The UCA Honors Council unveiled the Schedler/Farris plaque Tuesday, Aug. 24, in the Farris Hall lobby to commemorate the relationship between President Farris and the Honors College.

The plaque features a photo of Dr. Norbert Schedler and Dr. Jefferson Farris with their two wives in front of Farris Hall. Below the photo is the seal/logo of the Honors College and information about the beginnings of the Honors College and some of its history since then.

Farris’s daughter, Rebecca Mills, spoke at the event about the relationship between Schedler and Farris. Mills described the two men as two different people who found common ground in their commitment to the university. 

“I hope life brings you many opportunities for big conversations with people and at least one colleague that you care for deeply and that you work with to make a difference in the world,” Mills said, encouraging students to make relationships similar to that of Schedler and Farris.

The plaque provides further information about the beginnings of the Honors College, including its $600 budget in the spring of 1982.

“I want us to stay connected to our history,” said Patricia Smith, dean of the Honors College.

The Honors College has ways they continue to celebrate Schedler and Farris through the Schedler Scholar in Residence lecture series and the Farris Honors Lecture Series.

In the future, Smith said the Honors College would like to start a Founder’s Day to share more of their history. Smith said this would hopefully involve a documentary about the Honors College to be shown on the Founder’s Day.

As UCA was the first college to have an Honors College in the state, Smith said there are some things that set their program apart from other colleges’ honors programs. “There’s very few honors colleges in the nation that have their own faculty,” said Smith about the six faculty members that work full-time in the Honors College. Smith said these faculty members know the needs of their honors students and are prepared to work with them.

Having visited groups of Honors College alumni in different parts of the country, Smith said alumni who come from different generations always have a noticeable connection because of their time at the Honors College and sharing the history of the program.

Smith recognized Hannah Malone and Ricole Warren, who unveiled and read the plaque during the event. Smith also recognized Greta Hacker, who helped design the plaque with the Honors College before the pandemic as a way to show the relationship of the Honors College and Farris to future generations.

Smith has been the dean of the Honors College for two years now after having been the interim dean for three years starting in 2017. More information about the UCA Honors College can be found at uca.edu/honors.