In fall 2022, Farmingdale State College’s (FSC) Honors Program welcomed its first cohort of 20 students from each of FSC’s four schools. Now entering its third year with an expected cohort triple that size, there is a lot to celebrate about this program focused on academic excellence and civic engagement.
“The Honors Program deepens Farmingdale State College’s dedication to student success,” said Program Director Katelynn DeLuca, PhD, assistant professor of English and composition, who helped develop the program. “With the guidance of the Honors Faculty Council, the students are driven, curious, intelligent, and inspiring.”
“This outstanding FSC program offers our students a dynamic and enriched college experience, and we look forward to its continued success,” said Laura Joseph, EdD, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Enrollment projections for this coming fall semester will bring our program to 60 participants, with a goal of 80 by 2025.”
“Provost Joseph’s vision for a unique Farmingdale Honors Program is coming into sharp focus,” said Christopher Malone, PhD, associate provost. “The Honors Program had a breakout year. Under Dr. DeLuca’s leadership, we have added rigorous and exciting new honors courses and held dozens of extracurricular events, and students received grant funding to build community engagement projects outside of campus.”
The Honors Program is funded entirely with $2.5 million in philanthropic support from alumni Murray Pasternack, ’60, and Frank Geremia, ’62, the Broad Hollow BioScience Park, and the Farmingdale College Foundation. Incoming first-year students in any major can apply to the program, which offers enhanced experiences including academic counseling and advisement, service and leadership opportunities, lectures, networking events, and mentored research.
“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 in 2022. “You get so many different perspectives, and you can see how different majors connect.”
Additionally, FSC’s program recently joined the Northeast Regional Honors Council and the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) to connect students to a broader honors community. Last November, nine honors students attended the NCHC national conference, where they collaborated with students and faculty from across the country. More conference trips are planned for this coming year.
Overall, the program’s activities help develop well-rounded students who become invaluable in the Long Island workforce and create meaningful civic relationships.
“I definitely know that this experience in the program has prepared me for my future,” said Kayli Villalta, ’25, an applied psychology major. “The guidance I receive is a tremendous strength I will have because the entire honors board has shaped me as a student and a member of the community. I have participated in seminars that will shape my research and push me to think beyond academia, because as honor students we are the leaders of tomorrow. I look forward to pursuing my higher education through a much brighter lens and applying my education in the real world.”
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