The Honors College provides specialized academic advisors who support students in the Honors College. Our advising team can answer questions about requirements, assist students in developing a curricular plan that aligns with their goals, provide referrals to campus resources, and serve as consultants throughout a student's undergraduate career.

Honors Students are also added to the Honors Canvas page, which hosts deadlines, important documents, announcements, and resources for student success. It is important that students consult this page regularly.

Looking for Honors Capstone requirements and deadlines? Please visit the Honors Capstone Project Canvas page.

Looking for an overview of the Honors Interdisciplinary Studies Minor curriculum? Please visit the official JMU Catalog

Connect With Advising
Helpful Links
Honors College Advising Team
Sara Hodges, M.Ed. - Academic Advisor

Honors College AdvisorOffice hours: M-F by appointment.
Email:
 hodgessb@jmu.edu 
Year: 2005
Degrees: BA (English, JMU) and Master's (Education, JMU)
Hometown: Harrisonburg, VA
Hobbies: Dancing, travel, science fiction and fantasy, martial arts, theatre, knitting, getting into trouble outdoors, and arguing with her cats. 

Brent Ritter, M.A. - Academic Advisor

Honors College AdvisorOffice hours: M-F by appointment
Email:
ritterbs@jmu.edu 
Year: 2022
Degrees: BA (Double Major in American History and Peace War and Defense) and MA (Higher Education)
Hometown: Ramseur, NC
Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, watching and sometimes attempting to play sports, and vegetable gardening

Mei Bell - Madison Advising Peer

Advising peer Mei

Office hours: MW 10am-1:30pm, TTh 11:30am-1pm; takes walk-ins and appointments. 
Year: 2025
Major: Marketing
Minors: Honors Interdisciplinary Studies
Hometown: Stow, MA
Organizations: Delta Delta Delta, American Marketing Association, Junior Panhellenic Council
Hobbies: Spin classes, watching TV with friends, hiking, baking, and laying on the quad. 

"I am excited to work with new Honors students to help them feel comfortable and understand what they need to do!"

Francesca Fiorello - Madison Advising Peer

Advising peer Francesca

Office hours: T/W/TH 2:30-5:30pm, F 2-3pm; takes walk-ins and appointments. 
Year: 2026
Major: Anthropology
Minors: Classical Studies, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies, History
Hometown: Ashburn, VA
Organizations: Anthropology Club, Club Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Hobbies: Reading, writing, crocheting, martial arts, chatting with friends, and swimming at UREC.

Honors Departmental Faculty Liaisons

Your Honors Departmental Faculty Liaison is the expert about how Honors works within their academic department. If you have questions about how to do a capstone in your major or minor, need help finding faculty who will serve on your capstone committee or supervise an Honors Option or independent study, or would like suggestions on capstone project topics, your liaison is here to help!

The table below is best viewed at horizontal orientation on your device.

 

List of Honors Faculty Liaisons by Department
Department Faculty Liaison
Accounting Luis Betancourt
Anthropology Becca Howes-Mischel
Architectural Design Maureen Shanahan
Art Maureen Shanahan
Art Education Maureen Shanahan
Art History Maureen Shanahan
Athletics (Student-Athlete Services) Jessica Kyllo
Athletic Training - currently vacant -
Biology Christopher Rose
Biotechnology Susan Halsell
Chemistry/Biochemistry Yanjie Zhang
College of Business Karen deBrun
Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Lincoln Gray
Communication Studies Tim Ball
Computer Information Systems Amy Connolly
Computer Science Kevin Molloy
Dietetics Katherine Ott
Earth Science Bill Lukens
Economics Sayahnika Basu
Education - Early, Elementary & Reading Chelsey Bahlmann Bollinger
Education - Education Foundations & Exceptionalities Ben Riden
Education - Learning, Technology & Leadership Bill White
Education - Middle, Secondary & Mathematics Ann Wallace
Engineering Jason Forsyth
English Heidi Pennington
Environmental Science Bill Lukens
Fellowships Advising Meredith Malburne-Wade
Finance Jaideep Chowdhury
Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures Giulia Cardillo
Geography Kayla Yurco
Geology Bill Lukens
Graphic Design Maureen Shanahan
Health Professions Katherine Ott
Health Sciences Katherine Ott
Health Services Administration Katherine Ott
History Mary Gayne
Hospitality Management Pam Li
Industrial Design Maureen Shanahan
Information Technology (IT) Samy El-Tawab
Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) Hao Zhang
Intelligence Analysis Philip Baxter
Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies (IdLS) H. Gelfand
International Affairs Kristin Wylie
International Business Kirk Elwood
Justice Studies Daniel Beers
Kinesiology Trent Hargens
Libraries Grace Wilson
Libraries Kathy Clarke
Management Laura Leduc
Marketing (Honors Thesis) Theresa Clarke
Marketing (Senior Portfolio Project) Brooke Rhodes
Mathematics Dinesh Sharma
Media Arts and Design (SMAD) Nan Zheng
Military Science Michael Davidson
Music Andy Connell
Music Theatre Zachary Dorsey
Nursing Bridget Houlahan
Philosophy & Religion Charles Bolyard
Physics Sean Scully
Political Science Kristin Wylie
Psychology Monica Reis-Bergan
Public Policy and Administration Kristin Wylie
Quantitative Finance Jaideep Chowdhury
Social Work Nancy Poe
Sociology Ben Brewer
Sport and Recreation Management Pam Li
Statistics Dinesh Sharma
Theatre and Dance Zachary Dorsey
Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication Alex Parrish

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