The University of Toledo

Message from the Director

Greetings.  My name is Tom Barden.  I am dean of the Honors College at The University of Toledo. Our programming brings highly motivated students together to make their undergraduate experience the very best it can be. The Honors College is what I like to think of as a "talent enhancement plan" for your college career.   Our promise to you is that we will provide you with a curriculum and extra-curricular activities that meet your high expectations, intellectually, culturally, and socially. We will recruit the best faculty for your courses, provide you with intensive, personalized advising, connect you with excellent advisers for your Honors thesis or project, locate scholarship and internship opportunities for you, and help you plan for your future success after you leave the University of Toledo.

If you are a current Honors student, I invite you to come by my office so I can meet you personally if we haven't already met. If you are a high school student considering the University of Toledo and applying to the Honors College, I invite you to attend one of our recruiting events in the fall or early spring to see our beautiful campus. And be sure to visit Sullivan Hall, pick up information, and get a feel for the Honors College. If you are a community college student or transfer student from another college or university, and you are interested in the Honors College, please contact me at thomas.barden@utoledo.edu to discuss your academic standing, your Honors transfer credits, and how our programming can fit your educational and career plans.

When I'm not at work in the Honors College, I'm a professor of English with specialties in folklore, American literature, and especially the work of John Steinbeck. And when I take off my university hat altogether, I play mandolin and guitar in a fine string band called Old State Line.  [We're on Facebook]  I'm on campus every weekday from 8:30 to 5:00, either in my office, in class, or in the library. So stop by to see me or give me a call if you want to talk about The University of Toledo Honors College and your place in it.