The SAU Honors College enrolled 53 first-year students in Fall 2010, a record (up from 32 last year). Of those students, 4 were sophomores and 1 was a junior transfer. The majority (32) of the new students are from Arkansas. But we also enrolled one student each from Minnesota, California, Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The rest came from Texas and from overseas. New international students hail from Tibet, Bulgaria, Malaysia, Korea, Kenya, and Nigeria. The total enrollment of the Honors College now stands at 112, also a record. The Honors College hopes to reach a stable enrollment of 150 students in the near future.
Fund Raising:
The Honors College received a $1000 grant from the Magnolia Walmart to purchase A/V equipment for its new, interim office. The Ivan Smith Furniture Company donated two leather easy chairs and a coffee table for the office as well. The value of that donation was $1500. Dale Dunn on behalf of the Farmer's Group insurance donated funds to purchase drinks and snacks for Moving Day. Dr. David Peppers of Mena donated funds to defray expenses for a Honors Council dinner following the Matriculation ceremony. Both men are members of the SAU Honors Council.
New Equipment:
Thanks to SAU funding, the Honors North Computer Lab now houses 12 new virtualized PC workstations with large flat screen monitors.
Trips:
Recently, 22 honors students visited the Museum District in Ft. Worth. They took in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Ft. Worth Science Museum, where they watched an IMAX movie on the state of the world's oceans.
Visitors:
The Honors College hosted Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Jim Gunter as the speaker at its annual Matriculation Ceremony. Justice Gunter challenged honors students to accept the responsibilities inherent in an honors education. He said, "To those who much is given, much is expected." Afterward, the judge offered to host a visit by Honors College students to Little Rock.
Other Events:
Moving Day was a success thanks to the loan of a makeshift ramp by local business Southern Aluminum. About 20 honors students enjoyed a barbecue and swim party at the Magnolia Country Club. That event was catered by local business Mule's Cantina.
Future Plans:
The Honors College is developing a budget to take a large number of students to Little Rock for three days and two nights (March 31 to April 2). To present papers and attend sessions at the Southern Regional Honors Council meeting. Much of that money will have to come from donations and fund raisers. Dr. Kardas and Ms. Wilson will travel to Kansas City in October to present their poster on non-cognitive predictors of academic success in Honors College. Their results showed that two factors: a history of social support at home and the ability to stay on task significantly predicted first semester academic success.
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