{"id":226673,"date":"2025-09-15T15:44:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=226673"},"modified":"2025-09-16T08:09:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:09:26","slug":"a-new-chapter-for-martinson-honors-edge-at-montclair-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2025\/09\/15\/a-new-chapter-for-martinson-honors-edge-at-montclair-state-university\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Chapter for Martinson Honors EDGE at ÌÇÐÄvlog"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ÌÇÐÄvlog\u2019s newly renamed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/honors\/\">John Martinson Honors EDGE Program<\/a> is marking a milestone year, propelled by a transformative $5 million gift and new initiatives that expand student creativity, leadership and engagement. At a recent welcome reception, the University signaled its commitment to fostering innovative academic experiences and deeper community ties.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Major Gift Fuels Change<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2025\/07\/10\/montclair-state-university-receives-5-million-gift-to-transform-honors-program\/\">$5 million gift from philanthropist John Martinson<\/a> is powering program enhancements that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">expand interdisciplinary and experiential learning, with a focus on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preparing innovative leaders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supporting creative and socially impactful academic pathways<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Investing in interdisciplinary study and student engagement on campus and beyond<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Executive Director Jeff Strickland described this as a defining chapter: \u201cOur vision for honors is bold \u2013 to expand access, to promote creativity and leadership, and to ensure that Montclair stands at the forefront of public honors education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_226676\" class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/image1.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/image1.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"President Jonathan Koppell stands addressing students at the John Martinson Honors EDGE reception, gesturing as attendees seated at round tables listen attentively.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Jonathan Koppell addresses students gathered at the John Martinson Honors EDGE reception, encouraging them to embrace creativity and social transformation. (Photo by Mileena Torres \u201921)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Reception Welcomes Students<\/h2>\n<p>A welcome reception kicked off the<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/honors\/about-the-program\/\">John Martinson Honors EDGE (Engage, Discover, Grow, Experience) Program<\/a> on September 8, gathering about 120 honors students and faculty. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the honors program at Montclair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Speaking to the energy of the new academic year and the program\u2019s milestone, President Jonathan Koppell emphasized the centrality of creativity and social transformation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u201cYou have demonstrated commitment, curiosity and eagerness to develop your own potential,\u201d he told the students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provost Junius J. Gonzales reinforced this challenge, urging students to make creativity their \u201ccompetitive advantage in business, scholarship, in your work and future lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_226675\" class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/091025_136465_Honors-Creativity-Chris-Donohue_MP.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/09\/091025_136465_Honors-Creativity-Chris-Donohue_MP.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Sociology Professor Christopher Donoghue leads a group of students in an \u201cHonors Creativity\u201d class at Montclair, with students seated around tables working on laptops and collaborating in a bright, windowed classroom. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sociology Professor Christopher Donoghue teaches one of Montclair\u2019s signature honors courses, \u201cHonors Creativity,\u201d which underscores that creativity is a cultivated skill tied to public purpose. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students credit the program with shaping their academic direction and personal growth. Krishita Vaghani, a junior in Computer Science, said: \u201cHonors is not only preparing us for the future, it\u2019s teaching us to create the kind of future worth living in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Expanded Experiences and Opportunities\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Martinson&#8217;s gift makes possible expanded academic, creative and leadership opportunities for honors students:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Creative Learning stipend \u2013 $5,000 for every honors student to pursue study abroad, internships and research<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Honors Leadership Certificate \u2013 a planned program integrating leadership training into coursework<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Interdisciplinary research clusters \u2013 planned initiatives connecting faculty and students across fields<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Distinguished visiting faculty \u2013 bringing national experts to campus for mentoring and teaching<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Collaborations \u2013 expanded ties to the Martinson Collaborative linking Montclair with 10 leading honors programs nationwide, also funded by Martinson<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Montclair envisions growing its program to 1,000 students within five years and positioning the University to evolve the John Martinson Honors EDGE Program into a stand-alone Honors College.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThese enhancements elevate Montclair\u2019s position among public universities while giving students expanded avenues for discovery and impact,\u201d Strickland noted. \u201cHonors EDGE is not just a curriculum \u2013 it is a community and a calling. It is about cultivating knowledge and creativity, not for ourselves alone, but for the larger public good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/honors\/admissions-criteria\/\">admission criteria<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/honors\/\">John Martinson Honors EDGE Program<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/admissions\/\">take your first step in applying<\/a> to become a Red Hawk.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/\/ Output tags as a list for Google Analytics custom dimension\nwindow.MSU_TagList = [];\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Transformed by $5 million gift \u2013 creativity, leadership and 40th anniversary drive program forward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":226674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,578,582,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admissions","category-donors","category-honors-edge","category-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226673"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226685,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226673\/revisions\/226685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}