Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Kelly Dancy
Volume 1, Issue 8
November 1, 2017
Message from Dean Jeff Vahlbusch
I write this week to encourage you to apply to become an Honors College Resident Assistant (RA)! Help Honors College students get the most out of their university experience, in and outside the classroom, and help them and you develop intellectually, personally, and professionally at the highest possible levels. Receive priceless professional training and on-the-job leadership experience: in communication, mediation and conflict resolution, diversity and inclusiveness, and other key skills. Gain the lasting satisfaction of giving back, and of helping extraordinary students and extraordinary human beings achieve their potential.
Please act now: if you are interested in becoming an RA, or are considering an application, you must attend an informational meeting to learn more about the position and how to apply. Meetings are being held daily this week, with the last one on Sunday, November 5th. Find the meeting schedule and more information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/127029254722650/?ti=as.
I would be delighted to talk one-on-one or in groups about being an RA in the Honors Colege, and (as always) to support you in the application process. Please send me an e-mail if you’d like to talk.
Yours,
Jeff (vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu)
A Message from Dr. Heather Waldroup, Honors Associate Director
Fall in the mountains is glorious, even as we move from clear blue skies one day to a dusting of snow the next. We're now more than halfway through what has been an exciting semester for the Honors College. We've welcomed Dr. Vahlbusch and Dr. Klima to the Honors staff and supported an exciting new group of freshman students. Through programming, course offerings, advising, and mentoring, our Honors staff continues to work to support the amazing resource that is you: our Honors students. We're looking forward to working with you as we continue to develop the Honors College into a vibrant resource on Appalachian's campus.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dr. Vahlbusch will be delighted to assist with applications!
Honors College Town Hall Meeting: You’re invited to share your experiences in and hopes for Honors with Honors staff and faculty, and with each other. We think that this will be a good way for us to hear from you, to help us better meet your needs as Honors students, and to plan ways to make the College and your student experiences even better. It is especially important to us that our traditionally marginalized students are represented at this event. Light refreshments will be served
Date: Tuesday, November 14
Where: Linn Cove, Plemmons Student Union
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Submit to The Peel Literature and Arts Review: Submit your poetry, painting, music, short story, design, choreography, video, photographs, and more to the Peel Literature and Arts Review! The final Fall 2017 deadline for submission is November 3rd at 11:59 p.m. To submit, visit. http://thepeelreview.submittable.com/submit.
Appalachian Global Symposium: Appalachian Global Symposium proposals are due by November 15th. Share your recent activities that contribute to the university’s global mission at International Education Week! For more information and to submit a proposal, please visit https://international.appstate.edu/get-involved/appalachian-global-symposium.
Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop: The American Educational Research Association (AERA) Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop will take place Friday, April 13th through Sunday April 15th in New York, New York. Students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of college who are interested in pursuing a graduate or professional degree that can lend itself to education research areas such as children and youth, school and schooling issues, higher education, education policy, student achievement, curriculum and instruction, education psychology, or education leadership are encouraged to apply. Applications are due on November 15th. For more information and to apply visit http://www.aera.net/Professional-Opportunities-Funding/AERA-Funding-Opportunities/Undergraduate-Student-Education-Research-Training.
Clinton Global Initiative
The Clinton Global Initiative University at App State provides funding to support five vital focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health. Students are invited to submit funding proposals to support ideas that offer innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, November 22nd at 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit https://engagement.appstate.edu/clinton-global-initiative-university(link is external).
National Conference on Undergraduate Research: The Office of Student Research would like to encourage students with faculty mentors who have completed a research project or creative endeavors to participate in the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). NCUR will take place from April 4th-7th at the University of Central Oklahoma. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, December 5th.For more information, visit https://honors.appstate.edu/national-conference-undergraduate-research-ncur-2018.
Upcoming Events:
"The Return of Anti-Protestantism: The Catholic Origins of Religious Freedom's New Critics on the Left"
Dr. Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins of Yale University will be giving a talk that is free and open to the public on Thursday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. In Belk Library room 114.
Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education
The Reich College of Education will be hosting a multi-part online series, “Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education.” The series addresses the experiences and realities of black males in education, encourages discussion of issues facing black male students, and offers research-based strategies for improving their success. Sessions are free, open to the public, and will take place in room 124 B/C on Monday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The sessions take place every Monday from October 23rd to December 11th. For more information, visit https://honors.appstate.edu/black-minds-matter-focus-black-boys-and-men-education.
Craft Talk: The Poetry of Witness
Poet Vivian Shipley will be delivering two craft talks on Thursday, November 2nd as the last installment of the Fall 2017 Visiting Writers Series. The talks will be from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. and later at 7:30 p.m. in Three Top Room (PSU).
Appalachian Geology Lecture Series
On Friday, November 3rd from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dr. Sarah Penniston-Dorland will be delivering a lecture that is free and open to the public. Dr. Prenniston-Dorland’s studies focus primarily in metamorphic rocks exhumed from within subduction zones.
Pre-Health Conference
The Appalachian State Pre-Health Conference will take place on Saturday, November 4th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union. The conference will provide dozens of hands-on sessions, profession specific sessions, and sessions that provide useful information regardless of which career you wish to pursue. The event is sponsored by PHI CHI Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Society. To register, visit https://orgsync.com/104644/forms/276755.
Honors Alumni Spotlight
Honors Alumna Maddison Staszkiewicz (July ’17) started work in Honduras with Global Brigades on June 12th. In the words of Maddison, she will be “Working to empower volunteers and local communities to work together through a holistic model to reduce health and economic disparities in communities across the country.” To learn more about Maddison and her time as an Appalachian Honors student, visithttps://honors.appstate.edu/news/maddison-staszkiewicz-accepts-position-global-brigades-honduras.
Honors Student Spotlight
Honors senior, Chancellor’s Scholar, and sustainable development major Sydney Blume travelled to Banff, Canada last semester for ten days of avalanche training and backcountry snowboarding. For more information about Sydney’s trip, including adventures with trekking on the Wapta Glacier and melting snow for water, visit https://honors.appstate.edu/news/sydney-blume-traveled-banff-avalanche-training-and-backcountry-snowboarding.
Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at Appalachian Honors: https://www.facebook.com/Appalachian-Honors-482157301971520/.
Submissions to honors@appstate.edu should be received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays for the following week’s issue.