Ryan M. Claycomb, an associate professor in the Department of English at West Virginia University has been named to the new position of assistant dean in the University’s Honors College.

“The Honors College has grown so rapidly in the last few years that we have reached the point where we need additional leadership,” Dean Keith Garbutt said in announcing the appointment, “and we are very pleased that Dr. Claycomb is joining our team. He brings a range of skills and experiences that we feel will enhance the programs we offer for our students.”

There are currently 1,725 students enrolled in the Honors College, an increase from 1,200 as recently as 2006. The College was established in 2006 as a maturation of the University Honors Program that was established in 1982 with 196 members. The Honors Program was itself an outgrowth of a departmental honors program that originated in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 1971.

The Honors College was created to help students who thirst for knowledge beyond their major fields of study. It offers special courses, taught by some of the University’s top faculty from a variety of fields, and strongly encourages students to seek out and participate in educational experiences such as undergraduate research, study abroad and internships.

-WVU-

ac-jb/03/30/12

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