In this Q&A, Dan Coenen, Harmon W. Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law, reflects on his time at the University of Georgia and his work with the Morehead Honors College.
Dan Coenen retired in spring 2025 after serving on the University of Georgia School of Law faculty since 1987. For many years, he was an interview panelist for the Foundation Fellowship Interview Weekend. He also mentored countless Honors students throughout his time at UGA.
Dan Coenen was the Harmon W. Caldwell Chair in Constitutional Law when he retired in spring 2025. (photo by Stephanie Schupska)
Q: What comes to mind when you think about the Honors Program, now the Morehead Honors College?
What first comes to mind is the extraordinary group of students who participate in the program. For me, the mission of the university at its heart is to help, encourage, and give new and broadening opportunities to our students as they make their way through a critical and transformative time of life. Honors does just that for the special group of young people who are fortunate enough to be selected for membership in it and wise enough to take advantage of the programs it offers. Among other things, Honors provides the chance to be part of a smaller community of students within the larger university—which is something of value for many students, particularly as they transition into college. And the fact that our Honors College was recently ranked as the top honors program in the entire country speaks both to its quality and to how its reputation has grown, with good reason, over the years.
Q: What has been a favorite memory of working with Honors students?
Oh, my! This is a tough question for me because I’ve had many great experiences with our Honors students. I think of playing corn hole with students on my back deck, of hosting dinner seminars for students in my living room, of doing “mock interviews” of students who are pursuing elite graduate-school scholarships, of having a few students over to help decorate our Christmas tree, of teaching small-group Honors classes, of meeting with students (in my case, particularly pre-law students) to talk about future plans, and of simply bumping into members of the Honors College on the North Campus quad, at football games, or in downtown Athens. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to serve as a mentor for an Honors student and Foundation Fellow named Phaidra Buchanan, and it was a particularly happy day when I learned that she had been awarded the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Prof. Coenen talks to Foundation Fellows outside the School of Law in 2008.
Q: How do you think Honors has strengthened the University of Georgia?
I have been a faculty member at the University of Georgia for nearly 38 years. During that time, UGA has experienced transformational changes, growing from an institution with a state and regional focus into a university of truly international prominence. This evolution has been the product of many forces, including the efforts and foresight of key administrators, the support of state leaders and loyal alumni, the continuing expansion of high-quality programs, the recruitment of extraordinary faculty members, and more. But one key element has been the creation and re-creation of Honors. Among other things, the program has brought to our campus a large number of the very strongest college applicants in the nation. In higher education, a synergy always exists among the quality of students, the quality of teachers and staff members, and the quality of the programs that a school has to offer. Honors has played a vital role in all of this, by bringing to UGA, and keeping at UGA, a body of students who bring to the table both the very highest aptitude and an eagerness to learn and to be of service to others.
Q: What advice would you give to students entering Honors?
First, be thankful. Second, participate. Third, be nice but also be a little bit pushy. The point of the third piece of advice is basically this: The University of Georgia is a large institution, and, like other universities, it operates in a way that is very different from how high schools operate. As a result, the transition to college can present challenges. In addition, students sometimes have distinct goals—they may want to study a highly specialized subject, to find a one-of-a-kind co-curricular activity that best fits their personal interests, to reach beyond the university to render service in the broader community, or simply to have an occasional visit with a caring person who has already navigated the college experience. Precisely because the university is a big place, it sometimes can be difficult to find the right individual or individuals who can genuinely help if you find yourself in such a situation. And my sense is that dealing with that reality requires you to be a little pushy—a little pushy with yourself and a little pushy with others, too. Reaching out to members of the staff of the Honors College, or to faculty members who are teaching Honors courses, may well prove to be of help. And you’ll never know whether that is the case unless you give it a try.
Prof. Coenen cracks jokes with students in the Law Library in early 2025.
Q: How has Honors enriched your life as a faculty member?
I teach in the Law School, so I work mainly with law students. But being involved in the Honors Program has put me in relationship with undergraduate students—wonderful undergraduate students, who bring to our community their own special energy, outlooks, and dreams. This aspect of my work has broadened me as both a professor and as a person, including as a parent. In addition, through my involvement in the Honors Program, I have had the chance to interact with many faculty members, staff members and alumni who are not connected with the Law School at all. Indeed, some of my most valued friends on campus are friends I have come to know, or know a good bit better, because of collaborations I have had with them through the Honors College. Among that group are each of the three most recent deans and directors of Honors—Meg Amstutz, David Williams, and Jere Morehead, who now serves as UGA’s president. Each of these individuals is a caring person of the highest competence and character who has long been committed to the pursuit of excellence in their work with the Honors Program and the broader university. UGA has been deeply enriched by their efforts, and so have I.
