edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 6, Issue 32
June 7, 2023
Dear Honors students, faculty and staff, friends,
By my reckoning this is our 202nd Honors Wednesday Memo since September 2017, and my final HWM "top text" as dean.
My message today is, simply, gratitude, deeply felt. Thank you all for reading the HWM every week, and for your strong support and encouragement.
Thank you, Honors College and departmental Honors students, for energetically pursuing an Honors education at Appalachian, for creating and nurturing a vibrant Honors community on this campus; for supporting each other and your faculty members; and for readying yourselves to go out and help repair the world.
Thank you, faculty members, for coming to Honors to dare and innovate; for your cutting-edge student-centered and student-directed teaching; for engaging Honors students in your important areas of research, inquiry, scholarship, and creative activity; and for mentoring them through their Honors thesis projects and beyond.
Thank you, Honors College staff members and close collaborators, both current and recent: Jess Yandow, Rick Klima, Heather Waldroup, Ted Zerucha, Angela Mead, Garrett McDowell, Louis Gallien, AJ Barghothi, Mary Valante, Adam Hege, Steve Leon, Joe Gonzalez, Mark Venable, Christy Cook, Scott Collier, Vicky Klima, and Ethan Dodson. I can't imagine more talented and dedicated teammates, or a better team.
And thank you to colleagues across this campus—in Academic Affairs, Admissions, Financial Aid, University Scholarships, OIED, Intercultural Student Affairs, Student Affairs, Office of Diversity, and many others, including all other colleges, all academic departments, and Belk Library—who have worked so hard with all of us to help develop the Honors College into the world-class institution it is poised to become.
Writing with my best wishes and support for an even better future,
Jeff
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu
Appalachian Energy Summit
The Office of University Sustainability is hosting their 11th annual Appalachian Energy Summit June 7 – 9. The Summit brings together world leaders in the energy and sustainability sectors. Attendees will hear from a range of academic, corporate, and government speakers. For more information about the Summit, click here. To register, click here. For any questions, contact the Appalachian Energy Summit.
Juneteenth Lunch and Learn
The Office of Diversity is hosting a lunch and learn event in honor of Juneteenth on June 20 from 11:00 – 1:30 p.m. The event will host Del L. Ruff, executive diversity and inclusion officer at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Ruff is an accomplished thought-leader and professional with more than 20 years of experience advocating for diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging. He has worked within organizations as an educator, building principal, district and state-level administrator, researcher, and leader with a future-forward philosophy. The deadline to RSVP to the event is 12:00 a.m. on June 12. For more information and to register, click here.
Hunger and Health Coalition Summer Volunteering
Hunger and Health Coalition, a local food pantry in Boone, is in need of volunteers for the summer. Volunteers can assist with organizing the food pantry, food preparation for their food recovery kitchen, creating food boxes for clients, and aiding the pharmacy in cleaning medication bottles. Hunger and Health Coalition is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 4:00 p.m. To apply to be a volunteer, click here. For any questions, contact Kayla Lasure.
Global Symposium Call for Proposals
Presentation proposals are now being accepted from students, faculty, and staff for the 11th annual Appalachian Global Symposium to take place during International Education Week on November 15. The Appalachian Global Symposium highlights the global education activities of Appalachian faculty, staff, and students by providing a platform for the sharing of recent activities that contribute to the university's global mission. The deadline for submissions is October 9. For more information and to submit a proposal, click here.
North Carolina Honors Association Conference
The Whitehurst Family Honors Program at Barton College will be hosting the 2023 North Carolina Honors Association (NCHA) conference held virtually from November 3 – 4. In the future, presentation applications will be open for the conference, themed “Infinite Possibilities: Sharing Innovations in Honors Education.” For more information, click here.
Stay in the Know:
Ackland Art Museum Exhibit
The Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill will be featuring a Japanese art exhibit until June 11. The exhibit, “Lotus Moon and Nandina Staff: The Art of Ōtagaki Rengetsu and Nakahara Nantenbō,” presents and contrasts the work of two major Japanese artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, taking its title from translations of their names. For more information, click here.
Appalachian Summer Festival
The Office of Arts and Cultural Programs will be hosting their annual Appalachian Summer Festival from June 24 to July 29. The Festival will host various types of events, including music groups, dance companies, art showcases, and more. For more information and to view the full schedule of events, click here.
King Street Farmers’ Market
The King Street Farmers' Market, powered by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, is returning for the 2023 season, occurring every Tuesday from now until October 31 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. The King Street Market offers a wide array of local goods including produce, meats, flowers, bread, eggs, crafts, and more. For more information, click here.
Rhythm and Movement Event
Throughout the summer, the Jones House will be hosting an event fostering rhythm and movement through the playing of drums. The event will occur every Wednesday from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Those interested can bring their own drums or other instruments of their choosing. For more information, click here.
Acoustic Folk Music Celebration
Every Thursday, the Jones House will be hosting playing sessions where old-time fiddle and folk music will be played. This event will occur on a weekly basis from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Those interested can bring instruments of their own, or simply enjoy the music. For more information, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Grace Ruffin ’22 pursues work with the NC Global Health Alliance
Photo features Ruffin at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Photo submitted.
Appalachian State University Honors College alumna Grace Ruffin ‘22 has been working with the North Carolina Global Health Alliance while pursuing a Master’s of Public Health (MPH), focusing on Maternal, Child, and Family Health at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. This is the top public, public health school in the United States. Ruffin explains that the NC Global Health Alliance is “an organization that seeks to facilitate and foster collaboration among North Carolina’s global health entities to further global health research and improve health outcomes worldwide.”
To read more, 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!