In this article Chancellor Susan Koch considers the value of the honors program at her institute, the University of Illinois at Springfield. She begins by reflecting on her own under graduate experience at her alma mater, Dakota State University and explains how her experience there helped her to create the honors program at the University of Northern Iowa and now, since 2011, a thriving Capital Scholars Honors Program at the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois. Koch goes on to discuss the values of the honors program for the Springfield campus. The program: (1) provides important opportunities for faculty growth, especially in interdisciplinary research and teaching; (2) provides a vehicle for recruiting talented and motivated students who contribute to the intellectual and social climate of the campus in countless ways; and (3) creates a stream of talented and successful alums who remain appreciative of their honors experience and often stay engaged with the university in important ways.