Seizing Opportunities at Honors Programs and Colleges

College Admissions with Mark and Anna

While many elite universities do not offer merit scholarships, honors colleges and programs at many public universities offer great options for high-achieving students. In addition to providing merit-based awards, they can offer specialized curriculums and unique opportunities to help students thrive in a larger school environment. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Craig T. Cobane, Ph.D. from Western Kentucky University's Mahurin Honors College as they discuss the difference between honors program and honors colleges, why they are valuable, and who they are a great fit for in this new episode.

Craig T. Cobane, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Mahurin Honors College (MHC) at Western Kentucky University (WKU). He built and has led the MHC for 15 years. While building the MHC, he created the Office of Scholar Development (OSD), which helped over 550 students earn over $10 million in national scholarships (e.g., Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, etc.). From 2012-17, he served concurrently as Chief International Officer (CIO) growing education abroad participation by 40 percent. For his work diversifying education abroad participation he was selected as the “Diversity and Inclusion Champion” by Diversity Abroad in 2018. Finally, he is the recipient of multiple teaching awards and national fellowships including American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Fellowship, where he spent a year at the Pentagon working on the Global War on Terrorism, and the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship, where he spent a year shadowing a university president.