Achievements

Matt Baran, assistant director of the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program, received the Honors Professional of the Year Award at the 2026 Northeast Regional Honors Council (NRHC) conference in New Haven, Connecticut. The award recognizes professionals who demonstrate a dedication to honors education at their home institution as well as significant engagement at the regional and national level. Baran established the Honors Leaders peer mentoring program at Buffalo State in 2022, introduced a new HON 189 experiential learning course, "The Queen City: Understanding Place in Buffalo, N.Y.," based on NCHC Place As Text pedagogy, published in the Honors In Practice journal, and has presented at both the regional conference (NRHC) and the national conference (NCHC).

The Muriel A. Howard Honors Program also received first place in the annual Honors Publications Contest, judged on both content and design. The Muriel A. Howard Honors Program Official Newsletter is published in both digital and print formats.