Smittcamp Family Honors College

The Smittcamp Family Honors College is an Honors college program at the California State University, Fresno. It is dedicated to creating, identifying, cultivating, and enhancing learning opportunities for academically accomplished and highly motivated students. Its mission is to raise the level of educational opportunity available to the whole community of California State University, Fresno and to develop the leadership in its graduates on which our future depends. Only 50 high achieving students are accepted into this college each year.

History

The Smittcamp Family Honors College was begun with a $1 million gift from Earl and Muriel Smittcamp and family. Earl Smittcamp, a prominent agribusiness leader, graduated from California State University, Fresno in 1939. Owner and operator of Wawona Orchards, he oversees the production and processing of fresh and frozen foods through a multimillion dollar regional business that leads the industry in development and distribution of fruit and fruit products. Earl and Muriel, also a Fresno State graduate, have four children — all alumni of Fresno State — and 14 grandchildren. Earl Smittcamp and his family exemplify the leadership excellence, innovative thinking, and personal daring honors graduates strive to achieve. Almost overshadowing their business successes is the Smittcamp family’s deep commitment to supporting the community and the university. In the spirit of such leadership they became the catalyst for making the university’s long-held dream of an honors college come true. As they have led our valley and Central California in applying innovative approaches to the cultivation and processing of produce, they also have fostered the creation of our innovative Honors College. The Smittcamps exemplify their belief in the principles that education is really dependent upon what one makes of it and that "excellence" is never accepting less than the best from yourself.

Dr. Stephen Rodemeyer, the man who runs the Honors College, has become a popular icon and role-model among Smittcamp scholars. He is often referred to colloquially as "D-Rod".

Scholarship Information

Guarantees to the Smittcamp Family Honors College student include:

* President’s Honors Scholarship
* 25-student limit in honors classes
* Study with the university’s top professors
* Individual attention and advising from honors professors
* Four-year degree completion option
* Priority registration for all courses
* Use of the Smittcamp Family Honors College Office
* Inscribed Smittcamp Family Honors College bronze medallion
* Free unlimited Internet access
* Opportunity for international study programs — e.g., London, China, or South Pacific Semesters
* Regular interaction with the university president
* Graduation with Honors
* Special recognition at commencement

All students accepted to the Honors College are guaranteed the following President’s Honors Scholarship grant package covering:

* in-state, undergraduate registration and fees
* $200 annual book allowance
* full room rent for those choosing to live in a community-style campus residence hall

Contact the Honors Office for the current package value. Other financial aid may also be available toward meeting costs not covered above — e.g. food plans and miscellaneous expenses.

Scholarship Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission to the Smittcamp Family Honors College include:

Clear demonstration of intellectual and creative potential to benefit from honors learning experiencesmeeting one or more of the following criteria:
* SAT/PSAT of 1800 (Critical Reading/Math/Writing) or above
* within upper 10 percent of your graduating class
* minimum GPA of 3.6 (through the end of junior year)

Numbers are sometimes misleading in predicting student potential. Should you believe your work and abilities merit our consideration, regardless of the numbers, our application outlines a procedure for demonstrating your abilities to us.

External links

* [http://honors.csufresno.edu]