The academic areas in the program included mathematics, world cultures, natural and physical sciences, literature and aesthetics, philosophy and logic, political systems, and classical rhetoric. It applied conceptual analysis, critical thinking, and empirical and analytical reasoning to foster an understanding of current realities and a reflective and introspective foresight. Its success was enhanced by the dedication of associated faculty members to academic excellence and by the vision of university administrators.

Dr. Freeman accepted the invitation of the Rudley administration to advance the program into a college.  He introduced the idea of the College to the faculty and sought their comments on its feasibility, mission and structure. He attended the conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council in San Antonio, and renewed the membership of the program in NCHC. He attended the 2009 summer workshop held in Nashville for new directors and deans of honors colleges.

Dr. Freeman followed the recommendation of deans of schools and colleges at TSU and established an advisory council to guide the establishment of the College.  The premier consultant in the group was Dr. Ted Estes, dean emeritus of the Honors College of the University of Houston.  The council wrote the description of the College, and a request for the establishment of it, to the TSU coordinating board. 

The TSU board and the state Board of Regents permitted the establishment of the College as a full-fledged component of the university.  The president considered the input of the university community in the naming of the college, and received the approval of the coordinating board for the name Thomas F. Freeman Honors College.

The Dean of the Paige School of Education agreed to release a classroom in the Education building for use as a temporary office for the College. Students, carpenters at the university and other volunteers used old furniture and dividers to fabricate an office that included cubbyholes for the staff, a reading lounge for the students, and a desk for the receptionist. 

Dr. Freeman then assembled an interim staff that conducted a study of honors programs around the nation. The team consisted of:  Dr. Thomas F. Freeman, Interim Dean; Dr. Gloria Batiste-Roberts, Interim Executive Associate Dean; Dr. Geary Newhouse, Interim Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs; Dr. Edward C. Bell, Interim Assistant Dean for Student Affairs; Dr. Candy Ratliff, Director of Student Services; Ms. Linda Coach Riley, Program Coordinator (previously Project Director in the Frederick Douglas Institute Honors Program); Ms. Joie Raspberry, Executive Administrative Assistant; Ms. Jade Cooper, Graphic Artist and Recruiter; Mr. Noel Dean, Part-time videographer/ Recruiter; Ms. Marie Wade: Part-time Receptionist.

Staff members visited equivalent academic units at several colleges and universities – among them, the Honors College at the University of Houston.  They attended meetings at which they exchanged ideas with honors program professionals from these institutions.  They gained valuable knowledge of how the College may take advantage of its opportunities and/or address its challenges.

In September of 2009, the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College opened with a class of 225 -- 105 first-time freshmen, 15 advanced freshmen, and 105 students from the Frederick Douglas Honors Program. In addition to academic excellence, the College cultivated a sense of community among students and provided special programs that enhanced their progress. They attended lectures and special sessions with such University administrators as President John Rudley, Provost Sunny Ohia, Associate Provost Elizabeth Brown-Guillory, Executive Vice President James Douglas, and the deans of schools and colleges.

Honors students also addressed community issues with area leaders.  In community heritage and culture, the College and the Center for Forensic Excellence observed and celebrated Kwanzaa in December 2010. Community leader Bruce Austin, Director of Community Development and member of the board of Houston Community College, also spoke to Honors students during the spring 2010 semester. 

The Honors College students provided service and gained experience in ways that added to their course work and met their academic interests.  Students complemented their instruction on challenges faced by individuals or the community by working in soup kitchens and holding food drives during Fall 2009.  Students with an interest in cultural studies and/or international studies visited China during Summer Session I of 2010; Tanzania in Summer Session II of 2010 (in partnership with the Thomas F. Freeman Center for Forensic Excellence); and Washington, D.C. in the spring semester of 2010.

The Honors College has organized or supported activities that promote student retention.  To that end, in its Honors Seminar series, the College has included such activities as a workshop on APA style, a seminar on critical thinking, and a seminar and workshop on virtual library utilization.

In the fall of 2010, the College sponsored university-wide pre-registration and mid-term rallies to boost the morales of College and other TSU students and thus enhance their academic effort, performance and retention.  College upperclassmen also have helped freshmen with acclimation since 2008.

A national search for a permanent dean of the College took most of the latter half of 2010 and resulted in the selection of Dr. Humphrey A. Regis. He assumed the position in January of 2011 and has both continued and augmented the mission of the College. The resulting curriculum that promotes the multidimensional and interdisciplinary cultivation of students into accomplished specialists dedicated to their local or proximate communities and fully integrated into their national and global communities.

Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman, who won a special commendation from the 80th Legislative Session of the Texas State Senate, continues to contribute his knowledge, vision and wisdom to the college in his capacity as Founding Dean Emeritus.