Celebrating 100 years with MSU Texas: Redwine Honors Program

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - News Channel 6 is celebrating a century with Midwestern State University and we’re continuing our tribute to the university’s past, present and future with a program that pushes academic excellence and community.

The MSU Texas Redwine Honors Program is built on three principles. The first is academic excellence.

“Yes, we are a regional school, we are a small school, but we have students that are on par with the best students in the United States,” Dr. Steve Garrison, Redwine Honors Program Director, said.

Recent graduates have gone on to top 15 law and medical schools and have even been hired by firms like Apple and IBM.

”I would say that the honors program has elevated my MSU experience,” Andres Revis, Honors Program Student Council Officer, said.

”I honestly don’t think I would’ve come to school here if I wasn’t in the honors program,” Braelyn Ringwald, Honors Program Student Council Vice President, said.

”I think without the honors program I would still be involved on campus, but not to the extreme I am now,” Amanda Threlkeld, Honors Program Student Council President, said.

The second pillar is the intersection of academics and community.

”I wouldn’t have the same opportunities that I currently have, I wouldn’t have the same friends that I currently have,” Revis said.

”Oh yeah, all of my friends and connections are from the honors program, so I would say 95 percent of my friends - most of us don’t have the same age group,” Ringwald said.

”You get the community, you develop the friendships, but you also get to do that in a setting to where you’re in the classrooms with the same people when you’re taking honors classes,” Threlkeld said.

The third pillar is bounded freedom. The program allows students to pursue what they’re passionate about through opportunities like completing internships, studying abroad, and even presenting undergraduate research at regional and national conferences every year.

“These are great opportunities to meet other like-minded students, high achieving students to find out what they are doing and create experiences for students,” Garrison said. “Becoming the best that they can be. That’s usually what I want out of it. The students make strong friendships in this group.”

”I think the community symbolizes that idea of a family,” Garrison said. “The phrase of Wichita Falls is the biggest small town, it’s a strong community in Wichita Falls. I see MSU as a strong community and we’re a microcosm of that.”

All MSU Texas centennial celebration stories can be found by clicking here.

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