By: Kaylie Morales
Honors students Em Acuña and Kistler Hunt traveled with Drs. Vicky Klima and Angela Mead to attend the annual meetings of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) held October 30-November 3, 2024, in Kansas City, MO. This was the first time either student had attended the NCHC conference. Hunt is the previous editor of the Honors Wednesday Memo, majoring in public health and double minoring in medical humanities and nutrition and foods. She plans to graduate this Spring 2025 semester. Acuña has been the front desk assistant for the Honors College since January 2024, and is majoring in psychology and minoring in media studies, with intended graduation in May of 2026.
As explained on the website, “NCHC is an international community of educational institutions, professionals, and students who are passionate about advancing honors education.” They explain their mission and vision as follows: “The mission of the National Collegiate Honors Council is to support and enhance the community of educational institutions, professionals, and students who participate in collegiate honors education around the world. NCHC is the driving force for quality honors education providing value-driven, evidence-based strategies and support to our membership.”
The NCHC annually hosts meetings for Honors programs across the country with the goal of sharing information, and strengthening the community through workshops, scholarships, and career development. There were multiple sessions that included navigating the feeling of “imposter syndrome” as an Honors student, civic learning, faculty-specific development, and international education.
NCHC is a community for everyone involved in honors education. NCHC offers unique opportunities for students to participate in honors at a national level—from scholarships to experiential learning opportunities like Partners in the Park, Partners in Peace, City as Text, as well as faculty institutes, and signature programming for administrators. Honors College Interim Dean, Dr. Vicky Klima shared the following about Acuña and Hunt’s participation at the 2024 NCHC meetings:
They embraced the spirit of collaboration, connecting with Honors students from across the country...Em and Kistler left the conference with fresh ideas to enhance our Honors College and I am so proud of their willingness to share in this experience.
NCHC is a source for honors information. They provide a rich knowledge bank of monographs, journals, and resources to build and expand the honors experience. They also provide the following explanation of What is Honors?
Honors education ignites passion for lifelong learning and encourages student creativity, collaboration, and leadership in the classroom and beyond. It 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 curriculum serves as a laboratory for inventive and experiential education that can be implemented in the traditional classroom. 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.
Attending the NCHC conference offered Acuña and Hunt an opportunity to connect to other Honors students in other programs and build Honors community even beyond App State. There are many ways for students to get involved with NCHC including through this annual conference.
Acuña participated in the poster sessions, which is an opportunity for Honors students to present their research on a national level. “The poster session was an amazing way to get a feel for what’s going on at other institutions and can also help ignite similar interests in yourself,” said Acuña. They explained that as a junior preparing for thesis research, it was great to get to meet and talk to students who are working on research about the “experience they had working on these projects.”
Hunt participated in a panel about her work with the NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (UReCA). The panel provided information including statistics about the journal, such as submission rates and acceptances. It also covered how to become an editor and how to submit works to the UReCA. Additionally, the Honors Wednesday Memo was nominated for the “Honors Publication Contest” under the faculty/administrator/student-published electronic newsletter category. Hunt, in her last semester in the Honors College, reminisced about her four years working for the Honors College for the Memo. She shared that NCHC was an amazing experience at the end of her undergraduate career. She greatly enjoyed seeing how communication works in other Honors programs.
Another great way for students to get involved with NCHC is through their regional councils housed under the larger, national umbrella organization. This includes the Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC) of which the Honors College at App State is a member. The annual SRHC conference is upcoming and “This regional conference is a fantastic opportunity for our students to share their research and creative projects in a supportive environment,” said Interim Dean Vicky Klima.
SRHC is currently accepting proposals for presentations for their 2025 conference in Chattanooga, TN, March 26-29, 2025. Proposals must be submitted by January 31, 2025. The conference will offer nine presentation categories and five formats that explore the overarching theme of “Honoring Story.” The Honors College will be able to support a limited number of student presenters with funds for travel, hotel, and registration. To express interest in presenting, contact Dr. Heather Waldroup (link sends e-mail). For more information and to apply, click here (link is external).
Both Acuña and Hunt benefitted from their experiences attending these NCHC meetings and encourage other Honors College students to get involved with NCHC, SRHC, and the Honors College community at App State.
“Honors wants to see students achieve all they can in a way that makes the most sense for an individual, and attending NCHC just showed how far that support extends,” said Acuña.
Photo above and top photo both feature Kansas City, Missouri at night. Photo submitted by Em Acuña.
