Penn State’s Honors Dean Christian Brady and the Public University Honors website addressed the issue of elitism by pointing out that Honors Colleges can act as “gateway” for all students that want to extend themselves academically.
http://publicuniversityhonors.com/2015/09/02/the-issue-of-elitism-in-honors-colleges-and-programs/
http://publicuniversityhonors.com/tag/are-honors-programs-elitist/