Honors Welcomes New Director!

As an undergraduate student at BYU, Eric Dursteler would have never imagined that one day he would become the new director for the Honors Program. “I was anything but an honorable student and a mediocre student at best,” he said. He started out studying to become an ornamental horticulturist, and then had four different majors within five semesters.

One professor in particular, though, was very inspiring to Dursteler and encouraged him to pursue history. Dursteler explained, “He was really influential in my life because he was kind of the first person who said that I was good at this thing.” Because someone believed in him, Dursteler was on a path to greater things, and his career in history was solidified.

Dursteler went on to get a master’s degree at BYU, and later a master’s and PhD from Brown University. Now Dursteler is a history professor and the new Honors Program director. “As a BYU student, I would have never even imagined that I would be doing this. No -- absolutely not,” he said. Through his own experience, Dursteler has come to believe that the sky’s the limit. “I would not limit yourself. I would not imagine limitations,” Dursteler encourages students, “I would dream big dreams, and then work really hard to accomplish them.”

Having experienced what it’s like to be a student who feels inadequate, but also believing that anyone can accomplish their dreams, Dursteler is hoping to see a broader mix of students in the Honors Program. He also wants there to be resources for those who have big ideas and who aspire for greatness.

In the past, Dursteler taught some Honors classes including one about Machiavelli. He loved the curiosity, engagement, and enthusiasm of the students in his classes, and he is excited to once again be working with Honors students. He wants each Honors student to know that he is interested in meeting them and would love students to reach out to him. “When I taught honors courses, I loved the intellectual curiosity of the students, their enthusiasm for learning. They were always up for a hike around campus, doing a reading of a Renaissance play, playing a game of Machiavellian Risk, and exploring the relationship of their faith and the ideas and beliefs of great and good people from the past. They asked great questions that pushed me to consider new ideas and to dig deeper in my own understanding,” Dursteler explained.

“He’s on the students’ side, and wants them to succeed,” said Emma Marx, a student who went on a study abroad program with Dursteler. “He definitely has a high bar of excellence. He’s amazing, so I think he’s going to bring that high standard to the Honors Program.” Marx and her peers thought highly of Dursteler, and he made learning come alive for them. “He makes history feel like a story,” she said. “And he would get very invested in it, like, emotional at times and it’s not just something that happened in the past, it’s something real and meaningful to him.”

Dursteler notes he likes to travel, has lived in Florence and Venice with his family, and this spring will be leading his seventh study abroad program. He’s previously lead two in Paris, three in London and one European study abroad. This spring he is taking students to Italy. He teaches courses on food history and enjoys incorporating food into all of his classes. “Whit and I love food and like to explore new recipes and restaurants in the area and in our travels,” he added.

In his free time, Dursteler loves to spend time in his garden growing fruits, flowers, and vegetables. He loves going to movies with his wife Whit, and spending time with his three children. He looks forward to meeting you and wants you to remember that the sky’s the limit in the Honors Program. He noted, “I anticipate that the coming years will be important ones for the Honors Program, which will build on the past but also open up new possibilities.”