The English Education track is in the process of reconstituting its student affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English, with the first meeting scheduled for October 20. At least 12 English Education students are currently registered to attend the Utah Council of Teachers of English state conference on October 28, 2000. English students also demonstrate their commitment to the discipline by participating in the Honors program. Departmental Honors requires students to take 15 credits of specified honors courses, each of which usually requires a special project in addition to normally required course work, and to write a thesis that is reviewed by a faculty committee at both the proposal and defense stages. Seven to eight students have been enrolled in the Departmental Honors program in each of the last two years.
English majors participate in numerous additional activities outside the course program.
Utah State University sponsors an annual Creative Writing Contest for undergraduate and graduate students drawing 50-75 entrants, all on a voluntary basis. To apply, students had to submit a piece of their own poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. As an indication of the quality of these students, half of the six winners each year were English majors.