Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Brad Rentz
Volume 2, Issue 1
August 22, 2018
Message from Dean Jeff Vahlbusch
Dear Honors students and all friends of Honors education at Appalachian,
Welcome to the 2018–2019 academic year in Honors, and to the second year of the indispensable HonorsWednesday Memo.
I’m sending profound thanks to all who participated in the Honors College Early Move-In; in our very firstHonors College Farm and Forest Day at ASU’s Sustainable Development Farm; and in our first-everHonors College Convocation, including all Honors College staff and our extraordinary colleagues in University Housing, the Department of Sustainable Development, and ASU Food Services! Special thanks to Jess Yandow in the Honors College, who made everything click.
I’m happy to start off our year with two community-building changes:
1. Swipe-card Access to Appalachian Hall 24/7. As of Monday, 8/20, all Honors College students residing in University Housing have 24/7 swipe-card access to Appalachian Hall, home of the HonorsCollege. The building and its classrooms will be open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday–Friday. Inside and outside of those hours, please use our improved common study spaces on floors 2 and 3. Remember: this is your Honors College and your building; please treat it and your fellow users responsibly.
(A short User’s Guide to Appalachian Hall will appear soon).
2. Coffee in the Honors College Library: Please help! We now have a donated Keurig coffee machine, assorted donated K-cups, a K-cup recycling program, and donated coffee accessories in the HonorsCollege Library, 282 Appalachian Hall. The coffee, hot chocolate, and tea are free to Honors College students, faculty, and staff (we aren’t allowed to charge per cup), but not free, alas, to the Honors staff members supporting it. To keep this coffee program running, we need YOU: please donate K-cups and sugar and creamer packets as often as possible, and please bring your own mug!
I’m looking forward to a terrific year in Honors at Appalachian!
Jeff
Jeff showing appreciation for the whole Honors College Farm and Forest Day, and giving a thumbs-up to Dr. Rick Rheingans and the whole Sustainable Development Farm and Department team.
Photo credit Garrett McDowell.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dr. Vahlbusch will be delighted to assist with applications!
2018 North Carolina Honors Conference
Proposal submission is now open until September 4! The Honors Conference will be held at High Point University on September 28 and 29. For more information on the event and how to submit your proposal, please visit https://honors.appstate.edu/2018-north-carolina-honors-association-conference.
Scholarship Spotlight
If you are interested in a fully funded international Masters Program as well as being immersed in Chinese culture, then apply for the Yenching Scholarship! You have until the second week of December to apply for this scholarship. Please visit our website at https://honors.appstate.edu/scholarship-spotlight for more information.
Asheville Art Museum Paid Internship
Applications for this valuable internship experience are due by November 1 for the Spring Semester. Please visit our website for important information about required hours and the application process!https://honors.appstate.edu/asheville-art-museum-fall-2018-special-project-internship-paid
Health Professions Advising
For Health Profession majors there is now a part-time professional advisor that can assist with graduate health professions programs! In the first weeks of classes, there are several opportunities to meet with this advisor or other peer advisors to discuss anything in your major. Please visithttps://honors.appstate.edu/health-professions-advising-office-updates-fall-2018 for instructions on how to schedule an appointment with an advisor.
Fall 2018 Undergraduate Research Assistantship
The Office of Student Research is now accepting applications for Fall 2018 until the deadline on August 27, 2018. This application is for fall work beginning after September 16, 2018. Please visithttps://honors.appstate.edu/fall-2018-undergraduate-research-assistantship-ura-information-osr for more information.
Stay in the Know…
Want to Know More about the Process of Completing your Honors Thesis?
The last Thesis Orientation of the semester will be tomorrow in the Honors College Library from 11 – 12 (noon)!
Fall Film Series
“Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock” will show on August 28 at 7 pm in I.G. Greer. This film is free and open to all students. Please visit our website for more information and the trailer. https://honors.appstate.edu/fall-film-series-awake-dream-standing-rock
Mental Wellbeing Resources
According to 2016 Healthy Minds Data, over 70% of students reported that emotional or mental difficulties hurt their academic performance 1 or more days in the past month. Wellness and Prevention Services has multiple resources to optimize student mental wellbeing. Please visit our website for a complete list of services that may be helpful to you. https://honors.appstate.edu/mental-wellbeing-resources-students
Levine Hall Information
Levine Hall opened on August 21, 2018, and classes are beginning to move into the new and extravagant building. Students who will eventually begin traveling to Levine Hall should allow about 40 minutes of travel time and should also be familiar with the various AppalCart routes that stop nearby. Please visithttps://honors.appstate.edu/fwd-important-information-classes-scheduled-levine-hall for more information about Levine Hall.
Welcome Back Comedy Show
On Thursday, August 30 at 8 pm in the Shaefer Center, Adam Devine will come to Boone to perform in the Welcome Back Comedy Show. Tickets are on sale now and cost ASU Students only $25! For more information on the show and how to purchase tickets, please visit https://honors.appstate.edu/welcome-back-comedy-show-ft-adam-devine
Back to School Events
It will be a busy semester in the College of Arts and Sciences with 14 events scheduled so far from August through November! Please visit https://honors.appstate.edu/were-back-back-school-events-college-arts-and-sciences for a complete list of events.
In the Honors Spotlight
Alumnus Shares Thriving Career in Journalism
Honors Gerald Witt ’03 currently serves as an investigator for the Knox County Public Defender’s office. He took this position after working 15 years in journalism, most recently as the politics and government reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He previously worked at the News & Record in Greensboro, NC, the Register & Bee in Danville, VA, and the Mooresville Tribune in NC. Gerald is also a lecturer, teaching a journalism course at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he has lived since 2011.
For more on Gerald’s exciting career, please visit: https://honors.appstate.edu/news/alumnus-shares-thriving-career-journalism
Two Honors Students Join South African Clinical Shadowing Program
Honors rising juniors and pre-med majors Makayla Wood and Hannah Davenport traveled to South Africa this summer for a clinical shadowing and emergency medicine program. This faculty-led study abroad program was designed and led specifically for Appalachian pre-med and pre-PA students by Dr. Chishimba Nathan Mowa professor of physiology and endocrinology in Appalachian’s Department of Biology. Along with eight other Appalachian students, Wood and Davenport spent May 14-31 in Johannesburg, and June 1-8 in Cape Town, South Africa.
For the Makayla and Hannah’s full story, please visit https://honors.appstate.edu/news/two-honors-students-join-south-african-clinical-shadowing-program
Appalachian State Honors College on Social Media!
We’re now on Snapchat!!! Add us with this Snapcode or by searching "apphonors."
Check us out on Instagram also! Find us by searching “Appalachian Honors College”
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.