KINGSTON, R.I. – April 22, 2025 – The University of Rhode Island’s new “honors contract” option is getting rave reviews from students piloting it this spring, indicating the new offering is one contract that students want to get in on, not out of.

The new honors contracts let students turn credits from non-honors courses into honors credits by doing additional work related to the course with a broader focus. Students like the opportunity to get honors credit for their work and the chance to take a deep dive into topics that call to them.

“This is a game changer for honors students at URI,” says Karl Aspelund, associate director of the Honors Program. “Two out of three honors programs in the U.S. offer contracts.”

Aspelund says the change lets the Honors Program keep pace with trends in other programs nationwide and notes that faculty response has been positive. Donna Gamache-Griffiths in the College of Business is so enthusiastic about the new option, she mentored three students completing contracts this spring.

“The honors contract allows students to dive deeper into subjects they’re passionate about, honing critical thinking, research, and creative problem-solving skills far beyond the regular curriculum,” she says. “This kind of independent work not only strengthens a student’s academic portfolio but also signals to graduate programs and employers that they’re capable of producing high-level work. Plus, it’s truly rewarding and interesting for the faculty to help guide students this way. It is a light lift for us, with lasting rewards for them.”

Student feedback positive

Juliana Bucci ’26 signed up to give the new contract option a try. A third-year medical laboratory science student, Bucci’s program includes an 11-month internship at Rhode Island Hospital, which means she has a tight schedule. She says the honors contract is a good opportunity for students who want to stay involved in honors even if they don’t have a lot of space in their schedules for honors courses.

“The contract has been incredibly rewarding and a real opportunity for academic growth,” she says. “I was also fortunate to be able to connect this work to my previous research from the Coastal and Environmental Fellowship I did in my sophomore year. I would absolutely recommend the honors contract to other students looking for flexibility in how they can earn honors credits or who just want to get more out of courses for their major.”

Feli Villanueva, a global business management major, says her honors contract offered her a flexible, efficient way to earn honors credit without taking an extra class. Since she is planning to graduate a year early, the contract lets her stay on track while deepening her learning in her degree program. She analyzed economic inequality in Latin America through the lens of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

Junior Nolan Allen, also in the College of Business, is completing a contract focused on the timely topic of tariffs and their impact on trade. He says the experience has given him better insight and understanding of the topic with a manageable workload.

Fourteen students are now piloting honors contracts this spring on a variety of topics, including analyzing the relationship between sport and social and political events, studying the relationship between roadway congestion and human driver characteristics, predicting shifts in Supreme Court constitutional interpretation, and learning how to teach marine biology lesson plans in Spanish to local middle schoolers.

Completed contract proposals for the fall semester are due by Sept. 19, which means that incoming students can also apply. Early applications are encouraged. To learn more, visit the URI Honors site or email Karl Aspelund at aspelund@uri.edu.