"I Was a Different Person Then"

Vol. 1 No. 17

I'm teaching an Honors Seminar in Alice and Wonderland this semester and it always amazes me how much the journey of that little girl echoes the experience of Honors, at least metaphorically.  I was also recently reminded about how the word Honors is received sometimes.

Last week I was in a meeting with a member of administration who is also a faculty member and she said something that I think rings true for a lot of people.  In short, she said that the word Honors scares her.  That’s one of the things that I’ve been trying to battle since I took on the mantle of Director.  In the high schools, Honors gets attached to things like the National Honors Society and even at the college level we talk about graduating ‘with Honors.’  All of that leads, of course, to confusion.  Carrying on the defining of things that I started last week, I thought I would do the same thing with the word 'Honors'.  According to the National Collegiate Honors Council, which is a national organization that is centered on Honors, it’s really not about the “smart kids”:

Honors education is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. Honors experiences include a distinctive learner-directed environment and philosophy, provide opportunities that are appropriately tailored to fit the institution's culture and mission, and frequently occur within a close community of students and faculty.

As you can see, it’s all about HOW classes are taught and the impact of that methodology rather than the relative intelligence of the individual students.  It’s about making connections (there’s that word again) with the content and with the people who are with you on your learning journey.

Now, it goes without saying that more academically minded students tend to gravitate towards Honors, but it’s also appealing to students because of what is taught and how it is taught.  I’ve encountered so many Honors students who realized that it was something that they had within themselves rather than something they had to bring with them.  Sometimes, it's not about who the student is, but who the student CAN be.

Take the student who fell into ENG 101 Honors with me last semester and came up at the end of the first class to ask if I thought he should stay.  He had only signed up because the time fit his schedule and he didn’t realize it was Honors.  I told him absolutely – the support and camaraderie he would experience would help him succeed.  He ended semester by writing a note in his attendance folder that said, “Thank you – I went from summer school to a 34-page portfolio.”  That made me feel pretty special as an instructor, but it really says more about how powerful the Honors experience can be – and that has as much (or more!) to do with the students and what is built together as it does with what the instructor alone brings.

Or consider the student who signed up for ENG 230 because she wanted to read The Lord of the Rings and is now pursuing Honors recognition.  I recently asked her if she would have believed it had someone told her two years ago that she would be a student of Honors Studies in college and she replied with “No way.  I probably would’ve cried thinking they were mocking me.”

Some seek out Honors.  Some find it by mistake.  Some visit, but then head away again not to return.  Some are changed forever by the experiences they have in their Honors courses.  College really is about finding where you fit and then making the most of the time you have there.  Honors is no different in that regard.  I hope each of you find what you are looking for and for those who find it in Honors, we are glad to have you here.

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” – Alice from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

“This above all: to thine own self be true” – Polonius, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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... :)

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 Spring 2017

Vol. 1, No. 7

SPRING INTO HONORS!!

Look at all the amazing offerings we have in Honors for the Spring!  See WebAdvisor for more details and remember....STAY CURIOUS.

TOPICS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE: GENDER AND WOMEN'S STUDIES

(SSC 215-01)

This course will lead students in an examination of the social forces that shape our lives by gender, with a particular emphasis on women in the contemporary United States. The course emphasizes awareness of the many forms of diversity among women, and explores issues of race, class, and sexuality, as well as gender. The course will cover areas such as "gender and the body" (including beauty, sexuality, and interpersonal violence), "gender and social institutions" (including family, economy, politics, education, and religion), and "gender and social change" (including feminist, anti-feminist, LGBTQ, and other gender-related movements).

***

TOPICS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE - LOVE AND ROMANCE: SCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY

(SSC 215-02)

This course is an exploration of the psychology of love and romance. We will focus on romantic or love relationships with particular attention to adolescent and emerging adult romantic relationships. Students will have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of romance/love and likely will find that the literature contains unexpected findings that can change the way they look at relationships, both from academic and applied or real-life perspectives.

***

SEMINAR – ANALYZING ALICE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY LOOK AT THE WORK OF LEWIS CARROLL

(HON 200-01)

The lasting influence and power of Carroll's Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There is undeniable - from Disney and Tim Burton to Jefferson Airplane and American McGee, Alice seems to have a firm hold on popular imaginations from all corners of the arts and beyond. The purpose of this course is to engage in traditional literary analysis and also explore a variety of disciplines such as art, psychology, math, theater, and history. Guest speakers and student presentations will foster an interdisciplinary and multi-faceted look at the power Alice has held over us ever since she first followed the White Rabbit in 1865.

***

SEMINAR – PRESIDENTIAL GREATNESS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

(HON 200-02)

In what presently would seem to be one of the most contentious Presidential elections in American History, it is very important that our students understand and participate in the political process. With that in mind, this course is based upon a study and analysis of the evolution of the office of the Presidency from George Washington to George Herbert Walker Bush. No one individual is perfect or without ever experiencing failure, frustration, tragedy, loss, and embarrassment. All whether Presidents, Senators, or everyday normal people have experienced or will experience in their lifetimes moments of victory, mediocracy, and failure. Together, we will examine the office of the Presidency of the United States and the lives and careers of those who led our country. By doing so, we will reinforce that we are all mortal and capable of experiencing in our lifetimes “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

***

PLUS, MORE HONORS IN THE DISCIPLINES!

· ENG 101 – COMPOSITION I

· ENG 102 – INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

· COM 115 – INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

· PSY 100 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

· PHL 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

· PHL 103 - ETHICS

· MUS 117 – MASTER COMPOSERS II

· SCI 137 – CHAOS THEORY

Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why” – Bernard Baruch