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Overview

The University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College provides an enhanced course of instruction for outstanding, highly motivated students from all programs of study. Honors education is, at its heart, a liberal arts education that coupled with the resources available at the major research land-grant University of Kentucky make Lewis Honors College a unique experience. Regardless of major, the fundamental goal of Honors education is to provide all students with a broad, critical intellectual base from which they can then engage more deeply and thoughtfully in their chosen fields.

The mission of the Lewis Honors College is to better the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the world by helping students to explore their purpose, develop intellectually, and lead with integrity.

Honors students are diverse, innovative, intellectually engaged, and interested in creative thought. They are expected to be citizens of their University and their world, and to possess an inquisitive attitude toward a wide range of ideas and intellectual concepts.

News and Events

Lewis Honors College Hosts Inaugural Golf Scramble

The Lewis Honors College (LHC) attracts students driven “to better the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” LHC senior Ethan Morgan took the mission to heart when he initiated the inaugural LHC Golf Scramble to benefit the Lewis Unforeseen Circumstances and Kindness (LUCK) Fund — an emergency collection for unexpected student needs — to be held on Friday, April 18 at 1:30 PM at the University Club of Kentucky Wildcat Course.

Neuroscience and pharmacology research raises recent UK grad's interest in medicine

Recent UK graduate Elaf Ghoneim, an alumna of the Lewis Honors College and neuroscience major while an undergraduate, conducted research on novel anti-inflammatory small molecule drug candidates in clinical trials. Selected as 2022-23 Beckman Scholar, her research took place in the lab of Linda Van Eldik, Ph.D., director of the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

Lewis Honors, Gatton College host guest speaker, panel discussion on community development

The Lewis Honors College, Gatton College of Business and Economics and the Appalachian Center will host guest speaker, Dr. Seth Kaplan, for a talk entitled, "Strengthening Appalachia: Strategies Overcoming Fragility and Fostering Growth". A panel discussion featuring local government officials and University faculty members will follow the lecture.

Strengthening Appalachia: Strategies Overcoming Fragility and Fostering Growth

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Gatton College of Business and Economics, Woodward Hall

550 S Limestone, Lexington, KY 40506

Big Blue Crush Blood Drive

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Lewis Scholars Lounge

420 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY

Honor the Balance: Chair Massage & Crafts

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Lewis Scholars Lounge

420 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY

Blue Outline Checkerboard

T.W. Lewis

Thomas W. Lewis is a seventh-generation Kentuckian who grew up in Lexington. He graduated from Bryan Station High School in 1967 and the University of Kentucky in 1971 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He received his Master’s in Business Administration in 1973 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tom began his career in real estate development. After 18 years with four different companies and building upon those experiences, he started his own home building business in 1991 in Phoenix, Arizona. T. W. Lewis Company built approximately 250 homes per year from 1991 through 2011 and received many awards during this period, including America’s Best Builder in 1998 and the National Housing Quality Gold Award in 2009. 

In 2001, Tom and his wife, Jan, formed T.W. Lewis Foundation to support higher education, children and families in need, youth education and a variety of community nonprofit organizations. In 2015, in order to give back to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Tom and Jan made a generous gift to the University of Kentucky to establish the Lewis Honors College. 

Mr. Lewis’ vision for the Lewis Honors College is to provide a world-class honors experience that is known for the success of its students, the quality of its faculty and curriculum, the respect of its peers and the economic and social progress of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Tom Lewis