Exciting, Entertaining, Empowering Events!

Vol 3 No 18

Hello, Honors Friends!

This week’s (or, rather, last week’s) entry is just a little exciting housekeeping.  I’m very happy to report that we have added some information to the Honors website that might come in handy for those looking to plan ahead for points or just for Honors involvement.  This information will soon be moved to the front page, but for now you can find it here:

https://www.flcc.edu/honors/events.cfm

If you look under Upcoming events, you will see that there are now events listed there!  These are official Honors or Honors sponsored events that you can receive Honors Points for if you are so inclined.  If you are not seeking points at this time or through events, you are still welcome to attend any of them.  I can guarantee you will have an enjoyable time in addition to any learning aspects that are inherent as well.  Just a few added comments…

The Honors dinner this semester will be on April 2.  We are having a taco bar and a very fun giveaway for everyone who attends.  You can also get a T-shirt if you missed the dinner last semester.  Dr. Nye, President of the College, has already told me he is planning to attend, as this the Associate Vice President of Instruction.  I’m sure we will have some other staff and administrators join us as well – not to mention the Honors faculty that always comes to eat with us and talk about courses they have taught and will teach.  It’s a great way to meet Honors faculty and hear about next semester – as well as just making sure that you have a good meal that day!

For the Convocation, I want to encourage all Honors Students to make a poster that visually depicts some element of the learning they are doing this semester – whether it’s an overarching concept or a smallish project, show us what you are working on.  We will fill Stage 14 with posters and then listen to four students who will be selected to share their work with attendees.  This is one of my favorite events and each semester I hold high hopes that we will see many, MANY posters.   To this end, we will host a poster-making session at Study-a-Thon 2019 on April 29^th in the library.  More details on this to come!

Last, but certainly not least, is the Human Library on Laker Day (4/25).   This Honors Sponsored event is hosted by the library and will feature a number of Human Books that you can sit down with to talk about the concept or label they represent.  It’s an amazingly powerful way to explore aspects of the human condition that you may not otherwise have the option to explore in such a personal way.  You can get more information on that onehere.

I cannot stress enough how amazing this event is.  In a world that constantly seems to try to pull us apart, this is a way to bring us back together again.  Through open and honest conversation, we can come to better understand people that are different than us and that are often misunderstood, judged, marginalized, or silenced.  The casual space and the welcoming environment makes this an amazing experience for all involved.

There will be other events added soon and I hope that you find things of interest for you there.  You are welcome to attend all of them and you are always welcome to bring a friend or two with you.  The more the merrier….after all, this is Honors, so all you have to be is curious.

Join Us!

Vol 3 No 8

I spent last week at the National Collegiate Honors Council annual conference.  This year, in Boston, we were treated to some excellent presentations and breakout session on every topic from assessment to outreach, from study abroad to preparing for interviews.  The theme of the conference was "Learning to Transgress" and while there were many presentations and discussions on this topic (transgress:  infringe or go beyond the bounds of (a moral principle or other established standard of behavior).  That said, however, the most common thread I saw was how to better help and serve students facing various issues with mental health.  It was nice to see it so openly talked about and I will talk more about it in another blog.

What I want to do in this blog is invite you to experience some new adventures with us.

First, classes for Spring 2019.  While we don't have a LOT of options, the choices we do have are amazing and well worth making room for in your schedule if you can.  You'll see posters going up soon - and here's a look at the main one:

See what I mean?  Important topics in writing and literature.  Vital issues that face women and minorities in today's world.  And then the seminars - one on Harry Potter and the other on superheroes?  How can you go wrong?  Remember, anyone can sign up for Honors courses; so, grab your friends, make room in your schedule, and go for it!

The second invitation is for a new place for Honors students and those interested in Honors to gather and converse.  Like Facebook Messenger, it allows for group conversations and individual messages, but it does NOT require Facebook.  Called GroupMe, it allows you to create an account using Facebook, email, a phone number, or an already existing Microsoft account.  Just click here to join us:  FLCC Honors Studies Gathering Place.

You can also scan this code with your phone camera and it should hook you up!

You'll be seeing this link on Facebook and Twitter and even via email and on posters in the near future.  We hope you'll help us create something of an Honors House online!

Welcome Back!

Vol 3 No 1

Welcome back, returning students and welcome to FLCC to all you new folks!

Honors has so many exciting things to talk about and we hope you are all rested from a summer that was satisfying in whatever it provided for you.  We also hope you’re looking forward to a fulfilling and productive semester at FLCC and that Honors will be an active part of those plans!  Speaking of which, we have a number of dates for you to put on your calendar…

Before we do that, though, we want to remind you that it is NOT too late to add an Honors class to your schedule!  There are plenty of seats in our two seminars and from what we’ve heard, they’ve already started strong and enjoyable!  One – Games and Storytelling – meets on Tuesday nights and has some great speakers and activities lined up.  The other – on Wednesday evenings – is about food.  How can you go wrong?  There are also seats in Perspectives on Tolkien (ENG 230), MAT 101 and Psychology of Killing (SSC 215).  Remember…just change the prefix to HON on WebAdvisor and you can see what’s out there.  Check with the instructor ASAP and good luck!

Now for those dates…

SEPTEMBER 13 from 10:00 – 2:00 – Table Day in the hallway outside Stage 14 – and guess who is going to be there?  That’s right – the new HONORS CLUB.  Head on over to see what SWAG is there and find out how you can participate.

OCTOBER 30 from 5:00 – 7:00 – Fall 2018 Honors Studies Dinner in Stage 14 – open to ALL students who are part of Honors or just curious about it, this dinner has giveaways and a few guest speakers from the college who will voice how much Honors is valued at the college.  Then we hand over the microphone to students to talk about their experiences and answer questions.  You may also hear about next semester’s classes as well.

DECEMBER 5 from 10:00 – 5:00 – Fall 2018 Honors Studies Convocation Poster Session outside Stage 14 – All Honors Students are invited to create a poster born from the work being done in Honors courses.  More information on this later in the semester, but be brainstorming how you could illustrate the work you are doing and show off the kinds of things we are doing in the world of Honors.

DECEMBER 5 from 5:00 – 6:00 –Fall 2018 Honors Studies Convocation Presentations in Stage 14 – Four students will take 15 minutes to orally present their Honors work to anyone in attendance.  As with the poster session, more to come on this as we get into the semester.

There will be many more things that we do this semester and the blogs will go back to their weekly schedule, so you have those to look forward to as well.  We will talk about Honors matters, invite guest bloggers, celebrate accomplishments, invite you to various opportunities and events, and generally celebrate Honors.  In the meantime, don’t forget these important things:

• THIS BLOG!  Perhaps bookmark it:  http://flcchonors.blogspot.com/
• Follow us on Twitter:  @FLCC_Honors
• Check us out on Facebook:  FLCC Honors Studies
• Check out Honors Club on Facebook:  FLCC Honors Club
• Email us!  honorsstudies@flcc.edu
• And last but not least, check out our visuals on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/flcc-honors/

Have a GREAT semester and remember….stay curious!

Who are you, who are we?

Vol 2 No 30

Have you ever wondered who takes Honors classes?  I mean, you may have taken some and met some people - but what sort of person is attracted to these classes?  There's the topic, of course...that's definitely a draw.  But then, there's something else, too.  The Honors Studies student does not have a specific GPA or academic program or inclination.  The students who gravitate towards Honors Studies come from a variety of different walks of life, but they all share one thing in common:  curiosity.  The following is a scenario that many of our students find themselves as they enter into their Honor Studies experience.

It's the first day of class. You walk in to the familiar nervous silence that always accompanies the first day, but there's something different this time. First, everyone is sitting in a circle. You find a seat and sit, taking out a notebook and trying to casually appraise your classmates as you're sure they are doing the same with you. You expect the nervousness and awkwardness, but something feels different. There's an excitement in the room that you don't remember in your other classes. There's that same sense of waiting, but it feels eager and deeply curious. Everyone is impatient. You think about it for a minute and realize that you're feeling the same thing. But, why? The answer dawns on you in a moment of suppressed enthusiasm for the semester ahead.

Just like you, they all want to be here.

Thus begins your exploration into the world of Honors Studies. In these classes, you will experience all the joys and challenges of academics, but they will be driven by your own enthusiasm for learning, your own curiosity, and your own interest in the pathways of learning. Your classmates will share that same drive and excitement for the topic at hand, and your instructor's passion for it will match your own. This will be a shared journey of learning and self-reflection where you can celebrate who you are and who you might become. Along the way, you will be encouraged and expected to push yourself and your classmates through active participation and discussion. And it is our fondest wish that you will thrive here. This is a place where you can find the support you need to achieve your academic dreams, a place where you will be accepted and understood, and a place where we will help you reach your full potential as a learner.

Honors Studies: All you have to be is curious.

So, the Honors Studies student is one who is willing to take their education into their own hands, explore themselves and their learning as well as the content of their courses, and really delve into the academic and educational experience.  Honors Studies is a place where students will find community, camaraderie, challenge, and contemplation.  From math to psychology and English to music, the topics are wide and varied, and so are the faculty who teach the classes.

If you want a more specific demographic - well, that's a bit tougher.  What I can tell you though, is that you will often find students who ARE academically inclined.  You are also likely to find a fair number of students who have been home schooled.  And, for better or worse, you'll find students who have been called geeks and nerds, you may find the socially awkward or even those who are on the margins.  All of that, however, just feeds into the scenario above - these are students who WANT to be students, who are passionate about learning and will encourage YOU to be passionate, too.  They will accept and encourage your passion and enthusiasm and will support you in the exploration of it.  Because what you absolutely will find is a community and acceptance for who you are as a learner and as a person.

S18 Honors Convocation (Student Words)

Vol 2 No 27

It is rapidly becoming a tradition to have a member of the audience writer their perspective of the Honors Convocation.  Last semester, it was Emily White.  This semester, the reflection on the convocation comes to us from Jill Bond, dual major in Writing and Graphic Design, class of 2019.

The end of the spring semester is often equated with stress, finals, and upcoming graduation, but it is also the time for sharing the amazing work that is completed by Honors Studies students at Finger Lakes Community College. The First Annual Spring Honors Studies Convocation was held on Friday, May 4th, with the goal of sharing the work of Honors students with rest of the student body, staff, and faculty. Fact of the matter is Honors classes prompt the creation of fabulous work, whether it be psychological, artistic, or literary, but often times only the students and faculty that are involved in the class get to see what is researched, written, and created – but the convocation is here to help show off what happens in that cozy house across the street.


The Honors Convocation has two parts, both of which are student driven. The first is the creation of posters based upon the work that students are doing in their classes, whether it be a final research project, creative endeavor, or reflection. Six posters were created this year, five of which revolved around the Women Who Kill class and one that was crafted out of work completed in Introduction to Literature. These posters were then displayed outside Stage 14 between 10:00am and 5:30pm, where anyone and everyone had the ability to see them. At 3:00pm, several of the poster creators returned to the hallway in order to answer questions regarding their posters and the work that inspired their creation.

The second part of the convocation started at 4:00pm in Stage 14, where four students presented work from their respective Honors class. The first to present was Eli Lorah, who spoke of his experience in Women Who Kill, a class co-taught by Dr. Trista Merrill and Dr. Linda Ross. During his strong and beautifully constructed presentation, he explained that while he has really enjoyed the group dynamics and psychological aspect of the course, he has also learned so much about how to handle the complexities of our everyday lives – showing how Honors can teach students so much more than just course content, which resonated with everyone in the room.

The next student to present was Brianna Smith, who read her raw and well-written literacy narrative from her Introduction to Literature class. Working her way through a lifelong relationship with books and the worlds she escapes into, from when she couldn’t get enough of Harry Potter at the age of five, despite the fact she didn’t understand it, up through her college days where the worn spines of books feel like home, Brianna communicated a passion for writing and reading that struck the audience.

Blinne Kreiger followed suit, who also presented her work for Women Who Kill, but took it in a completely different direction. Starting with a short presentation on the Night Witches, who were the 588th Night Bomber Regiment in World War II, she discussed the history of these women and their influence on a variety of different artists. Next, she read and discussed two striking poems that she wrote based upon her research, the first written from the perspective of the Germans and the second from the perspective of the Night Witches themselves – both of which left the audience inspired and fascinated by her writing and topic at hand.

The final presenter was Vicki Ilyssa, who read a beautifully written memoir crafted for her Composition I course. With an emphasis on atmosphere, naturalistic descriptions, and metaphor, she highlighted different struggles and events in her life, all while revolving the literary piece around her relationship with a shrine near her childhood home, which is now a symbol of peace – ultimately leaving everyone in awe, and some in tears, at the eloquence and exquisiteness of the writing.

Looking back upon this event it is easy to say that it was a success because it allowed students to share what they were curious and passionate about with other students and faculty who are also passionate and curious. And what I found to be incredibly fascinating about the presentations and posters this year, was the sheer amount of breadth in ideology and content that was covered, despite the fact only three classes were represented. From poems, short stories, memories, narratives, and comic book covers, to reflections and research that mixes mythology, psychology, and literature, this years’ convocation truly shows how open Honors is when it comes to exploring what you are curious about.

So, thank you so much to the students who presented and created posters for The First Annual Spring Honors Studies Convocation, you have inspired us all! And thank you to everyone who came to support these students and their amazing work. Make sure to stop by next semester for the fall convocation, so you can be inspired too.

Opportunities Galore

Vol 2 No 26

I cannot believe how close we are to the end of the semester!  I hope you will consider joining us at this semester’s Honors Studies Convocation!  We will have posters (still time to make one!) set up outside Stage 14 from 10:00 – 4:00 on Friday, May 4th (the same day as May Day!) and then, at 4:00, four Honors Studies students will share the work they’ve been doing this semester in one of their Honors courses.  Please join us!

And then on May 16^th, at 5:30 in Room 200 of the Honors House, we have the Honors Studies Awards Ceremony and Graduation.  Come support your fellow Honors students as they are recognized for their achievements!

These events of recognition and celebration are becoming so important to me - and, quite frankly, they give me energy as I, too, am wallowing in end-of-the-semester exhaustion.  There is something about gathering together and taking an hour or so here and there to celebrate the work being done.  To really step back and see what it is we are really doing.  It's so easy to forget that in the whirlwind of the work you are doing, your classmates and fellow students are also doing amazing work.  All of you need to be reminded that the sleepless nights, the stress and pressure, the anxiousness and obstacles are all worth it.  You are likely your own worst critic and not enough of us know what the rest of the Honors community is doing.  We have Facebook, we have Twitter (see below!), we have Honors events and we even have an Honors Club.  But let's also read the names of those who have excelled above and beyond and remind them that what they are doing matters beyond the confines of their classroom walls.  And take the time to showcase your OWN work in a poster.  Celebrate yourself.  Celebrate Honors.  Take a bow.  You've earned it and you deserve it.

In fun news, the bulletin board outside my office (Canandaigua Wing Rm 4285)  is now looking a bit more festive!  Come check it out.

Looking ahead, I am hoping to encourage more folks to look into Lori Vail’s class this fall.  We have an interesting relationship with food in today’s culture – from Instagramming pictures of our meals to trying out gastro pubs and exploring what we can do with kale.  It seems like that for every one who is desperately watching what they eat, there’s another ridiculous food choice that can be made somewhere else.  And those Girl Scout cookies!  Don’t even get me started!  J

Seriously, though, this class will explore so many ideas with food at their center that it is bound to change how you interact with this very basic human need.  I am reminded of a poem by William Carlos Williams called “This is Just to Say”:

This is Just To Say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

It has always fascinated me as a poem – centered on food and yet laced with meaning that is heavily determined by the reader.  So much of the world around us depends on our perception of things and yet there is so much truth to be discovered as well.  I hope that you will consider joining Lori Vail this fall as she takes on the exploration of food – something else that seems so simple and yet is laced with meaning that is heavily determined by the ….eater.

Poetry Matters

Vol 2 No 22

A little something different this week....

Fluidity

Honors kids
Y’all are chill
Active participation
Happy people, fun times

Exploratory
The coolest thing
An open knowledge place
We don’t want to make knowledge restrictive

Gauging interest
Get your voice heard
What’s important to you
Anything we want to talk about, we can

It’s pretty chill
Keeping the motif
A minimal rules club
You never know with rules

Not super structured
No unnecessary hierarchy
That would be a lot of work
And we already do a lot of work

Kinda like a family
It’s all about support
Making a community
We want that space outside the classroom

Fire and drive
Loose and fluid
Instill that spark
All you have to be is curious

…Keep it going…

The above is something called a found poem. I didn't use another 'text' per se, but rather I used the words of Blinne Kreiger (with some help from Jill Bond) during the informational meeting of the brand new, near official Honors Club. As I sat there and listened, I was struck by how their words resonated with me and showed me that all the work we have done in Honors has....well...found root in these students. They are living, breathing embodiment of all that is Honors and I'm so excited to see where this new venture goes. Well done, ladies.

Honors VIPs

Vol 2 No 5

The people who come to the Honors Studies Dinner are important people.

For one, the president of the college, Dr. Robert K. Nye, comes to share his insights and thoughts about Honors to all in attendance.  In the past, the Provost / Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs has come and done the same.  The Associate Vice President of Instruction says a few words.  At the tables can be seen the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Director of Student Life.  Esteemed faculty speak about their classes and the Director of Honors Studies shares a few words as well.

But, those aren’t the important people I’m talking about.

The important people are the students.  Honors Studies students and their curious friends come – and that’s who keeps all those folks up there ‘at the office’ after they’ve already put in a full day of work.  That’s why we write our remarks and our speeches, why we order T-shirts and other goodies, why we buy food and clear our calendars.  That’s why we are here for that evening – and for so many other hours throughout the summer and the academic year, as well.

Last Spring, I decided that I would not have an agenda for the dinner beyond those folks with titles saying a few things.  I would hand the microphone off to students in attendance and let them lead the charge of the evening because it was THEIR evening.  It was THEIR voices that we wanted to hear.  I wasn’t sure how it would go.  Sometimes, our Honors Studies students can be a bit shy or anxious about speaking up in a large group of people they don’t know.  But, like they have so many times before, they surprised me.

You’d think I’d get used to that and not be surprised anymore. Time and time again, students at this college in general and those involved in, and interested in, Honors in particular have surprised me with their passion and their curiosity.  Honors Studies has the power to change lives and people wanted to talk about it.  They wanted to tell others what they experienced and what they learned.  They wanted to talk about what Honors has done for them and why they were pursuing it.  They wanted to talk about what their classmates in Honors were doing and had done for them.  They wanted to talk about the teachers they’d met and the work they were doing.  They wanted others to know about this ‘secret gem’ at FLCC.**

That evening we gave them the chance to talk about something they’ve found here that is unlike what they expected to find, but more than they ever hoped it would be.  Whether they sought it or stumbled into it, believed in it or were mistaken about it, the students who spoke last semester – and Honors Studies students in general – love Honors.  And those who have titles and work at the college to bring the dinner and all the other Honors Studies events and opportunities to life also love it.  As our marketing voice recently said to me, “I always have time for Honors” and that really has nothing to do with me as Director.  It has everything to do with what Honors represents, what it offers, what it allows students to do and discover about themselves.  Honors has always meant this at FLCC and its exciting to find ways to help tell others about it and, in turn, help them achieve it.

So…won’t you join us?

** As it turned out, they also wanted fidget cubes, but that isn’t important right now.  :D

Honors Gets the Works

Vol. 2 No. 1

Welcome! Or…welcome back!

Over the summer, Honors Studies implemented some changes.  Here’s the rundown of what you need to know and why changes were made.

One of the most important things we tried to do was simplify the language and detach it from language that was constantly being confused with other areas of the college.  No longer will you hear about the Honors PROGRAM or Honors DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, CERTIFICATES, or CREDITS.  None of these things REALLY applied in the traditional way anyway, so it was time to make a change.  We also wanted to make it easier for students to achieve Honors status upon leaving FLCC.  So many of our programs have gotten tighter and more restrictive, and so many students are transferring to four-year schools (both SUNY and private) that it was time for us to make some changes to help you take Honors with you when you did that. 

So…what do you need to know?  In a nutshell....

• We are now officially called Honors Studies.
• If you earn 15 points of Honors Studies Experience and have a 3.25 GPA when you graduate or transfer from FLCC, you will be designated an Honors Studies Scholar on your transcript, with supporting documentation.
• There are four ways to earn Honors Studies points – three of them have not changed: Honors Studies Seminars (HON classes), Honors Studies in the Disciplines (courses with Honors in the title), and Honors Studies contracts (making a non-Honors course into Honors once you’ve taken at least one Honors course). The fourth way is by attending and reflecting on Honors Studies Events.
•  Honors Studies Events are events hosted or approved by Honors that encompass our learning outcomes and mission through the content of their offering. By attending these events, and then writing a journal and an Honors Reflective Essay about your experience, you will earn at least one point.
•  All Honors Studies Experiences will have the same basic prompt for their reflective essays – where you will be challenged to think about where you have been, where you are, and where you are going in the context of the class or event of which you were a part.

Our goals in Honors remain what they always have been – to celebrate who you are as a learner and to help you hone those qualities that will support you being a lifelong learner.  We’ve crafted a new mission statement to reflect this:

Self-reflective learning meets innovative teaching within and between the disciplines in Honors Studies at FLCC.  Our seminars and activities foster an atmosphere of interconnection, inquiry, and curiosity where students become lifelong learners.  Honors students develop the confidence to contribute to their local and global communities.

There’s lots to talk about this semester, but I don’t want to overwhelm you as you start the Fall 2017 semester, so we will keep this short.  Just remember… all you have to be is curious!  We look forward to working with you this semester and hope that you have a fantastic learning experience.

SAVE THE DATE:  October 18 – the Honors Studies Dinner!  Open to all students!

Save the Date!

Vol. 1 No. 18

It’s that time again!

Last semester, Honors Studies hosted a dinner for the curious, and we are excited to be doing it again!

So….what do you need to know?

Event:  Spring 2017 Honors Studies Dinner

Date:  April 12, 2017

Time:  5:00 – 7:00

Location:  Stage 14

Food:  Build your own tacos!  Including vegetarian options!

Highlights:

• Free Honors Studies T-Shirts for the first 50 who arrive
• Fidget cubes for those willing to share their questions, stories, experiences, excitement, or curiosities about Honors Studies
• Meet Honors Studies faculty and hear about fall courses
• Listen to administrators talk about why they value what we do
•  Share food and fellowship with other curious students

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

Vol. 1 No. 16

Coming Soon in Honors!

New ways to earn an Honors certificate or diploma

Because we know that some programs are really tight and some students come to Honors late, we are trying to come up with new ways for students to make their way to Honors recognition.  We also want to give Honors an even stronger identity and make it an even more vibrant part of the FLCC Community.  To this end, we have some amazing things coming soon – we just have to go through the proper channels before we can fully explain and explore.

New language

Some of the language associated with Honors does a great job of capturing the academic feel of Honors Studies, but at the same time, it often causes some confusion.   Credits, certificate, and diploma are all words used elsewhere in different ways and we think that can make Honors seem like something it isn’t.  It also runs the risk of unnecessarily complicating what Honors means.  There’s already that stigma that Honors is ONLY for ‘the smart kids’ and we are working hard to break that down, too.

New mission statement

As you may or may not know, there are some exciting new things afoot at FLCC – including the powerful core values.  This list of things that FLCC values sounds very familiar to Honors Students in a lot of ways, so we thought it might be a good time to take a new look at our mission statement.  Mission statements are supposed to capture the essence or spirit of whomever wrote it and really convey what it is that group is trying to accomplish.  That said, we are updating the mission statement of Honors to really reflect the new changes happening in Honors across the board.  It’s not a change in our core meaning, just a change in the wording of that meaning.

New learning outcomes

Although on the surface this might not be interesting to students, it really is the backbone of any class at FLCC.  Each syllabus located on the college website contains the learning outcomes for that course; these are the things that the department (and the college as a whole) have decided are the things you should learn in the process of taking the course.  Honors has their own set of learning outcomes, too – which should really show everyone what Honors is all about.  Just like the mission statement, we are in the process of revamping the learning outcomes to fall more in line with what the college is valuing as a whole, while still staying true to what Honors is all about.  In the end, we are a subsection of the college, so we think it’s important to show how all of it is linked.

New documents

We are also revamping everything from the forms that faculty use to propose an Honors course to the contracts that students fill out to ‘Honorize’ a course.  We are even building a core assignment that will frame the self-reflective essay for all Honors Seminars, Honors in the Disciplines, and Honors Contracts.  This kind of paper trail, so to speak, will allow us to show the rest of the college – and the world! – what Honors is all about at FLCC.  It will also allow us to create something that is lasting and easily passed on to the next generation of Honors staff and faculty.

New relationships

We are also building stronger relationships with the Registrar and with the Educational Planning and Career Services offices so as to maximize the awareness of understanding of what Honors actually IS so we can spread the word and help find like-minded students.  While we never plan to have Honors ‘admissions’ – it doesn’t hurt to cast our net wide so that the people for whom Honors is a good fit will hear about us earlier and get involved earlier.

New student involvement

A student club?  Perhaps?  Interested?  Let me know at Trista.merrill@flcc.edu

This is just a small part of what we are working on in Honors and we cannot WAIT to unroll things once we’ve gone through all the proper channels.  So, be watching for news and for exciting things to come.  And we hope to see you at the Honors Dinner sometime in mid-March.

Stay curious!

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often” – Winston Churchill

Plans and Happy Holidays

Vol. 1 No. 14

Make sure you register for Honors courses this Spring!

COM 115-06 - Interpersonal Communications Honors with Amy Flagler
ENG 101-04 - Composition I Honors with Barbara Murphy
ENG 101-12 - Composition I Honors with Trista Merrill
ENG 102-05 - Introduction to Literature Honors with Curt Nehring Bliss
ENG 102-16 - Introduction to Literature Honors with Curt Nehring Bliss
HON 200-01 - Presidential Greatness Honors Seminar with Brian Bell
HON 200-02 - Analyzing Alice Honors Seminar with Trista Merrill
MUS 117-02 - Master Composers II Honors with David McGuire
PHL 101-90 - Introduction to Philosophy Honors with Mark Worrell
PHL 103-01 - Ethics Honors with Mark Worrell
PHL 105-01 - Philosophy of Religion Honors with Mark Worrell
PSY 100-08 - Introduction to Psychology Honors with Andrew Knapp
SSC 215-01 - Gender and Women's Studies Honors with Vera Whisman
SSC 215-05 - Love and Romance Honors with Linda Ross and Anthony Indorato

Lots of options - sign up today!  And bring your friends because remember...

ALL YOU HAVE TO BE IS CURIOUS... :)

Giving Thanks...

Vol. 1, No. 11

There is a practice, in the world of bloggers and writers, to try and say everything you want to say in 300 words.  That is not always easy for me, but in this busy week of snowstorms and holidays, I thought it might be good to keep this blog short.  So, the following is an Honors version of being thankful, in exactly 300 words.

Every day the news seems to show a stricken nation, divided along lines that are too dug too deeply.  We face battles that we don’t know how to fight and we debate things that feel like we should not be debated.  So many of us are frightened, frustrated, and fatigued.  Even those who are winning are feeling the sting of this divisiveness.  The silver lining, however, is that we are afforded an amazing power to ask hard questions, engage in rigorous debate, and fight those battles.  We have voices that we can and are using.  We have individual and collective strength that very may well change the landscape of everything around us.  We can be greater and more powerful than the systems we are standing up against.  One of the ways we can do this in our local community is through the FLCC Values:  vitality, inquiry, perseverance, and interconnectedness.  These values are so much larger than simply what drives us as students and faculty and staff at the college.  They are the kinds of things that make humans better humans to themselves, each other, and the world around them.  Grown from these values are the learning outcomes for Honors that we are piloting this semester.  We want students to reflect on and evaluate their internal learning processes, analyze connections among learning experiences, and be able to articulate the value of intellectual pursuit in a scholarly tradition.  In short, Honors students should find within themselves the power to ask questions, be curious, learn and change and see the world as interconnected where they belong and have a place.  These qualities can carry us through the times that come and will give voice to the silenced, give power to the powerless, and embolden those who need courage.  For this, I am thankful.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." – John F. Kennedy

Go Ask Alice...

Vol 1. No 10.

The following is a slightly edited version of the remarks I made at the Honors graduation ceremony last May.  Since Alice is being offered in the Spring and we are all of us gearing up to end another semester, it seemed fitting to revisit these words of celebration.  The edits made were to tidy up some of the language that didn't quite convey what I should have conveyed...

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Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English); `now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!’ (for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so far off).

….

Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall was very hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she went on talking: `Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, THAT’S the great puzzle!

Since I began in the position of director, I’ve spent a good deal of time thinking on this very question in regards to Honors.  I’ve led and attended workshops and conferences, written descriptions of the Honors experience, collaborated with fellow devotees on a mission and goals and I’ve had conversations – so many conversations – with family, friends, students, alumni, faculty, and staff about this very thing.  I had been teaching Honors on and off for years and so I felt that I knew it well, but when charged with the task of leading it and growing it, I came to realize that articulating and codifying the Honors identity was no small feat.

No need to despair, however, for two things quickly came to the forefront of numerous conversations in numerous arenas as being hallmarks of what we do here:  curiosity and transformation.  All of us involved with Honors know that these things apply to the students who were drawn into and become engaged in the Honors experience.  You are those students; you’ve felt the eagerness of learning, the power of being curious, the joy and confidence that can come from a shared intellectual endeavor with like-minded classmates.  You have grown and been changed by your experiences here, and they will stay with you in some measure as you continue here or move onward.  You embody what it means to be Honors and Honors could not exist without you.

For others of you, you serve a different role:  you know those students, you’ve supported them as they struggled and triumphed, smiling at their enthusiasm and doing your best to help them channel their energy.  You have watched with pride and sometimes confusion as your personal Alice changed before your eyes – sometimes more rapidly than you could have expected.  You are an important part of what enables us to be here tonight, encouraging and recognizing the students we are honoring because they got here with your support.  Honors could not exist without its vast network of friends and family standing on the sidelines cheering on our scholars.

But there is still someone else for whom these words ring true.  The Honors faculty.

We are proud of our shiny new slogan that informs and invites students into Honors by telling them that all they need to be is curious, and at first I was somewhat surprised to find myself using this slogan among the faculty.  The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized that what happens in Honors courses is not just transformative for the students, but it is often equally so for the faculty who elect to teach them.  Honors courses also serve as an invitation for us to explore topics of interest, to satiate our quest for knowledge and learning that may be off the beaten path but still within our fields.  It is an invitation to look at our core courses in different ways and explore the boundaries with which we are so familiar.  Just like Alice experiences with her change in size, Honors courses can surprise us into looking at ourselves and our disciplines in whole new ways.  I am not the same professor that I was years ago – and while I’m sure that is true for most instructors who stay in the teaching profession, I can make a direct correlation between my transition and my experiences in Honors.  I have gone from being simply Dr. Merrill to being Teach and I am proud of that shift.  My students remind me what it’s like to be excited about learning and they expand my horizons every time I work with them.  I am curious, and they are curious right along with me.  I am passionate and enthusiastic and they have that same passion and enthusiasm.  We feed off each other and the classroom environment – no, the whole learning experience -- is better for all of us.  I know that I would not be the teacher I am without Honors and I know that my fellow faculty feel the same.  So, thank you – thank you for being a constant reminder of why we are here and for making us better than we were.

We are all of us Alice and I am proud to be among you.