Now in its second year, there is a lot to celebrate about Farmingdale State College’s (FSC) Honors Program. A vehicle for high achieving students, this robust program focuses on academic excellence and community building.
“This excellent FSC program offers our students a dynamic and enriched academic experience, and we look forward to its continued success,” said Dr. Laura Joseph, senior vice president and provost. "We are thrilled to welcome our second Honors Program cohort this fall."
“Through civic engagement, service leadership, and multidisciplinary learning, the Honors Program deepens Farmingdale State College’s dedication to student success,” said Program Director Katelynn DeLuca, assistant professor of English and composition. “The program is epitomized by a shared commitment to excellence, incorporating diverse activities that build on student’s curricular studies to support their development as community-minded, civically engaged citizens, leaders, and professionals.”
In Fall 2022, the program welcomed its first cohort of 21 students from each of FSC’s four schools. On August 25, 2023, an Honors Program Orientation was held for this year's cohort of 18 students from FSC’s four schools. The program is funded entirely with $2 million in philanthropic support through the Murray Pasternack '60 Honors Scholarship, the Frank Geremia '62 Honors Scholarship, the Broadhollow BioScience Park Honors Scholarship, and the Farmingdale College Foundation Honors Scholarship.
“It has been an incredibly rewarding experience helping build the program and then working with the honors students throughout the first year,” said DeLuca, who also served on the President/Provost Task Force for Development of an Honors Program in October 2020. “The students are driven, curious, intelligent, and inspiring.”
Incoming first-year students in any major can apply to the Honors Program, which offers a variety of experiences that support student development as civically engaged students, leaders, and professionals, along with added elements of academic rigor, said DeLuca.
“The most thrilling thing about the program is that it’s wide open—we’re creating a new chapter in Farmingdale State College’s life and the lives of our students,” said DeLuca. “I’m excited to see what the students make of the program with the guidance of the Honors Faculty Council.”
"The Honors Program creates a community where all academic disciplines come together, and it comes with a lot of benefits," said Maria Naeem '26, a Security Systems major who joined the program last year. "You get so many different perspectives and you can see how different majors connect."
Going National
Additionally, FSC’s program recently joined the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) to connect students to a broader honors community and perspective. This November, 10 honors students will attend the NCHC national conference, where they can meet honors students and faculty from across the country.
“We hope to expose students to opportunities for prestigious fellowships and scholarships, in addition to multidisciplinary experiences, that present them with career paths they may not have considered, including exploring graduate studies rather than heading directly into the workforce following graduation,” said DeLuca.
The program’s activities help develop well-rounded students who become high performers in the Long Island workforce and are engaged with their local communities.
“I believe deeply in the program and its students and I’m looking forward to the challenges and exciting opportunities ahead of us,” said DeLuca.
For more information, please visit the FSC Honors Program webpage.
