Dear Friends, The many opportunities available through the L & S Honors Program enable our brightest and most highly motivated students to realize their full potential at the UW-Madison. The Program has grown by about 20% over the last four years, and with sufficient resources it could grow much more - and without any decline in the quality of our admitted students. More departments are enrolling honors students than ever before, and the results they achieve are truly remarkable: some of our Sophomore Apprentices have co-signed scholarly research papers with their professors, and some senior thesis students are the primary author on published research.
 
Over and over again we hear students say "this program has made an overwhelming difference in my college experience and achievement." As is so often the case in a public university, state support must focus on the "basic necessities" and can provide only the most limited resources for merit awards and enhancement of educational opportunities for the best students. What this means, simply put, is that - more than most activities - the L & S Honors Program is dependent upon private giving for the programs it conducts. The "return on investment" for such giving is enormous, for our donors do provide "the margin of excellence" in a great public research university. Here are just a few examples of how your contributions - large or small - could help our students. More detailed information appears below the examples. If you are able, we hope you will consider such a prime investment in the future.
 
Sincerely,
 
Charles T. Snowdon
Director, L&S Honors Program Hilldale Professor of Psychology
 
 
Study Abroad  -  Give On-Line
 
We offer a three-week, six-credit intensive honors program each summer in Florence.  Not all honors students can afford to apply for this program.  Ten gifts of $50.00, earmarked for this purpose, would enable us to offer a $500 travel scholarship for an honors student not otherwise able to participate in this program.
 
 
L&S Honors Sophomore Summer Research Apprenticeship Program  -  More Information  |  Give On-Line
 
This is our foundation program in undergraduate research, but we have no state funding for it and must apply to more than five different sources each year-none of them guaranteed-to continue to offer this opportunity.  A gift of $1500 would provide one student stipend; an endowment of  $750,000 would minimally guarantee the program's continuation in perpetuity-and would provide a naming opportunity.
 

Support for the Honors Program's UW Collegiate Forensic League (sponsored by the L&S Honors Program)

- Give On-Line (Friends of Forensics Endowment Fund)

- Give On-Line (Forensics Day-to-Day/Operational Expenses)

Restarted by students themselves three years ago, in 2005  the Forensics Club won Eighth Place in the National Forensics Association's President's Sweepstakes, Division I.  This is like finishing in the top 10 in the NCAA's if you are an athlete.  It costs $30,000 a year to provide the most minimal support for a team of 20-25 students--$10,000 for hourly wages for a part-time coach, and $20,000 in entry fees and travel costs for the team.  The Honors program assumed sponsorship of the team three years ago, and we literally do not know from one year to the next where the funds will be found to pay for it.  A gift of  $100 will pay the travel and entry fees of one student in one major competition; $800 will pay for a student's costs for the entire year; $10,000 would fund the coach for one year.  We could endow the team's costs in perpetuity for $600,000-$750,000, and a single, sizable "lead gift" could help us start toward that goal.

 
 
FUNDED!  Addition of new modules and secure access to the Honors Program Web Site   -  
 
This opportunity to support the ongoing development of the L&S Honors Program website has been funded by a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and Linda Sher.  Our thanks to the Sher's for their continued support of the L&S Honors Program and of our website.
 
Through the Sher's gift the Honors Program will be able to add to our website a calendar module, on-line forms submission capability, on-line forums capability, and a "secure socket" certificate and connection to guarantee student privacy and site security while providing department advisors access to our advising data base.  These additions to the capabilities of our site will expand and streamline our services to students as well as to other program constituents.
 
 
Chester H. Ruedisili Honors General Support Fund   -  More Information  |  Give On-Line
 
If you want your annual gift to support for one of these activities, you may direct it to the Ruedisili Honors General Support Fund, and mark its purpose for the activity you wish to fund.  If you wish to make a gift to be directed to the area of greatest need, simply send it to the Ruedisili fund.
 
 
Endowment Opportunities
 
The L&S Honors Program currently has three major giving opportunities available in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin's current Create the Future capital campaign.  These opportunities include:
 
 
 
For more information about these giving opportunties please follow the links above.