ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College is celebrating 30 years as one of the only degree granting tutorial colleges in the nation.

In 1972, Professor Ellery Golos sent former Ohio University President Claude Sowle a proposal for a tutorial system to "provide the best education for the highly-gifted, highly-motivated undergraduate student."

The university's Curriculum Council approved this proposal on May 9, 1972. The Honors Tutorial Program then became the Honors Tutorial College, adopting the tutorial format.

"Our college is unique because our tutorial system is based on the British tutorial systems of universities like Oxford and Cambridge," said Jan Hodson, assistant dean of the Honors Tutorial College.

The Honors Tutorial College's history dates back to 1945 when it existed as an honors program. In 1959, an honors program and awards committee was established to set rules for and supervise honors courses conducted by various academic departments. Theses courses were open only to juniors and seniors with a 3.0 accumulative average.

Former Ohio University President Vernon Alden first authorized the Honors College in January 1964, Hodson said. Samuel Jasper was named its first full time director, followed in the late 1960s by Edgar Whan.

College enrollment grew from 23 in its initial year to 430 students in Alden's final year at the university. But despite interest and strong growth for the college, enrollment was limited to only 5 percent of the student body and students were required to have a 3.5 accumulative average.

"Honors College courses for sophomores were similar to regular University courses except classes were small and more was expected of the college's students," Hodson said. "For juniors and seniors, courses were interdisciplinary and often designed by students and faculty."

Under Whan's direction, the college began to accept freshman students by inviting them to participate in special seminars to satisfy an English requirement.

The first Ohio University honors tutorial group began in September 1973. Golos became the director and Margaret Cohn, who became dean in 1977, was named as assistant director. Now there are 26 major areas of study offered by the college with approximately 225 students enrolled.

"The experience of being an honors tutorial student is a situation where you found the perfect place to be for what you wanted to be," said Erin Jones, a 1995 graduate and past president of the college's Board of Visitors. "The professors work with you to find your place. We were not the students of our professors; we actually became their friends."