Smittcamp Turns 25!
This coming academic year will be celebrated as the 25th anniversary of the Smittcamp Family Honors College, which is recognized as one of the top programs of its kind in the western United States and unique within the 23-campus California State University system. Established with a generous $1 million gift from the late Earl and Muriel Smittcamp, the Honors College admitted its first cohort of 50 President’s Honors Scholars in August 1999.
The Honors College would not have been possible without the work of Dr. Robert Ware, the Founding Director of SFHC. The following is a slightly edited version of Dr. Ware’s original description of the Honors College, established in March 1998.
A Short History of SFHC
By: Dr. Robert Ware
SFHC Founding Director
In Spring 1997, Provost Mike Ortiz (who had first arrived at Fresno State in August 1996 as the Associate Provost) asked me to lead in the formation of the Smittcamp Family Honors College (SFHC) after the late Earl Smittcamp had committed the funds. The Provost reminded me that I had been talking about an Honors Program since he came to campus. The thinking was that I would chair a committee—the Honors Committee—selected in consultation with him and then, presumably, become the first director. He appointed the original Ad Hoc Honors Committee with me as the chair.
The SFHC was formally established in March 1998 after approval of the design/policy documents by the Academic Planning and Policy Committee (which I also chaired), policy approval by the Senate, and President John Welty’s signature. The Honors Committee now became the Honors Council. It was agreed that an Interim Director should be appointed while the formal search was undertaken for a Director. I was selected by the committee as the Director ad interim. It was important that the director for the actual operational Honors College be appointed via the appropriate campus consultative process. The goal was to formally appoint a Director by the end of December 1998 so he/she/them would be on board with the selection process for the first class. I applied.
I was able to get things moving and a design developed, etc. rather quickly. There had been thoughts that the first class might not enter until Fall 2000. But I do remember that at some point early in 1998, I realized we could affect it on the timetable we ultimately followed. I went to President Welty with this info and waited till he confirmed he could have the funds for scholarships by Fall 1999. The rest is history.
It was Fall 1998 when I determined I did not want to commit myself to 5 more active years, so I withdrew my name and announced my intention to go on the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP).
My first contact with Steve (Dr. Stephen Rodemeyer, SFHC’s Inaugural Director) was in early January 1999, shortly after he had been selected in December 1998. I phoned him immediately to congratulate him and to arrange a meeting so that we could discuss all matters related to SFHC and I could then turn over the reins. Prior to meeting with Steve, we (the Ad Hoc Honors Committee) had solicited applications and were about to go through with processing the first applications.
President Welty once called me the "Father of the Honors College" at some event—maybe it was when I became an emeritus. I'm happy with that thought.
Now, I would hope that everyone understands what a task it is to take a design such as that of the Honors College and make it come true. Steve's efforts as Director in making those first and subsequent years work, and to lead the Honors College in becoming as hugely successful as it has become, are quite another achievement—quite awesome, as has been observed.
Conceptualization is one thing; actualizing is another. The far more stressful and energy-sapping portion is the actualizing process. It is just that a good design is easier to effect than an incomplete or too idealistic/impractical one. Steve's accomplishment is to make a design/dream come true, to head a program that results in the development of graduates that we can be so proud to call our own—to make a dream into reality and actually take flight.
Over the past 24 years, the Honors College has produced almost 1,000 graduates that have gone on to do remarkable things. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Ware for his vision and the impact that vision had on generations of Valley students.
To kick off our 25th anniversary year, we are currently planning for a fall tailgate celebration! Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 28 when the Bulldogs face off against rival UNLV. Keep an eye out for invitations to come this summer.
