Lewis Honors College

In October of 2015, the University of Kentucky announced a major gift from Tom & Jan Lewis and T.W. Lewis Foundation to create a formal Honors College at UK, replacing and enhancing an already established honors program that is enrolling over 500 students per year.  This gift is a major milestone for both UK and T.W. Lewis Foundation in that it will provide for:

• A full time Honors College Dean
• Initial 12 full time Honors Faculty
• A 20,000 square foot space for Honors administration and classrooms in Lewis Hall
• An enhanced curricula
• A Speaker Series
• Over 1,000 existing and new dedicated honors dorm beds
• Initial Endowment Funding

We are excited about this partnership with the University of Kentucky and the impact it will make for generations with the students and the state of Kentucky.

CLICK HERE to check out a current construction progress photo

Scholarship History

The T.W. Lewis Scholarship and the Ruth Jones Lewis Scholarship at the University of Kentucky were created to provide high potential student leaders with self-awareness tools, career counseling, learning opportunities and financial aid so that they can reach their full potential and have a positive impact on the world.

Since 2006, T.W. Lewis Foundation has awarded over 60 college scholarships to attend the University of Kentucky. The scholarship has been $20,000 per student, which is paid over 4 years and is subject to renewal requirements. We currently have over 30 students attending the University of Kentucky. All students are Kentucky residents with half coming from Fayette County (Lexington) and half coming from a 29 county region in southeastern Kentucky.

Selection Criteria

• Leadership Potential
• Entrepreneurial Potential
• Strong Personal Character
• Intellectual Ability
• Financial Need

Scholarships Include

• Financial aid
• Personality and values feedback
• Career counseling
• Custom honors classes for skill development
• Annual book distribution for personal development
• Annual celebration banquet
• Networking opportunities

Renewal Requirements

• Participate in custom honors courses
• Participate in career counseling
• Complete an annual written update - academic, extracurricular, & career plan
• Perform 10 hours of community service per academic year
• Read two books per academic year distributed by Lewis Honors College and write a 500 word summary of each
• Attend annual celebration event
• Live in honors dorms freshman year
• Stay on track for a four year graduation - 15 credits per semester on a cumulative basis
• Maintain all Honors College graduation requirements
• Maintain good standing with UK

Resources