Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 4, Issue 28
April 7, 2021
Dear students, faculty, staff, friends,
At Appalachian, Honors is not just honorary. Honors is intellectual, personal, and professional development at high levels, guided by expert faculty and staff members.
In the Honors College and in our 35 Honors programs in departments and colleges across this great university, an Honors education culminates in an Honors thesis. For each Honors student, this means bringing a major research, scholarly, or creative project to completion over many months and sometimes years, with all the deep learning and maturing that such work makes possible.
This spring semester, some 80 to 100 Appalachian Honors students, each mentored by at least two extraordinarily dedicated faculty members, will complete and defend their Honors theses, in the Honors College and in departmental Honors programs. Attending their thesis defenses (and I attend as many as my schedule permits) is one of the great privileges of my life. I emerge from each with new hope for our human future, and proof of the power of an Appalachian education.
Jeff
Honors senior Emily Sharpe defending her Honors thesis on April 5, 2021. Stay tuned for announcements and reports of future thesis defenses.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu(link sends e-mail).
The Writing Center is Hiring
The Writing Center(link is external) is actively seeking diversity among their staff and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and identities. They are seeking fresh perspectives from consultants coming from varying experiences and majors. Working as a writing consultant is an intense learning experience and resume builder. For more information, contact Assistant Director of University Writing Center Julie Karaus(link sends e-mail).
International Education Career Talks
Are you thinking of a career in the field of international education? The Office of International Education and Development(link is external) is hosting a series of short talks for globally minded students who are considering careers in international education, whether in study abroad or international student advising. The next two sessions will take place on April 16th and April 23rd from 3:00 – 4:00 pm each. The first session will focus on teaching English abroad in various countries while the latter will discuss international student advising and cultural outreach. Contact Karen Binger Marshall(link sends e-mail) to register for the event.
Sage Corps Career Accelerator Program
Live and intern in Chicago this summer from June 14th – August 6th as a part of Sage Corps Career Development Program, with remote abroad and remote additional options as well. Intern with a local startup out of Chicago’s premier startup hub 1871(link is external) and attend organized social, cultural, and professional development events as well. Reach out with questions here(link sends e-mail). Apply by April 18th here(link is external).
Call for Artists from North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art(link is external) is hosting their first NCMA College Virtual Trivia Night(link is external). The NCMA is looking for college aged artists interested in showing their process for creating artwork in the form of a short video. This is a great opportunity to promote your work. Click here(link is external) to apply by May 1st. Students can also just register for the free trivia night and play along.
Office of Graduate Admissions Fall 2021
The Office of Graduate Admissions(link is external) offers graduate programs, accelerated admissions, and graduate information sessions to help you learn more. The fall 2021 application can be found here(link is external) and is open until July 1st.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Dean Jeff urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. And each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
To receive the Zoom link to a thesis defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu(link sends e-mail).
Mary Alice Faunce
12:00 – 1:00 pm April 7th
Presenting “Intersections between Education and Art-Making”
Caleb Wright
3:00 – 4:00 pm April 8th
Presenting “The Effects of U.S. Events on Sentiment Relating to Minority Groups on Twitter”
Becca Gwyn
10:00 – 11:00 am April 9th
Presenting “Elementary School Students and the Roles of Socioeconomic Status and Adult Involvement Considering the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Kami Heath
4:00 – 5:00 pm April 14th
Presenting “Female Representation in the Horror Genre: An Analysis of the Hitchcock Era and Beyond”
Stay in the Know:
20th Annual Diversity Celebration
Appalachian State University is hosting the 20th Annual Diversity Celebration(link is external). The kick-off will feature award-winning slam poet Paul Tran in a live stream performance April 8th at 6:00 pm. Starting on April 9th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, Sanford Mall will host the festival activities. The celebration will end with a drive in movie showing of Zootopia at the State Farm Parking lot. Gates open at 7:30 pm. For more details, visit here(link is external).
Dr. Noah Shenker on the Future of Holocaust Testimony
The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies invites the public to an online lecture by Dr. Noah Shenker of Monash University live from Australia. “Beyond the Era of the Witness: Testimony, Digital Media, and the Afterlives of Holocaust Memory” will take place on April 8th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Register here(link is external).
Virtual Book Launch: Meat! A Traditional Analysis
Join this virtual celebration of the book Meat! A Traditional Analysis published by Duke University Press(link is external). Contributors to this book including Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee, associate professor and director of AppState’s Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies, trace shifting boundaries of the meanings of meat across time, geography, and cultures. The panel, moderated by editors Drs. Sushmita Chatterjee and Banu Subramanian, will feature comments from the book’s contributors. Register here(link is external) to attend on April 9th at 1:00 pm.
Virtual Research Forum on Re-Mediating the Past
The Office of Research(link sends e-mail) presents its Virtual Research Forum Re-Mediating the Past featuring Humanities faculty scholarship, including Honors faculty. The event will be held April 16th from 12:00 – 1:30 pm. Presenters include Dr. Mary Valante (History), Dr. Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand (Languages and Literatures), Dr. Cameron Gokee (Anthropology), Dr. Heather Waldroup (Art/Honors), and Dr. Kristen Baldwin Deathridge (History). Contact here(link sends e-mail) for any questions and register here(link is external) to attend.
Spring 2021 ARTtalk Series
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts(link is external) presents its Spring ARTtalk series featuring a dynamic roster of artists and topics. The next and last event is Rowhouse Workshop on April 14th at 6:00 pm. Join Brian Phillips share the insight and process behind the exhibition, Rowhouse Workshop, currently being exhibited at the Turchin Center. Register for free here(link is external).
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Student Mackenzie Millet Co-Directs App Builds a Home (ABAH)
Pictured in 2019, volunteers raise the walls of the first App Builds a Home project — a home built for the Barker family. This year, with extra safety precautions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walls will be built by small crews of volunteers in the Peacock Hall Parking Lot on Appalachian State University’s campus the week of April 19. Photo by Chase Reynolds.
Honors junior Mackenzie Millett, majoring in exercise science major with a minor in business, as the co-director of App Builds a Home (ABAH) has helped fundraise 96% of their $40,000 goal toward the cost of Shelia Potter’s home. Potter is an Appalachian State University employee in Facilities Operations. Through ABAH’s project with Habitat for Humanity, Potter is able to help construct her new home and make monthly mortgage payments on a no-interest home loan. Millett explained the importance of community including the Honors community in fundraising, “The university community and those in the Greater Boone area have stepped up to help us raise funds, in spite of the pandemic. To me that is awe-inspiring, because we all know how important it is to have a safe place to call home.”
Read the full story by Jan Todd in the Appalachian Today here(link is external).
Have news to share? Submissions can be made to honors@appstate.edu(link sends e-mail). Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!