Texas A&M University Honors Academy

Why should I apply for a student award or honor?

Student recognition helps you set yourself apart from the crowd by showcasing strengths, passions, ideas, and accomplishments. You don't have to wait for your senior year to aim for one of these honors, many of these awards and positions of responsibility and recognition are open to students at different stages of their undergraduate career.  While the top honors like the Brown-Rudder or Gates-Muller awards for graduating seniors are awarded based on accomplishments throughout your time at Texas A&M, there are also honors available to outstanding freshmen.

Of course, the sooner you start discovering the type of extraordinary person you wish to be--the star undergraduate researcher?  the outstanding community service leader? the Aggie who exemplifies our traditions and values? the person who does it all?--the better positioned you'll be to earn one of these awards.  And as in many things, earning one of these awards is public recognition of all your hard work and positions you well for the next stage, whether that is an even more prestigious title, position, or program admission!

Student Recognition

View descriptions for all student recognition awards.

What Faculty awards are available and how are they determined?

We recognize faculty contributions to our programming in a variety of ways.  The Wells Fargo award goes to the faculty member voted by the Honors students as being most invested in student success through teaching Honors courses, giving "Pasta and Professors" discussions, mentoring student projects, and/or offering exciting options through Honors course contracts.

The Director and Unterberger awardees are selected by staff. The Director's award recognizes faculty and staff who have made a significant contribution to the support of Honors Academy. The Unterberger award recognizes faculty and staff who have made long-term contributions to high-impact practices such as Honors, Undergraduate Research, Capstones, and Learning Communities.

The Teacher-Scholar awards are also selected by staff. These awards recognize faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching and scholarship associated with Honors Academy.

Faculty Recognition

View descriptions for all faculty recognition awards.

"We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent."

 

Barack Obama

FAQs

Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller Does the GMBR Selection committee choose the awardees?
The GMBR Selection committee makes a recommendation to the President of Texas A&M University for the President’s approval.
Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller How do I apply for a Brown-Rudder or Gates-Muller Award?
Applicants for the Brown-Rudder or Gates-Muller awards must be nominated through the College in which their major resides.
Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller How do I get nominated?
Faculty, staff, or administrators within a college may submit a candidate’s application to their college’s nomination committee. Students may not self-nominate.
Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller When are the awards announced?
The recipients of the Brown-Rudder and Gates-Muller awards are kept confidential until their announcement and presentation at the LAUNCH Recognition Ceremony in May, shortly before the May graduation ceremonies. The awards are also announced at the college graduation ceremonies of the recipients.
Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller When does selection occur?
Applications from college candidates are solicited from January through February. College nominations are submitted to the GMBR selection committee by early March for presentation in May.
Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller Who is eligible?

For the Brown-Rudder, a student must have earned a GPR in the top quarter of his/her college, have completed at least one-half of their degree requirements at TAMU, have displayed the personal traits of President Earl Rudder, be or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations or in state/nationally recognized student organizations or social, church, or similar organizations, have an exemplary conduct record, have displayed a great love of TAMU and a willingness to uphold our principles, and have earned their baccalaureate degree by the end of the coming (May) spring semester or the previous two (December or August) graduation ceremonies.

For the Gates-Muller, a student must have earned a GPR in the top third of his/her college, have completed at least one-half of their degree requirements at TAMU, have displayed the personal traits of President Robert Gates, be or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations or in state/nationally recognized student organizations or social, church, or similar organizations, have an exemplary conduct record, have displayed a great love of TAMU and a willingness to uphold our principles, NOT be a recipient of the Brown-Rudder Award, and have earned their baccalaureate degree by the end of the coming (May) spring semester or the previous two (December or August) graduation ceremonies.

Brown-Rudder/Gates-Muller Who is the GMBR Selection committee?
The campus-wide GMBR Selection committee is an anonymous group of students, staff, and faculty nominated by the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of Faculties and Associate Provost, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, and the Commandant of the Corps of Cadets.
Dean's Excellence Can my letters come from someone who is not faculty?
Yes. Letters may come from anyone who meets the given criteria (see Letters of Recommendation section) and is not an undergraduate student.
Dean's Excellence Do I have to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi to submit an application? Do I have to join if I win the award?
No and no. You do not have to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi to submit an application and you are not required to join Phi Kappa Phi if you are selected as an awardee. We do hope that applicants and awardees will show interest in Phi Kappa Phi and the benefits of membership.
Dean's Excellence Do I have to be a member of the University Honors program to submit an application? Do I have to join the University Honors program if I win the award?
No and no. You do not have to be a member of any campus honors program to submit an application and you do not have to join the University Honors program if you win. We do encourage all students at the university to challenge themselves and participating in an honors program can provide significant benefits to your academic endeavors.
Dean's Excellence For various reasons I do not officially belong to a particular college. Can I apply?
No. Unfortunately the review process at this time does not accommodate applications from students who do not belong to a specific college.
Dean's Excellence I am double majoring and belong to two different colleges. Can I submit an application in both colleges?
Yes. You can submit an application in each college and it is possible to win the Dean's Excellence Award from both colleges.
Dean's Excellence I am particularly strong in one category but have almost no experience in the other categories. Am I still a competitive applicant?
It depends. While it is expected that applicants may not be "superstars" in every category the Dean's Excellence Award seeks to encourage and acknowledge students who show depth and promise in more than one area.
Dean's Excellence I don't have a lot of experience in one of the categories. Am I still a competitive applicant?
Yes. The review process is designed to accommodate applicants who have significant experience and participation in fewer categories as well as those who have only shallow participation in all categories. Since the goal of the award is to acknowledge and reward excellence you may find that the review process will favor these applicants over those who appear to be a "jack of all trades and master of none."
Dean's Excellence One of my documents is slightly longer than 1 page. Will this be excused?
No. The page limit is firm and each document written by the applicant can be no longer than 1 page. Unofficial transcripts and letters of recommendation may be longer than 1 page. Applicants who do not follow the directions will not be considered.
Dean's Excellence The [insert important title here] at TAMU is a close family friend. Can they write a letter for me?
Personal letters, no matter the title or authority of the person who authors them, have no weight in an application process. You are much better served by getting a letter from someone who knows you and your work directly and in a professional capacity.
Dean's Excellence Why can't my letters of recommendation come from outside the university?
The letter of recommendation system is designed to require a NetID and password to login. This ensures the legitimacy of the references that are received.