friends that he wouldn’t have met otherwise” and that “it is nice to see familiar faces around campus now.” Snodgrass’s favorite part was the campus scavenger hunt which saw his group work together to find various landmarks across campus.
A handful of upperclassmen served as guides and led a range of activities for the new students. Drake Hermanson, a senior Software Engineering major from Atlanta, Nebraska, has found serving as a Link Up guide to be a fulfilling experience. “As someone who participated in the program as a freshman and served as a guide for three years, it has been rewarding to see students come into their own and find their place on campus.”
Sawyer Smith, the Honors Program Coordinator who helped create the program four years ago and now leads Link Up, said “it is rewarding to see students develop long-lasting friendships in just a few days.”
While Link Up started as an initiative aimed at out-of-state students, it has proven popular with in-state and even local students. Smith said, “the goal behind Link Up is to help students settle into their new home before the busyness of the semester starts.” For students like Abraham and Snodgrass, Link Up has proven to be successful in this goal.
Beyond learning about campus and the city of Lincoln, Owen Snodgrass, a Meteorology-Climatology major from Norfolk, Nebraska, said he “enjoyed making friends that he wouldn’t have met otherwise” and that “it is nice to see familiar faces around campus now.” Snodgrass’s favorite part was the campus scavenger hunt which saw his group work together to find various landmarks across campus.
A handful of upperclassmen served as guides and led a range of activities for the new students. Drake Hermanson, a senior Software Engineering major from Atlanta, Nebraska, has found serving as a Link Up guide to be a fulfilling experience. “As someone who participated in the program as a freshman and served as a guide for three years, it has been rewarding to see students come into their own and find their place on campus.”
Sawyer Smith, the Honors Program Coordinator who helped create the program four years ago and now leads Link Up, said “it is rewarding to see students develop long-lasting friendships in just a few days.”
While Link Up started as an initiative aimed at out-of-state students, it has proven popular with in-state and even local students. Smith said, “the goal behind Link Up is to help students settle into their new home before the busyness of the semester starts.” For students like Abraham and Snodgrass, Link Up has proven to be successful in this goal.
Dr. Frauke Hachtmann, Professor of Advertising and Public Relations
Hachtmann, Schafer earn Honors' Innovative Teaching Awards
The Honors Program and Center for Transformative Teaching named Dr. Frauke Hachtmann and Dr. Zachary Schafer recipients of the 2025 Honors Innovative Teaching Award. Their efforts in forming relationships with students and developing tailored course materials demonstrated the transformative power of teaching in Honors. Dr. Hachtmann, professor of advertising and public relations, received the award for her first-year seminar, ADPR 189H: Containing the Fire—Ethics, Public Relations, and Crisis Communication. Dr. Schafer was recognized for his course UHON 102: The Science of You, which he taught while completing his own PhD coursework. Both exemplify the kind of teaching that fosters connection and challenges students to grow. Both were nominated by students in their respective classes.
Honors Alumni Panel connects students, alumni
On Monday, September 8th, the Honors Program welcomed over 170 attendees to our Honors Alumni panel. The event is designed to connect students with some of our many outstanding graduates.
This year’s panel featured diverse professionals, including:
- Dr. Mark Stone (class of 1998)
- Judge Elise White (class of 2003)
- Zachary VanRoy (class of 2019)
- Jared Noetzel (class of 2020)
For many first-year students, this was their first opportunity to witness the tangible impact of Honors and the ways it can help prepare them for a successful professional career. Drake Hermanson, President of the Honors Peer Mentors and event organizer, emphasized the importance of this connection. “The alumni panel serves as a great way for first-year Honors students to see what an Honors graduate looks like,” he shared. “There are so many different paths to take, and each is equally valid."
Hermanson developed the event with a focus on interactivity, with students taking the lead on asking questions that guided the conversation. “My number one goal for this event was to create an inclusive, meaningful, and positive experience for our first-year students,” he shared. “I hope all of our attendees left feeling more sure of the decisions they will make throughout college, but at the same time knowing that they still have a lot of flexibility in what they ultimately pursue during and after their undergraduate studies.”
For first years, like chemistry and forensic double major Dagny Edward, the event accomplished just that. “This panel affected my academic vision by showing me some of the effects that the Honors Program has had on real people's lives, which makes me want to get more involved with the organization,” she said. “The alumni who talked on the panel seemed to have been really positively impacted by the community here.”
Edward was particularly struck by the answer to her question: “Have you ever experienced a failure, and if so, when?” In response, Dr. Stone shared how failing a test ended up bringing him closer to a professor who subsequently became his advisor, research leader, and reference throughout his professional career.
“As somebody who is terrified of failure, I was really inspired by this,” Edward noted. “He had turned a bad experience into a positive opportunity, and it made me realize that I will be able to do the same thing when I fail as well.”
Moving forward, both Hermanson and Edward have big plans to build off the event. Hermanson hopes to continue creating space for meaningful conversations between alumni and current students. “I hope we keep seeing a large attendance and an increased quality of questions,” he said. “Some of our panelists were returners this year and pointed out the extremely well-posed questions and the large turnout at the end of the event. I'm beyond impressed with our first-year Honors students and look forward to seeing everything they accomplish during their undergraduate studies!”
As for Edward, she hopes to take the panelist’s advice in stride. “I hope to build off of this event by possibly joining an RSO sometime in the future or by looking for an internship or research opportunity sooner than I had originally planned. Regardless of the path, I'm more motivated to get involved now!” she shared.
Sign up for Lunch with Alums!
On behalf of the Honors Program Student Advisory Board (HPSAB), we are excited to announce a new program – Lunch with Alums. Through this program, HPSAB hopes to offer current students the opportunity to sign up to enjoy lunch with Honors Program Alumni in small groups (4-5 students + 1 alum) on campus. We hope to offer such an opportunity on a monthly basis. Sign up to indicate your interest, and we will be in touch in the early fall with options for specific dates and to gather more information.