Food, Fun, and Fellowship

Vol 3 No 8

You're invited!

What:  Dinner!

Who:  All students, particularly Honors Students

When:  Tuesday, October 30 from 5:00 - 7:00

Where:  Stage 14

On one hand, there are always jokes (or not jokes) made about how if you serve food, students will come.  Students LOVE free food.  Well, here's a secret:  that's also true for faculty and staff.  And honestly, it's an appealing prospect for students - I remember being a student and anytime I could save money, I was all for it.

That aside, however, the bi-annual Honors Studies dinner is so much more than 'just' free food.  It's also free T-shirts and free giveaways.

No, wait...

I meant, it is, but it's also something more than even that...

We open the evening with a few remarks from faculty and staff of the college who support Honors.  After that, we hand the microphone over to students and spend the evening sharing thoughts, questions, and stories about Honors.  Students talk about how they found Honors, why they love Honors, what they've gained from Honors, and what they are looking forward to as they continue their Honors experience.

It's about fellowship and taking a break from the countless calls on your time and energy at this point in the semester.  It's a time for sharing laughter and food and perhaps a tear or two.  Maybe a hug.  You can talk or you can just listen.  But, at its simplest, it's a time to just hang out and relax.

Come join us.

Seminars Matter

Vol 2 No 25

Lots of folks have begun to look at their classes for next semester and we are really excited about the Honors offerings. You heard a bit more about them at the Honors Studies dinner and can read the course descriptions on WebAdvisor, but that doesn't necessarily explain why you might want to take a seminar - or even what a seminar is or looks like.

So, why would you take a class that doesn't "do" anything other than fill a general elective? Part of that has to do with the other question. What IS a seminar?

Google's proprietary dictionary defines seminar as "a class at a college or university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students." Well, is that what a lot of classes at a college are? Perhaps just in between needed lectures, but still...that seems the heart of what college classes in general should be. The Online Etymology Dictionary has this to say:

"1887, "special group-study class for advanced students," from German Seminar "group of students working with a professor," from Latin seminarium "breeding ground, plant nursery" (see seminary). Sense of "meeting for discussion of a subject" first recorded 1944.

'Plant nursery' is a fascinating idea, but I'm not sure Honors Studies students are necessarily inclined to appreciate being compared to budding plants. But, it's getting a bit closer to the concept I'm aiming for when I think about what we mean by seminar. The first word there that stands out is 'special'. This is not to say that other classes for other students aren't special, but I firmly believe (and I admit I have a bias) that the special nature of Honors Studies seminars is more common than not. Far from being contradictory, this is really what I have observed and heard about the seminar experience. I often joke that if someone stuck their head into one of my Honors classes, they wouldn't necessarily be able to pick out the instructor compared to the students. That's more than just a joke - it's true. In the seminars more than in any other type of class, I'm sitting WITH students. There is now nothing in between them and I. We sit together as learners.

Now, I know that I can never fully erase my role as instructor with a suitcase full of grading and other responsibilities.  And I humbly lay claim to a little more expertise in general, given the number of years I've been in academia and studying whatever topic I've chosen, but to the extent that it is possible, I can learn from my students even as they learn from me.

Many of those who teach seminars do so because they want to research and dig more deeply into a topic about which they have an interest.  The thing about Honors Studies faculty (and many faculty in general) is that they have dedicated their lives to learning.  This is one of the ways they do so.  And this coming fall?  We have two amazing seminars coming that are the products of the passion, curiosity, and the enthusiasm of the instructors who are teaching them.

So, no...seminars might not fulfill a requirement in your degree (other than a general elective or a liberal arts elective), and perhaps there's nothing in them the connects to your program of study at all...but think larger than that.  There are few classes in any college anywhere where you will find a room full of people who truly chose to be there.  No one needs it, which means everyone wants it.  They don't necessarily come because they need the credit or the class or anything about it.  They come because they love the content of the course itself.  And that, my friends, is the best learning environment you will ever find.

This fall?

HON 200-90 : Games and Storytelling taught by Honors Studies Librarian, April Broughton.

HON 200-91 : Eat Me:  Food and Identity in American Culture, taught by Lori Vail of the Humanities department.

Come.  Learn.  Celebrate your own curiosity.  And, dare I say my little plants, grow.

Honors Faculty....

Vol 2. No. 17

So, why do faculty teach Honors? To answer that, here are the voices of three who teach many Honors courses and come back to it time and time again. It is clear that the faculty find the experience as rewarding as the students do and that makes for an even more enriching experience.

Dr. Vera Whisman

Associate Professor of Sociology

I love teaching Honors courses because this is the place where I get to pursue my calling in life.

I’m a sociologist. I’ve found that sociology is a great tool for replacing ignorance, prejudice, and fear. I decided long ago that I was going to teach everyone I could reach how to think like a sociologist. That task is worthwhile, and meaningful, and important. And it is also so much fun: It’s a celebration of the love of learning—of ideas and questions and how to answer them and how that creates yet more questions. I’m helping students discover and nurture that in themselves. The beauty of it is that often it’s the students who end up in the course because it fit their schedule, who didn’t know that it was an Honors course, who benefit most profoundly.

• “I didn’t think I would like sociology.” 
• “I never thought about this stuff before.” 
• “I have really opened my eyes.” 
• “I just love this class.”

Those are the comments that mean the most to me, and Honors inspires students to make them.

Dr. David McGuire

Professor in Music/Music Recording and Visual and Performing Arts

I am drawn to Honors courses because they open the possibility of cooperative explorations with enthusiastic collaborators, and the electricity of genuine questions. In Honors, I am invited to reconsider the authenticity of my work by reinvigorating myself as a student: chasing down connections and implications, relishing clarity and expressiveness in the articulation of insight. Honors courses open the possibility of engaging a subject ardently, with conviction; they remind us that imagination is the last frontier.

Curt Nehring Bliss

Professor of Humanities, Former Honors Director

Teaching in the Honors Studies program invites me to design learning experiences that privilege and promote reflection as a core learning practice. So when I teach an Honors Introduction to Literature course, not only do we study critical reading, writing, and thinking strategies, but we also dive into a rich and rewarding exploration of who we are as developing readers, thinkers and writers. We get to interrogate our reactions (intellectual and emotional) to the texts we are studying; we get to unpack our biases, assumptions, and misconceptions about the texts, ourselves and our classmates; we get to identify, better understand, and engage with our strengths and weaknesses as learners. And because reflection (metacognition) has been identified as an essential component to assist with learning transfer, I feel confident when students leave an honors course, in any subject, they will be well positioned to be successful in their future learning endeavors.

Honors Matters So Much

Vol 2. No. 10

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” – Dr. King

Hello from Atlanta!

I’m here with over 5,000 administrators, directors, deans, support staff, faculty, and students of Honors exploring everything from social justice to building annual reports.  I’ve attended sessions on mental health, supporting trans and non-binary students, encouraging leadership in students, building community, and engaging in self-reflection.  I’ve also visited a number of interesting places in Atlanta – from The World of coke to the home where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born.  And there’s still two more days!  Lots of sessions to attend over those next two days – and I plan to also visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights as well.

One of the things that keeps coming up all throughout this conference is the idea that wellness is key to success – that wellness of the mind and the concept of self-care can be the thing that makes or breaks a student’s ability to be engaged and successful in college.  It’s also come out that Honor’s students are more prone to not only being harder on themselves, but also suffering as a result of that pressure.  Many of us know that many of the students that find Honors appealing are the ones that don’t always fit in easily with their peers.  Add to this the stigma attached to mental illness and we find ourselves with a slew of issues that stand in the way of success.   They have much on their side, though – passion, enthusiasm, a passion for learning, and a desire to find others who are equally invested in the learning experience.  They have really big ideas and sometimes, all they need is a little push to help them see those big ideas come to fruition.

And you know?  The same is true for all of us who gravitate towards Honors as faculty and support staff have the same sorts of issues – in fact, we often have trouble saying no and we often find ourselves trying to do EVERYTHING because we care so much about Honors, the things it stands for, and the students it serves. 

We had a plenary speaker today named Bryan Stevenson who wanted to talk about how to change the world.  One of the things he said is that he has spent his adult life fighting for people who are broken – the poor, the incarcerated, the excluded, and the condemned.  He said that there came a time when he wanted to quit because he was so exhausted from trying to save broken people and it really led him to question why he had given so much of himself to help them.  And his answer?

He is broken, too.

He said we are ALL broken and we – the folks in Honors – are some of the ones who are broken enough to change the world.  And he told us how to do that.

Step 1 – Get proximate.  We have the power to embrace people, get close, and exact change.

Step 2 – Change the destructive narrative of fear and anger.  What if, instead of declaring drug use a crime, we declared it a health issue?  Can you see how that would change the whole story….if we stopped being afraid of that which we don’t know or understand and stopped lashing out in anger?

Step 3 – Keep our hopefulness.  When we lose hope, we lose any drive or motivation to keep going.  It takes bravery and courage to be hopeful in the face of the world around us – but we must.

Step 4 – Good people need to be willing to do uncomfortable things. 

I have felt this last one myself recently.  As a white woman who grew up in middle class suburban America, I often feel completely out of my element talking about race in my classrooms.  I hate conflict.  I hate political debate.  I hate much of what is happening in the world around us.  But because I hate all of those things, I have felt increasingly that my role is to draw attention to these things so that the students in my classes can be part of the positive change that needs to happen in our world.

This is Honors.  So many things are Honors and I’m learning so much about how everything I believe in is infused in my Honors classes, even when I’m not aware of it.

I will not say that my classrooms are safe spaces because that term has been tainted by hateful rhetoric that does not understand what it means.  What I WILL say, however, is that I see Honors classrooms as safe places – places to be you, to find you, to celebrate you, and to challenge the things about you that need to be challenged.

This is Honors.  You are Honors.

The house where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born

New Old Words

Vol. 2 No 2.

So, what does the foundation of Honors look like?  In many ways, it's the same as it always has been:  reflection, inquiry, and collaboration in the pursuit of learning that lasts beyond the classroom and the institution.  But we feel that we've infused it with a few more words that capture the essence of what Honors at FLCC is and where it came from.

Curiosity.  Passion.  Engagement.  Challenge.  

So many who teach and learning in Honors Studies will tell you that it's not MORE work, it's different work.  But it's not just about 'work' - there are so many other words and things that you should know if the core of Honors Studies is something you seek to really understand.  From our mission, talked about last week, comes our learning outcomes.  These are the things we want students to have gained by the time they leave us and FLCC.  

• Students will be able to reflect on and evaluate their internal learning process
• Students will be able to analyze external connections among their own learning experiences
• Students will be able to articulate the value of intellectual pursuit in a scholarly tradition

Can you see them?  Those same ideas of reflection, new modes of learning, inquiry, and intellect.  There are some parts that might look or sound new, though they are really not.  We've just found new ways to say them.  And we made sure that the things that we hold as the heart of Honors Studies link to the FLCC Values.   It wasn't hard to do - they overlap and inform each other in so many exciting ways.

Vitality is reflected with all three of our learning outcomes in Honors Studies, most readily with the third one.  Exploring scholarly tradition really encourages us see how the concepts and content of a course exist outside the classroom in complex ways.  Within the classroom, the second learning outcomes leads Honors Studies students to explore their learning in a collective context, while self-evaluation (in the first learning outcome) is directly linked to well-being.  We have to look to ourselves to engage in self-care at all levels - emotionally, physically, intellectually, and even spiritually.

We find interconnection most obviously in the second learning outcome where you will be directly challenged to find connections among learning experiences.  The first learning outcome hopefully leads to us realizing that our internal selves is what connects all the arenas of our lives and the one thing over which we have the most control.  Internal reflection also encourages you to connect with other students as well as faculty and staff. Meanwhile, the third learning outcome highlights that a discipline is a community of scholars and the conversations of the classroom are just one facet of conversations going on all around us.

All of the Honors Studies learning outcomes require perseverance.  Our emphasis on analysis, reflection and scholarship requires the continual push against intellectual, emotional, and circumstantial barriers.

Similarly, reflection, evaluation, analysis, and scholarship are based squarely in inquiry.  When students meet the three Honors Studies learning outcomes, they demonstrate the ability to pose questions and utilize endurance to pursue the answers.

So, there you have it.  The events, courses, and experiences you have in Honors Studies is so much more than just 'fun classes' that are taught in a different way.  We've put so much work in behind the scenes so you could have these experiences and we hope that you find just as much value in them as we do.  We also couldn't do ANY of this without you.

“It is only once in a blue moon that you are able to honestly say the experience of a classroom has changed your outlook on life. This course was one of my blue moons.”

-Amber

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

Found Honors

Vol. 1 No. 12

Recently, the Honors Advisory Board developed and conducted a survey of all students enrolled in an Honors course in the Fall 2016 semester.  I don’t know a lot about data and the like, but they tell me that the 26 responses we got back was an excellent return.  I hope to get even more next time we conduct one.  Those that did respond said some amazing things about Honors, though, and I would like to let you see what they said.  To that end, I’ve created a ‘found poem’ – where I built a poem using only the words that were provided on the survey.  The only changes I made were some spelling and tenses here and there.  Other than that, I simply rearranged phrases, shortened sentences, and removed some punctuation to come up with what you see below.  I hope you enjoy.

Honors Survey, 2016

I. The dedicated faculty...

My teachers have been wonderful

truly engaged with both the students and material

They set a great example for their students

and do much to encourage and sustain inquisitiveness

Relatable…

I like how they care about how we do and don't want us to do badly

they are genuinely invested in our education

Knowledgeable but humble and approachable

Teacher's teaching ability…hard work and preparation.

Caring…

The willingness of honors teachers

to go on a 25 minute tangent from the original discussion

to answer a legitimate question you had

about how the subject relates to something else

Eagerness…

Each faculty member is unique and has an interesting perspective

I find these individuals incredibly intelligent

and I want to learn as much as I possibly can from them.

                their dedication to ensure an actual learning experience occurs.

                                                                                    Realness…

Always…seem to care very deeply about what they’re teaching

this makes it much easier as a student to feel engaged

how dedicated they are to their work.

professionalism mixed with fun discussions

Understanding…

The teacher is mostly hands off…

II. The classroom scenery

The relaxed atmosphere is so comforting especially during stressful times

It allows us to learn the way I think we should;

Allowing for students to guide class discussion

Everyone in the class has the same or more interest in the topic as I do

The connection you build with your classmates

because of the small groups you're taught in

                When students teach each other they learn more

and are more interested and motivated to study as well

The small classes, comforting atmosphere,

class discussion rather than lecture, interesting topics

Honors classes attract individuals interested in learning

and having fun while doing so…the atmosphere

III. The honors experience…

It has been one of the best experiences of my life

It's unlike any class I’ve ever had

Honors have been an amazing experience

It helped me to see things differently

Honors just needs to be experienced to be fully understood

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...

***

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.  

Honors Happenings

Vol 1. No. 8

It’s been a crazy week with advising and the spring semester on everyone’s mind along with the ending of the semester looming and Hallowe’en getting everyone excited.  I’ve been working hard on getting ready for next semester – soon you will see posters appearing around campus for ALL the Honors courses in the Spring as well as ones for my own Alice in Wonderland course.  I’ve been talking to various faculty about coming to guest lecture in that class and so far Tim Biehler, Linda Ross, Robert Brown, April Steenburgh, Mary Murphy, Derrick Gentry, and Liz Brownell have all shown interest in doing a repeat performance of their work last time I taught this class.  I have a couple of other folks to come chat as well.

I know that Dr. Brown in the Social Science department is creating a pamphlet to advertise courses in his area, and you should see Brian Bell’s presidential class there.  We should see other posters and things popping up as well.  If you haven’t already guessed, Honors faculty are extremely excited about their own classes as well.  It’s a strange time to get excited about next semester when we are in the throes of this one, but that curiosity and enthusiasm we always talk about is infectious. 

Remember – to find ALL Honors courses for the spring, just select HON from the WebAdvisor pull down menu and that will give you everything from the seminars to Honors in the Disciplines.

Speaking of energy, it was amazingly high and contagious at the Honors dinner as well.  For a first time event, I think it was wonderfully successful and I can’t wait to begin planning for a repeat performance in the spring.  We had 40 or so students there, plus a number of Honors faculty and supporters.  We heard from President Nye, Provost Fragnoli, and the interim AVP of Instruction, Cassy Kent.  We also heard from the faculty teaching some of the more specialized classes and Vera Whisman even got us to think about gender influences things as ‘innocent’ as how we sit.  One of the best parts of the evening was when current Honors students stood up and shared their thoughts with those in attendance.  I had no idea what they would say, and I must say that I was thrilled to hear them talking about all the same things I think of when I think about Honors myself.  Special thanks to Nick Lathrop, Erin Oakley, Megan Scicchitano, and Luke Martin for talking about their experiences from a student perspective.  Speaking of student perspectives, within a blog or two, we will hear from Noel Scouten, who is going to guest blog about her experience with working on an Honors contract this semester in ENG 102 – Introduction to Literature.

We have some big announcements coming soon, but I have to get a couple of meetings taken care of first.  But, keep in mind that big things are coming for Honors and I hope you will be excited as we are about what is to come.

We might even be able to sell T-shirts!  Those were a huge hit!  :D

Stay curious!

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision” – Dalai Lama

Honors Voices

Vol.1 No. 6

This week, while I’m in Seattle and not quite ready to tell you all about what I’m learning here, I thought it might be fun to hear some other voices. So, this blog is going to introduce you to some of the faces behind Honors. The following burbs are from the five FLCC faculty and staff members who sit on the Honors Advisory Board. I rely on these folks to give advice, share ideas, explore possibilities, and work out issues of all types within Honors. I cannot express how valuable this group is to the future of Honors and to all the things that I’ve been working on since I took over the directorship. So, I thought you should get the chance to meet them. I asked each of them to share with me a little statement about why they agreed to serve on the Board. I think you will hear each of their voices coming through, and I think you will also feel their dedication and their passion for all things Honors. And I hope that in this introduction, you can hear my appreciation and gratitude for all they do. These are not the only ones who support Honors by any means, but they are the ones who’ve agreed to let me call on their expertise regularly and repeatedly. So here they are, in no particular order...

Dr. Linda Ross

Faculty Member

My name is Dr. Linda Ross and I am an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Social Sciences Department. My specialty in psychology is clinical psychology and I have many years of treatment and teaching experience. I have always been extremely curious about how and why people become who they are as an adult. I have wondered again and again why does a given individual do the things that they do and how did they become a person who thinks and feels and behaves that way? Honors Studies courses provide me with a venue for sharing with interested students some of the research that has resulted from this burning curiosity, exploring such topics as: How does a person become gay, straight, asexual or bisexual; what kind of person kills their own children; what is the impact on a person of killing another human being?

I am serving on the Honors Advisory Board because, quite simply, Honors Studies provides students with learning experiences that are not typically available to them through standard curriculum. Between the small class size, the emphasis on student-driven discussion and self-reflection and, the wide range of highly focused subject matter from many disciplines, students have the opportunity to indulge their curiosities. Honors Studies provide students and the faculty who teach them with intellectually rich learning opportunities to explore specific topics of interest in greater depth and detail than might otherwise be available. It is this combination of focus on a specific topic in greater depth and the opportunity for students to stretch both their thinking, their academic skill set and to have the opportunity to indulge their curiosity that makes Honors Studies experiences so important to support and develop.

Johnathan Murray

One Stop

Hi, curious ones. I am Johnathan Murray, the Assistant Director of the One Stop Center. I am an FLCC alum, RIT alum, and current Keuka College student (2017). I am an educator, student, bird watcher, gamer, amateur photographer, baker, and Tolkien fan. Why am I interested in Honors? I am proud of the Honors Program at FLCC, of its uniqueness, its mission, and the opportunities it provides to our students. I think the course offerings are cool! I am appreciative of our engaged and enthusiastic faculty involved in the program.

I was asked to be part of the Honors Group for my expertise in enrollment services, I stay involved because of my excitement for the program.

Vera Whisman

Faculty Member and Assessment Coach

Who am I? My name is Vera Whisman. I’m a sociologist, with a Ph.D. from New York University. I have taught, researched, and published in gender studies and social movements. I grew up in Oklahoma, but I’ve also lived in St. Louis, New York City, Provincetown, and until recently, Ithaca. My partner Shari and I have been together for 29 years, and married for two. Our son is a college junior.

What have I done in Honors Studies? I’ve been teaching in HS since I arrived at FLCC as an adjunct instructor. My first course was Green Grrrls and Earth Mothers, an interdisciplinary course in feminist and environmentalist movements. Since then, I’ve taught the interdisciplinary social science course, “Women in Society” as an Honors course. (That course will continue under the broader name, “Gender and Women’s Studies.”) I also offer an Honors section of Introduction to Sociology.

I sit on the Honors Studies Advisory Board, and I helped in the review of the curriculum for the Honors Studies Certificate.

What draws me to teaching in Honors Studies at FLCC? First, the students: HS courses draw students who are curious and interested, who want to learn--and to think, talk, and write about what they’re learning. Second, the structure: HS courses work for my students and work for me because they offer small classes in a seminar setting, encourage exploration of unusual topics and methods, and are supported by a pedagogy of reflective learning.

What are my hopes for the future of Honors Studies at FLCC? I’d like to see HS continue to lead the way in nurturing an intellectual campus culture. For example: at my son’s high school, students were encouraged to understand that “Everyone is an Athlete.” The idea was that athleticism is not for just a small number of gifted people, but rather something that everyone can and should participate in. I’d like to see HS communicating that “Everyone is an Intellectual,” that the life of the mind is something we all can participate in, that it’s not something to be left to only a small number of gifted people.

Jennie M. Erdle

Student Life

Some may think that a Student Life and Honors Studies pairing might not make much sense, but I hope the following may shed light on how this truly has been a relationship built long ago, and how this collaboration only enhances the holistic student experience for our students.

As a Higher Education practitioner, it is important to be mindful of the principles of good practice for Student Life. It is also important to be consistent with core values which have been documented throughout the literature of the profession to enrich each of our institutions mission. Since 1937 when the American Council on Education published the first Student Personnel Point of View, the field has produced many documents about student life work. These works span seven decades, examining student life from different perspectives and for different purposes. They demonstrate the long-standing belief that higher education has a responsibility to develop citizens capable of contributing to the betterment of society. These documents affirm the conviction that higher education professionals have a duty to help students reach their full potential.

Our beliefs about higher education serve as the foundation for our commitment to the development of "the whole person"; our collective professional values are derived from that commitment. Values evident across the history of student life work include an acceptance and appreciation of individual differences; lifelong learning; education for effective citizenship; student responsibility; ongoing assessment of learning and performance (students' and our own); pluralism and multiculturalism; ethical and reflective student affairs practice; supporting and meeting the needs of students as individuals and in groups; and freedom of expression with civility. Any statement of principles of good practice for student affairs must be consistent with our profession's values and must help us meet our founding commitments.

Do this beliefs and principles sound familiar? They should, because much of what is at the heart Honors Studies program fall within these same learning outcomes. With these thoughts in mind, to take part in the Honors Studies transition has been a blessing and an honor. I have enjoyed working with the academic side of Finger Lakes Community College from the inception of a new mission and vision, to the development of learning outcomes. It has been truly a joy to celebrate all that honors studies has to offer the “whole student”.

FLCC Marketing Office

The main function of the Marketing Office is to share FLCC’s unique features and benefits with future students and their families because we know that this information is critical during college selection. We also know that FLCC offers various opportunities that people expect to only find at a large college or university. One of these unique and interesting options is the Honors Studies Program, which marries creativity with intellect, features active group discussion, and is centered on personal reflection and reflective writing. As experts on the market and our audience, we know that a substantial segment of the population is seeking this type of college experience because it is challenging, dynamic, insightful, and unlike any other learning method they’ve ever experienced. Plus, the faculty and students in the Honors Studies Program are passionate about their in-class and out-of-class learning experiences, and their enthusiasm is contagious. For these reasons, the Marketing Office is thrilled to serve on the Honors Program Board and participate as an active supporter of this successful and expanding effort.

 “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” - Helen Keller

Honors Event!

Vol. 1. No. 5

TO:  FLCC STUDENTS

RE:  HONORS DINNER, Sponsored by the FLCC Student Corps.

DAY:  October 18th, 2016

TIME:  5:00 - 7:00

WHERE:  Stage 14

WHAT:

I have wanted, since mid-summer, to have an event that was open to both Honors students and students CURIOUS about Honors.  In my mind, I was thinking a room, some pizza, and a lot of mingling.  I didn't have a lot of ideas as to how to go about planning such an event, however, so I set up a meeting with Jennie Erdle, Director of Student Life and Dreamer of Big Dreams.  That was when everything exploded into this event to which I am now inviting FLCC students.

By the time our meeting ended, my pizza mixer was wholly and truly transformed and I couldn't be happier.  The precision and grace with which Jennie took my idea from me and rewrote gives me the feeling that this is how Jennie always looks at the world.  So, if you are imagining sitting in a classroom eating pizza, think again.  Replace the classroom with Stage 14 and replace the desks in a circle with round tables with real linens and tableware.  No more pizza -- instead, think pasta (gluten free) and sauce (meatless red and alfredo) with breadsticks, salad, and cake.  Instead of awkward conversations and small pockets of people that you know from class, think instead of speakers who will share with you their stories about Honors. Instead of posters leaned up against the white boards, we will have real people talking about the courses they plan to teach in Honors in the spring.  And instead of badly drawn pictures with dry erase markers, we will have Honors T-shirts for the first 50 students who come.

I am lining up some folks to talk to us -- not about numbers and requirements or credits and schedules, but instead about passion and curiosity, about intellectual adventures and the value of real learning.  You'll see faculty who are excited about teaching, enthusiastic about subject areas, and excited to learn from their students just as their students learn from them.  You'll hear about the fascinating courses we have up and coming in Honors in the Spring.  You'll read the words of Honors students who came before you and listen to college administrators as they talk about what makes Honors special and important to them beyond just enrollment and educational mandates.  You'll hear from people who very much care about students in general and about Honors in particular.  And, of course, you'll have time to talk with the people at your table about your own experiences in Honors.

All in all, I'm grateful that Jennie took my small idea and exploded it into something about which we can really get excited.  I've already invited all the students in Honors courses to come and I hope that this will act to reinforce that.  I hope also that this blog will find its way to those who might be curious about Honors and they will find their way to us that evening as well.  Whether already enrolled or just curious about it, this is a great way to learn about Honors and to celebrate the amazing things that faculty and students alike are coming together to do.

Come join us for food, fellowship, and fun.  Honors - where all you have to be is curious...and hungry!

"I would like to help others rediscover....wonder -- to want to engage with it, to want to learn, to want to share what they've learned, what they've figured out to be true and what they're still figuring out." - Sarah Kay

Flying the Honors Flag

Vol 1. No 2.

Hello again from the Director of Honors!

This week I'm going to talk about how you can have yourself flagged as an Honors Student and why you might want to do that.  You'll also find some important information about where to find me and when you are most likely to find me in my office if you have questions.

It is true that our classes are open to all students and that a single Honors course on your transcript can be enough to set you apart from another applicant to a job or a seat in a four-year classroom.  But what if you have the time and the room to dedicate yourself to going all the way, so to speak?  What if you have set your sights on a certificate or diploma and what to make it official?  Well, you can and it's very easy to do.

All you have to do is fill out a change of major form (which you can find here) with your name, ID and signature.  Then you get it to me and I sign it for you.  From there, it goes down to the OneStop where they will raise a little flag in your student record that tags you as an Honors student.  It's that easy!

What this does for you is put my name down as your secondary adviser to help you make decisions about how to best proceed along an Honors path.   I will never replace the adviser in your degree program because they have invaluable knowledge and expertise when it comes to your educational and career goals in your field.  I will simply be a resource for you to talk about all things Honors.  I can help you compare your required classes with the next semester's offerings and help pave the way for you to complete one or two contracts depending on which route you go.  In short, if it's possible for you to earn an Honors certificate or diploma as part of your degree, the two of us will figure it out and then make sure that we've made good choices with your main adviser as well.

If you are flagged as Honors or not, if you've taken an Honors class or haven't, and no matter where you are on your educational journey, you are always welcome to come find me to chat about Honors related issues.  You can find my office on the fourth floor just down the hall to the right of the drinking fountain.  I'm the last door on the left before you go around the corner into the business and art wing.  My office number is 4285.  This semester, Fall 2016, my office hours are as follows:

Monday / Wednesday:  10:00-10:45 and 1:00-2:00
Tuesday / Thursday:  9:00 - 9:30 and 11:00-12:00
Friday:  10:00-11:00

I'm often around at other times, as well, so you can always email me to set up an appointment at trista.merrill@flcc.edu or honorsstudies@flcc.edu

You may wonder why my office is not in the Honors House, since that seems to make the most sense given that is HONORS Studies and HONORS House.  They are actually two separate things, though the two of them often cross paths in both philosophy and practical matters such as where we schedule Honors classes.  I had the chance to move my office over there, but I decided that it would be much easier to reach out to a wider range of students, faculty, and other important folks at FLCC if I was in the main building.  So, like you who are taking Honors classes, I walk over there every day and so far - the walk has been lovely!  We shall see how we feel when the snow starts falling, eh?

Well, that's all I have for this week.  Next week is a big week - I'm hoping to bring you news of our upcoming Honors gathering.  Stay tuned!

-T

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit - e.e.cummings