Orientation

Two Honors Orientation Mentors smiling in front of Orientation participants

Honors Orientation is a mandatory, free program designed to introduce incoming students to the foundations of undergraduate honors education and is offered in both the fall and spring terms. During Honors Orientation, students will have the opportunity to:

Orientation for Honors students admitted for the fall is will be held on the Wednesday and Thursday prior to the start of the fall term. Both days are required for successful completion of the program. The Fall 2025 Honors Orientation will begin on the evening of Tuesday, August 19, continue on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20 and, conclude on the morning and afternoon of Thursday, August 21.

Honors Orientation is separate from campus-wide New Student Orientation overseen by the office of New Student and Family Programs. That program is mandatory for all new TU students and incurs a fee. Contact New Student and Family Programs with any questions regarding New Student Orientation.

Fall 2025 Orientation

Fall 2025 Honors Orientation will take place on August 19鈥�21 for incoming freshmen, students transferring from other institutions, and continuing TU students joining for the fall term. There is no cost to attend Honors Orientation. Incoming Honors students received information about Honors Orientation sent to their TU email addresses.

  • Incoming Honors students who elect to live on-campus are scheduled tentatively to move into their on-campus housing on August 19, in advance of Honors Orientation. Scheduling of move-in times is organized through the Housing & Residence Life office, which can also answer any other housing-related questions you may have.

Honors College Common Read 

A common read is a required part of the Honors Orientation experience in August. This program provides an opportunity for Honors students to explore issues that contribute to the development of critical thinking skills while fostering intellectual ties between Honors students, faculty, and staff.

The goals of the Honors College Read are:

  • Provide incoming students a chance to connect with other students
  • Provide incoming students simulated classroom discussion experience led by faculty
  • Provide students with a learning opportunity that relates to the academic expectations of the Honors College
  • Create an opportunity for critical thinking and ethical engagement

Honors Orientation 2025 Common Read

The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos

Jaime Green

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Hardcover ISBN 9781335463548

Paperback ISBN 9781335008008

Discussion Questions

The following questions will guide our discussion of this book at the Honors College Orientation. Please prepare typed responses to these ten questions. Some questions may only require a sentence or two while others may need a longer response. Responses will be collected and evaluated by Honors College faculty and staff, so be sure to print out your answers before you arrive with your full name and your orientation group name at the top of the page(s) that you submit. Don鈥檛 forget to bring these answers to the Thursday Orientation!

  1. One of the central ideas in Green鈥檚 book is that science is not just a matter of collecting data, but also about imagining possibilities. She emphasizes this point in the Introduction: 鈥溾�榃hat if?鈥� is not an unscientific question. It drives every hypothesis and prediction, every leap and act of synthesis that moves us from the unknown toward knowing.鈥� (18) Green considers various 鈥榳hat-if鈥� scenarios throughout her book especially from science fiction. Which 鈥榳hat-if鈥� scenarios resonated the most with you and why? What do these scenarios reveal about our understanding of life?
  2. Is seeking a precise definition of life worthwhile? Or does it risk limiting our understanding of what life could be, especially in alien environments? Or should we look for a working definition that is flexible enough that it can actually help us in our search for extraterrestrial life?
  3. In the first chapter of her book, Green introduces the idea we might need theories to guide our search for life. That鈥檚 because, without theories, we are left with intuitions which are largely biased by our experiences and cultural background. Do you find this idea compelling? Can you think of examples in which theories have either helped or hindered scientific progress, whether in the search for extraterrestrial life or other domains?
  4. Gould is well known for his idea of 鈥渞eplaying the tape of life,鈥� suggesting that if we could rewind Earth鈥檚 history, the outcome would be different each time (Chapter 3). Do you find this thought experiment helpful for understanding life鈥檚 evolution? Or do you think it oversimplifies the complex interplay of chance and necessity in life鈥檚 evolution?
  5. As debates over abortion and animal welfare illustrate, defining personhood is key for deciding how we treat other beings. The Pax colonists in Chapter 4 face this issue when they encounter the rainbow bamboo they call 鈥楽tevland.鈥� Drawing on Stevland鈥檚 story, how would you define personhood? How might this definition influence our treatment of non-human life, both on Earth and in the search for extraterrestrial life?
  6. What do you think people mean when they talk about the search for 鈥榠ntelligent鈥� life? In other words, which criteria are typically used to define 鈥榠ntelligent鈥� life? Do you think that these criteria reflect a human-centric view of intelligence, and if so, how might that bias our search for extraterrestrial life?
  7. The impact of discovering alien life on our worldview is a recurring theme in Green鈥檚 book. If tomorrow鈥檚 headlines announced microbial life on Mars, how would you respond to this event? What questions would you most want answered, and how might the announcement shift your worldview?
  8. Suppose you are in a position to communicate with intelligent extraterrestrial life like Eleanor Arroway in Sagan鈥檚 novel Contact (Chapter 6). What are the first three questions you would ask them and why?
  9. SETI research projects are largely funded by private donations (Chapter 6), such as the $200 million donation from Franklin Antonio in 2023. Should support and funding for SETI research come from the public instead? Why or why not? What criteria should guide the allocation of public funds to scientific research, especially in fields like astrobiology whose practical payoffs are uncertain?
  10. Towards the end of her book, Green mentions her surprise when the astrobiologist Abel Mendez told her that 鈥渉e doesn鈥檛 care about finding life beyond Earth.鈥� Similarly, Green reports that the SETI scientist Jill Tarter 鈥渂elieves SETI offers hope, too, that the power is in the search, not the discovery.鈥� How do you interpret these statements? Do you think that these statements have a worthwhile message?

The directions and full list of questions are also downloadable:

Spring 2026 Orientation

Spring Honors Orientation is required for incoming freshmen and students transferring from other institutions who join TU or the Honors College for Spring 2026. There is no cost to attend. Enrolled incoming students are required to register online to confirm their attendance at Honors Orientation, and details on the program will be communicated to admitted students in their decision letter in January 2026.