The Honors Scholars Program has been described in a new guide to honors programs.

Peterson's Guide to Honors Programs is the only guide besides Sullivan and Randolf's Ivy League Programs at State School Prices: The 55 Best Honors Programs at State Universities Nationwide, that specifically lists honors programs.

The new Peterson's Guide doesn't rate the schools, but describes in detail the honors programs offered at 350 universities.

The guide describes UConn's Honors Scholars Program as being "for enthusiastic and energetic students who enjoy small classes, extensive discussions with professors, and the challenge of articulating and refining their own ideas in an original thesis." The guide also says the honors program "is diverse in terms of students' ethnic and racial backgrounds," setting it apart from many of the other universities listed.

Cyrus Zirakzadeh, associate professor of political science and director of the honors program, says being included in the Peterson's Guide will increase the program's visibility and he expects that this will increase enrollment in the program. He describes this as a "nice problem."

Zirakzadeh says that if the number of students continues to grow, the program will need to involve more faculty so that it can continue to provide the small classes and close interaction with faculty members that contribute to its high quality.

Despite raising the standards for admission into the honors program in 1993, the number of students enrolled has grown by nearly 19 percent, from 684 in 1992 to 811 today.

Daniel Smolin