Josh Imhof | news editor

Kevin Henderson may have it figured out now, but he said he was not always sure of what his path would be.

During his time as an undergraduate at Geneva College, Henderson dropped out to skateboard and play in his punk rock band after falling in love with the underground scene in Pittsburgh.

Eventually, Henderson moved away but found his way back to school. Years later, he found his way back to Pittsburgh.

“My own trajectory is very anti-linear. I went to school, and at the time I realized it wasn’t for me,” Henderson said. “A lot of our honors students skirt that boundary between hyper-intelligence and quirkiness. … I think I relate to that a lot.”

Henderson took over as director of the Honors College on July 1 after former Director Kathleen Roberts retired.

Henderson first came to Duquesne in 2023 to serve as the director of the Office of Student Fellowships, a branch of the university that provides students with financial assistance for research and educational opportunities.

During this time, he also began working as associate director of the Honors College, where he worked closely with Roberts as she finished her time at Duquesne.

The former Honors College director said she immediately noticed the interest Henderson took in his students.

“We were definitely on the same page from the very beginning,” Roberts said. “He had a wonderful heart for the students. He really wanted to learn from them.”

A lifelong student himself, Henderson has spent much of his career learning and teaching others. After moving to New York, he worked for the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia where he served as program officer for four years before being promoted to program director for another four years.

This past summer, he finished his doctorate in Comparative and International Education at Columbia University.

Braeden Bungard, sophomore economics and philosophy major, had Henderson for an ethics course and said the honors college director would always find ways to keep students interested.

At the beginning of each class, Bungard said Henderson would hand out playing cards and call on students based on the card they received. Later in the class, students would be paired up with others based on the same card, allowing for free flowing discussion with multiple people.

“It always kept you engaged,” Bungard said. “You never knew when you were going to be called on and you wanted to pay attention.”

Henderson said he is looking to increase this engagement not just in his classes but across the honors college. Starting next semester, he plans to make some new additions to the school and rework some existing programs.

In the spring, Henderson will form the Honors College Student Curriculum Council, a board that will help provide feedback to him about how students are doing in the school. The council will be made up entirely of students and a call for interest will be sent out this semester.

In addition to this, Henderson also wants to start an Honors College Faculty Advisory Board in Fall 2027 in order to fine tune course offerings within individual majors outside of the honors college.

He said he hopes that this will allow for students to stay in the honors college for longer than the usual one to two years it takes to complete the required courses.

“These things are a four-pronged effort here,” he said. “We want an honors experience that fits within the majors here.”

Roberts said she knows Henderson is the right person for the job.

“It was hard to leave the Honors College, but I was happy to leave it in his hands,” she said.

Josh Imhof can be reached at imhofj@duq.edu