Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 6, Issue 8
October 12, 2022
Dear Honors students and all friends,
Walking through the Honors College last Tuesday, I finally felt: we're back, and then: no, we're beyond where we were, better than we were, when COVID shut us down. Nearly every office, nearly every possible student study space, nearly every classroom in Appalachian Hall was wonderfully abuzz with Honors students, Honors faculty and staff, and Honors academic mentors engaged in focused conversation, learning, discussion, problem-solving, planning.
And late-afternoon or 'after hours' in those same great spaces: members of AHA! (the Appalachian Honors Association) are planning our next social and service events; Honors College peer mentors are guiding and socializing with our first-year students; the new Chancellor's Scholars governance board has elected its first leadership team and is writing its constitution; and the many Honors Vanguard Ambassadors are gearing up daily to share their Appalachian and Honors experiences and advice with prospective students and their parents.
This is how it's supposed to be!
Jeff
Top photo features Honors junior Ben Pluska conducting ethnographic field research this semester. Pluska is majoring in Sustainable Development. Their research is being conducted with the guidance of Dr. Rebecca Witter, assistant professor in the Department of Sustainable Development and Dr. Dana Powell, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology. Photo submitted.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
Community FEaSt
The AppalFRESH (Appalachian Food Research for Equity Sustainability and Health) Collaborative is happy to invite Appalachian students, faculty, staff and the community to the 6th annual Community FEaST (Food Engagement and Story Telling) today October 12 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m on Sanford Mall. The goals of Community FEaST are to build community by encouraging conversation and storytelling about the importance of sustainable food, by minimizing waste, maximizing local food sourcing, and developing strategies to reduce food insecurity. All are welcome to attend. To learn more about the event, click here.
Education Career Fair
The Career Development Center will be hosting their Education Career Fair on October 14 from 12:00 – 2:30 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center. The fair connects school administrators, superintendents, and other employers from the field of education seeking to hire candidates with talented students and alumni from the Reich College of Education. Registration is required. For more information, click here.
Global Leadership Award Nominations
The Office of International Education and Development is accepting nominations for their Global Leadership Award. The Global Leadership Awards Program is an annual award that recognizes students, faculty, and staff who have made a significant contribution to advance global learning at Appalachian.. Nominations are due October 28 by 5:00 p.m. For more information and to apply, click here.
Duke Religion in Southeast Asia Conference.
Duke University is hosting an international conference titled “Christianity, Modernity, and Ethnicity in the China-Southeast Asia Borderlands” on October 28 and 29. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that draws on the participants’ background in history, anthropology, linguistics, missiology, and gender and cultural studies, the conference explores the critical role of Christianity in the minority peoples’ response to modernity. It focuses on their identity construction, community building, and struggles for material and cultural survival in the face of political turmoil, social upheavals, and technological revolutions of the past century. Registration is required. To learn more about the conference, click here. To register, click here.
HON 2515/HON 3515: Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes
The Honors College is offering various options for studying abroad in the summer of 2023. In one titled “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes” that provides credit for HON 2515 and HON 3515, students will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, and London to explore the perspectives of people who live very different lives than their own. To learn more about the study abroad program click here. For questions or to express interest, contact Dr. Paulette Marty.
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 attend a defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu.
Jamie Zurek
October 13, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Presenting “Building Bassot: The Construction of an 18th Century Hurdy-Gurdy”
Stay in the Know:
Visiting Writer Series Presentation
The next presentation of the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series hosted by the Department of English will feature environmental writer and the 2022 Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing Leigh Ann Henion. Henion is the author of “Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World,” a New York Times bestseller. Henion will host a craft talk and a reading on October 13 from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. and from 6:00 – 7:15 p.m., respectively. For more information about the presentation, click here.
Hayes School of Music Recital
The Hayes School of Music will be hosting a recital for their Endowed Scholars on October 13 from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. This recital showcases several accomplished student musicians, those who receive scholarships thanks to generous Hayes School of Music donors. Admission is free to the public. For more information, click here.
Fall Sustainability Film Series Presentation
The next presentation of the annual Fall Sustainability Film Series hosted by the Office of Sustainability will be held on October 25 at 7:00 p.m. The presentation will feature the film “Angel of Alabama” about a mid-career investigator who returns home to rural Alabama to support her mother's failing health. Amidst unusually rampant disease, she becomes a caretaker for her community until an unexpected diagnosis launches her investigation to heal her county. To learn more and register for the event, click here.
Writing Across the Curriculum Open House
The Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program is hosting an open house on Thursday, October 27 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the WAC office, 253 Anne Belk Hall. Anyone interested in learning more about the WAC program is welcome to drop in for conversation and refreshments. For more information about the WAC program, click here.
Spooky Duke 5k/10k Registration
The Parent-to-Parent Family Support Network is now accepting registrations for their Spooky Duke 5k/10k and Costume March to be held on November 5. The “Spooky Duke” is a certified 5K and 10K race with a free Costume March and Contest where children, adults and pets can all show off their unique costumes and share in the fun. All proceeds benefit Parent to Parent FSN-High County. To be guaranteed a shirt, those interested are encouraged to register by October 25. To register and learn more about the event, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Study abroad brings life lessons and professional development for Emma Estudillo
Photo features Estudillo in Almeria, Spain, in July. Photo submitted.
Honors junior Emma Estudillo spent her summer at the Universidad de Almeria in Almeria, Spain. Estudillo is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in political science and Spanish. She explained that “Without the help of the Honors College, I do not think I would have studied abroad! Her advisor, Dr. Garrett McDowell, and those she has met throughout her time in Honors have supported Estudillo to go abroad and throughout her time in Spain. She further highlighted, “I do not think I would have been able to complete this trip without the encouragement of both my Honors peers and my Honors College advisor.”
To read more about Estudillo’s experiences abroad, click 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!