Honors Weekly Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 6, Issue 3
September 7, 2022
Dear Honors students, faculty, staff, parents, friends,
We've just started application season again in the Honors College, and I'm delighting in emails, phone calls, and Zoom conversations with prospective students and their families. And nearly all have the same question about the Honors College, differently posed: "who (or what) are you looking for?"
My favorite answer to this question is this: "we're looking for you," I say, "and your application essays are there to teach us why."
Honors at Appalachian is thus not about test scores, rank in class, GPA. It's about motivation, ambition, drive--strong or strengthening. It's about discovering the will to pursue an extraordinary education, and to seek and find and explore what may become life-changing opportunities in and outside the classroom. It's about supporting and helping to nurture an extraordinary community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to these pursuits. And it's about teaching, communicating, sharing who you are and what you are interested in, daily, and staying radically open to others as they do the same.
For applicants, it's getting us excited about working with you. For current Honors College (and departmental Honors students), it can start with your next conversation!
Jeff
Top photo features (from left to right) NC State student Gabe Crochet, and Honors students James Auwn and Skyler Strzelecki with a Cullowhee local on a hike to The Pinnacle in Cullowhee, North Carolina, on June 25. Photo submitted.
Upcoming Opportunities
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
2022 North Carolina Honors Association’s Call for Proposals
The North Carolina Honors Association (NCHA) is accepting proposals for its annual Conference, which will be held virtually from September 30 – October 1. The conference theme emphasizes "creativity in the face of uncertainty." Students are encouraged to submit proposals of any kind, regardless of whether they are connected to theme. There is no cost to register, submit a proposal, or attend the event. The deadline to submit a proposal is September 12 by 5:00 p.m. Students will be notified the following week of their proposal’s acceptance. Participants must register to attend by September 23 at 5:00 p.m. To submit a proposal, click here. To register for the conference, click here. For more information about the conference, click here.
Wellness and Prevention Services Safety Week Presentations
Wellness and Prevention Services is hosting its annual Safety Week. This week includes presentations on how to keep yourself and others safe: a Narcan (naloxone) training in collaboration with Olive Branch Ministries on September 8 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., and a Sexual Health Bingo on September 12 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Those interested need to register online. To register for the September 8 event, click here. To register for the September 12 event, click here. To learn more about each event, as well as all Safety Week presentations, click here.
Reich College of Education Global Leaders Scholars
The Reich College of Education is hosting an interest meeting for its Global Leaders Scholars program. The Global Leaders Scholars program will help students become globally competent leaders who not only understand that they are members of a global community, but will help them take action to improve our local and global communities. The interest meeting will be held on September 12 at 5:00 p.m. The deadline to apply is September 23 at 5:00 p.m. For more information about the program, contact Dr. Hannah Reeder.
Career Development Center’s Internship and Job Fair
The Career Development Center is hosting their internship and job fair on September 21 from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center. The Internship & Job Fair is an essential tool for networking, landing an internship, or getting hired for full-time employment! Students of all majors, skill sets, and classes are encouraged to attend. There will be more than 100 employers there, with hundreds of internship and job opportunities for students! For more information, click here. To register for the Fair, click here.
Walker College of Business: Business for Good Event
The Walker College of Business is hosting its Business for Good event on September 23, starting at 9:30 a.m. This event allows those interested to discuss business, sustainability, and its implications for higher education. The event will feature keynote speaker Brian Matt, CFA, Head of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Advisory for the New York Stock Exchange. The deadline to register is September 12. To register for the event, click here. For any questions, contact Kim Bock. For more information regarding the event, click here.
Stay in the Know
Solar Energy Society First Meeting
The App State chapter of the Solar Energy Society is having its first meeting September 8 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. The Solar Energy society is devoted to sustainable energy education with the goal of becoming more effective speakers, actors, teachers, and learners. For more information or to be added to the mailing list, contact the Solar Energy Society.
Library Makerspace Grand Opening
The Belk Library will host its grand opening of their (Jeff says "awesome") new Makerspace on September 9 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Makerspace features equipment such as 3D printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters, and more. Students are free to create whatever they choose using the Makerspace’s resources. For more information, contact Hannah Pope.
Community-Engaged Leadership Annual Blood Drive
The Blood Drive Committee in the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership is hosting its 16th annual homecoming blood drive on September 20 from 9:00 – 7:00 p.m. Those interested can sign up to either volunteer or donate blood. To sign up to volunteer, click here. To sign up and make an appointment to donate blood, click here. For any additional questions, contact the Blood Drive Committee.
Community Fellows Application
The Office of Community Engaged Leadership is now accepting applications for its Community Fellows program. The Community Fellows program seeks to strengthen and nurture Appalachian State University's relationships with community partners by facilitating resource sharing and the involvement of students and faculty with the nonprofit sector. Community Fellows can participate in one of three communities of practice: environmental justice, food security and hunger alleviation, and youth development and education. To apply for the Community Fellows program, click here. For any questions, contact the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership.
Alternative Service Experience Peer Leader Application
The Office of Community Engaged Leadership is now accepting applications for its Alternative Service Experience (ASE) Spring 2023 Peer Leaders program. ASE Peer Leaders are students who have previously been on an ASE program and want to take the lead on coordinating a program the following year for another group of students. Peer Leaders work in pairs to coordinate all the logistics of the program and run pre-travel meetings. They are also responsible for many of the details upon arriving at the group's destination, as well as facilitating nightly reflections. To apply and ask further questions, contact the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Students Complete Installation at Local Boone Restaurant
Top photo features students in the Art honors seminar ART 4515 Community Collaborations: Objects for the Table at the community dinner, the culmination of their work for the semester. Photo submitted by Lela Arruza.
This past semester, students in the Art Honors seminar ART 4515: Community Collaborations: Objects for the Table taught by Lisa Stinson, professor of Studio Art, collaborated with The Beacon Restaurant in Boone to design, create, and host a truly multi-sensory installation. This semester-long project culminated in two community dinners, entitled ‘Ode to Appalachia,’ hosted by The Beacon and with tableware created entirely by the students in the course. The sold-out dinners, with menus foregrounding local Appalachian cuisine, were held at The Beacon on April 25 and 26.
Read more in the story by Dr. Heather Waldroup here.
Have announcements to share? Submissions can be made to honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
Have a story to share? Share what you have done, what you are doing, or what you will be doing by submitting a story here.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!