The Honors Program at Iowa State University was established in 1960. The Honors Program coordinates academic courses, offers seminars, provides research grants and study abroad opportunities in order to provide an intellectually stimulating environment to students who participate in the program. Students must complete an honors project to graduate with the Honors distinction. This collection contains annual reports of the program, including early reports issued as memorandums rather than as a published report. The annual reports often include descriptions of the program, policies, enrollment requirements, administrative activities, educational activities, research activities, and other highlights.

The Honors Program at Iowa State University was established in 1960 under the guidance of then Dean of Instruction W. Robert Parks. Initially, honors students engaged in individual study or research. In 1963, the first optional honors course was offered (Psychology 234, Developmental Psychology). In the 1970s, under the direction of Edwin Lewis, honors courses were developed in order to increase interaction among Honors students and give them special educational experiences. Lewis was also instrumental in the development of a Student Advisory Board for the program. As the program matured and expanded, student research projects culminated in poster presentations. Students who completed honors research projects graduated with the Honors distinction.

When the Honors Program was first envisioned it was designed for students who had proven superior academic ability at Iowa State, thus freshmen were excluded from participating. The Freshman Honors Program was initiated in 1973 on a trial basis. A research component, the Freshman Mentor Program, was adopted in 1987.

The Honors Program is housed in the Jischke Honors Building, where it has resided since the building's construction in the fall of 2002. The program had previously been housed in Osborn Cottage. Currently (2012) the Honors Program coordinates academic courses, offers seminars, provides research grants and study abroad opportunities in an effort to provide an intellectually stimulating environment to well over 1,000 student participants.

This collection (1967-[ongoing]) contains annual reports of the program, including early reports issued as memorandums rather than as a published report. The annual reports often include descriptions of the program, policies, enrollment requirements, administrative activities, educational activities, research activities, future plans and goals, other highlights and activities of the program, statistics and listings of honors students.

The collection is listed chronologically.