Darrell Gray Interns with the Detroit Lions

Darrell Gray (center) won an internship with the NFL's Detroit Lions football team this summer. Darrell is a junior Honors College student from Marshall, TX. Darrell is an athletic training major at Southern Arkansas University working under the direction of head athletic trainer Ken Cole.

Darrell is one of several Honors College students who took advantage of off-campus learning experiences this academic year.

You might be an SAU honors student

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy. Today I spoke at the penultimate Be a Mulerider (BAM!) session and explained Honors College aping Foxworthy's "you might be a redneck" line.

So, I explained to student, parents, and friends that these sayings might help them better understand what honors students are like.

• If you are disappointed when your English teacher says the paper must be 10 pages or less, you might be an honors student.
• If you love reading algebra equations, you might be an honors student.
• If you happen upon Juliet's seemingly lifeless body and the first thing you do is order a toxicology screen, you might be an honors student.
• When a satellite crashes in your front yard and you run to your computer so you can calculate the decay in the orbital trajectory, you might be an honors student.
• If you are strolling on campus with a big smile on your face clutching your brand new iPad, you might be an SAU honors student.
• If you love your smaller classes where your fellow students always make it to class, you might be an SAU honors student.
• If your residence hall really is quiet during quiet hours, you might be an SAU honors student.
• If your Honors Seminar instructor shows up for class wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals then you really are an SAU honors student.

New Server Room (Closet)

 The server closet in Nelson Hall houses our new and old servers

Among the benefits our our new Honors College space are four spacious closets. Nelson Hall, our new home, was once a residence hall. So, we now have four closets. Two are in David Wingfield's office and are used for storage of files and other stuff.

The other two are in my office. Today, one became the new home of peace.saumag.edu, mdst.org, mulerider.saumag.edu, and francis.saumag.edu. I removed the closet door so that the space would not get too hot. Suraj installed (see picture above, clockwise from upper left) our old server box, a monitor, keyboard (no mouse required for old UNIX command line interface), another monitor, keyboard, mouse, new server box, and uninterrupted power supply. Don't worry Suraj only needs to go into the closet rarely. He can access both servers remotely from the comfort of his desk next door.

The servers provide Web pages for psychology and honors courses, host the Web page of the Magnolia Dolphin Swim team, and most importantly provide resources for social work departments around Arkansas as well as the IV-E project.

While the servers now have a new home much still remains to be done. Soon, they will be configured for "fail-over" meaning that should the new (main) server crash, the old one would automatically take over. Additionally, both servers will contain the same information, while a nightly back up to a hard disk will add additional redundancy.

RIP: Harold Fincher

Harold Fincher addressing Honors Seminar Class

The SAU Honors College lost the first person to ever become a member of its Honors Council recently. Harold Fincher served the Honors College with distinction as he served every other community council that he sat on.

His generosity knew no bounds, whether giving of his time or treasure. Many students unknowingly benefited from his largesse as he donated funds to help them without claiming any recognition for himself. He told me that if the Honors College ever needed anything all I had to do was ask.

Harold was one of a kind. Everyone who ever interacted with him learned that within seconds of making his acquaintance. His sharp mind worked in an amazing way. He seemed to wander around a subject but soon his listeners discovered that he had a purpose all along. They soon understood exactly what he was trying to explain.

I first met Harold in the middle of Lake Erling. I was fishing with Linton Yarbrough and Harold was fishing with an elderly Black man. Four hands held the two jonboats together as we made our acquaintances. From that point on he and I became fast friends. When my father spent a week with me, he and Harold fished together. Later still he and my children fished with him. I remember one cold winter day on his pond with him and all three of my children. Uncharacteristically, he did not catch a single fish and neither did any of us. After about three hours we decided to call it a day. He wryly noted, "Well, y'all lasted a lot longer than I thought you would!" We then piled back into his Cadillac and went home.

I guess he's gone home now. Heaven surely will welcome him. I'm happy to have known him and had the privilege to spend so much time with him. I'll miss him. RIP

Honors Banquet 2012

Honors College held its annual banquet last night to honor its 18 graduates, a new record number. Some 80 guests attended. Here is the transcript of my remarks: Honors Numbers.

2011-prime year. You may have seen our 2011 poster. It has hidden meanings if you think about numbers. You see 2011 was a prime number. In the background, the poster displays prime numbers. Each honors student is like a prime number, unique.

4-staff members. First among them is David Wingfield who is responsible for all of the nitty-gritty details surrounding Honors College. Right now he's probably fretting that he forgot something. David, please stand so we can recognize you. Second is Suraj Manandhar, our graduate assistant. Suraj is our computer whiz and is the author of the SAU Map apps available at the Apple Store. Those apps work on the iPad and the iPhone. He'll report on that work at the NCHC in November. Third is our student worker, Lilli Hollensworth. She could not attend tonight; she's home studying for exams. She's the one who has to do the jobs no one else wants. Last but not least is Inna Bagaeva, our official photographer. Smile when she points her camera at you. Inna, where are you? Please take a bow.

27-faculty. Honors College would not work without the support of our faculty. This year 27 faculty members taught honors courses. We don't pay our faculty anything extra to teach honors classes (but we do try to provide them with funds to purchase materials they may need or to pay for travel). So, they contribute their time and energy freely in order to help the Honors College and its students succeed. So, please stand if you have ever taught an honors class so we may recognize you.

18-graduates. This number is a record and includes 2 graduating in 3 years! You students are the reason we are here. While we hate to see you leave we know that you must. But remember you are always welcome here at SAU. Please stand up so we can recognize you as a group one final time.

7,000,000,000 people. And counting! While I consider this gathering to be a large one, I am baffled to think how many more people there are in the world. Yet, Honors College has a large international contingent representing, in part, a few of those others not in this room. We have honors students from students Nepal, China, Malaysia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Korea, and Sri Lanka.

20-International Students. Our 20 international students contribute so much more to our program than they realize. They demonstrate perseverance, fortitude, and desire. Put yourself in their place. Imagine traveling over 20 hours just to get here, not seeing parents and loved one for over four years or longer, being a stranger in a strange place. Let's give them a big hand.

117-US Students. The rest of our students come mostly from Arkansas and Texas with a few from Oklahoma, Louisiana, and other states. We are proud to serve our home state and welcome those from any other state in the Union who wish to come to Southern Arkansas University. Let's honor all of our students from the States.

1-Returning Students. I know there is at least one Honors College graduate with us tonight. Please help me welcome Martin Hawron. Very soon he'll begin work on a graduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Connecticut. He'll also serve as a teaching and research assistant there. Also, if there are any other Honors College graduates here tonight, please stand up now so we may recognize you.

13-Honors Council members. The SAU Honors Council is composed of community leaders from the region. They all serve voluntarily and contribute freely of their time and treasure. Among their many contributions is spreading the word about the Honors College and serving as role models for our students. I'd like to send get well wishes to Harold Fincher, our first council member. He's recovering from surgery in Searcy. Let's give him and the rest of them a hand for all they do for the Honors College.

60-places in Honors Seminar class. That number includes first year students and current students. We also reserve a number of places out of that 60 for international students because they cannot arrive until near the beginning of the school year. Please stand if you were enrolled in Honors Seminar this year.

100-price to sponsor a table. Look at the name on the card at your table. Each one represents a donor who contributed $100 to sponsor your table. Many of them could not be here tonight, but for those who are here will you please stand so we may recognize you. Also, you will notice that each table also has a number of SAU Foundation contribution envelopes already pre-marked for donations to the Honors College. We all know the current economic situation and how SAU and other institutions have had to tighten their belts. Not to be crass, but one of my jobs is to raise money for the Honors College to support its mission. Please consider taking an envelope home and later returning it with your contribution.

3-students going off campus. You might ask what does Honors College need the money for. Here is one answer. We have 3 students traveling to other places in order to further their education. One student, Chris Harris, will spend the summer in Washington, DC. Chris is a political science major. His internship will give him invaluable experience towards his eventual career goals. Deana Hughes, a biology major, will spend the fall semester at Northern Arizona University's Grand Canyon Honors Semester program. You should see some of the items she is required to bring: wool socks, down vest, sleeping bag, LED headlamp, and biodegradable soap. She also plans to bring a t-shirt that says "I really am a mulerider." That will be apt when it comes time to descend to the canyon floor on muleback.  Alex Novotny, a theatre major, will spend the fall semester at Disneyworld in Orlando. There he will have the opportunity to practice his craft while taking courses as well. In case you were wondering all of this costs money and the three students have raised most of it on their own. The Honors College has helped connect them to donors and will provide additional funds for them as well. Let's recognize these three for their initiative. First, Deana Hughes. Now, Chris Harris. And finally, Alex Novotny.

15,000-NASA Grant. Speaking of money, four students Courtney Phillips, Hali Pinson, Michelle Beavers, and Zachary Pinson will be the beneficiaries of a NASA grant from the Arkansas Space Science Consortium. This grant was initiated by SAU faculty member and Honors College professor Dr. Abdel Bachri. The grant will support research on female and male undergraduate engineering students in the state of Arkansas. The research idea came from Courtney Phillips based upon earlier data showing that female engineers leave the profession at a higher rate than males. We want to understand how undergraduate women engineering students see their job prospects while they are still in college. Now, I'd like to introduce Courtney Phillips, Hali Pinson, Michelle Beavers, and Zachary Pinson. I'd also like to introduce Dr. Abdel Bachri who has done way more than his share of the work necessary for SAU to secure this grant.

63-iPads. You may have heard of our iPad initiative. We will repeat it for everyone enrolled in Honors Seminar in 2012. Yes, we will be getting the new iPads. The end of class survey we conducted demonstrated very high levels of satisfaction. Just so you will know, two were broken but thanks to our insurance policy were replaced for a $50 deductible. Two were lost, for a little while, but were soon returned. This program, by the way, is paid for by the students themselves. Students in Honors Seminar forgo their usual stipend for their first year here in order for us to purchase iPads.

200-Our new quarters. Soon, we will have a new address 200 Nelson Hall. It represents a major milestone in our program. One of the rooms will be the new Honors Lounge. It will have cable TV, computers, hot and cold drinks, snacks, and more. We see it as the honors students' campus dayroom, a place they can drop in for a few minutes or an hour or two in between classes. That way they don't have to trek back to the Honors Hall during the day.

90-Miles to Cuba from Key West. In the Spring of 2013 we hope to take a contingent of honors students and faculty to Cuba. We are working for corporate sponsorships and will engage in major fundraising for that trip. Eventually, we hope to establish a working relationship with a Cuban university to promote exchange programs in both directions. Yes, it's true that I tweeted Fidel Castro recently.

1-Lucky Me. One is not the loneliest number. One is the last number tonight and it represents me. I have to tell you I love what I am doing. It is a lot of work but it does not seem like work. Working with honors students is a pleasure, as any other faculty member knows. Walking into an honors classroom is different. Suddenly, I'm in front of 20 or so eager faces unafraid to ask questions or to demand answers. Teaching honors students really is its own reward.

            As I have said before, the Honors College has a wonderful relationship with the SAU administration. Everyone there has supported the iPad initiative, the move to Nelson Hall, and sending students to internships. I'm positive our synergistic relationship will continue. Honors College adds much to SAU and SAU makes Honors College possible.

            Honors faculty also deserve a great deal of credit to the success of the Honors College. Without them there would be no Honors College.

            Finally, I don't do anything alone. I don't have to. I'm surrounded by competent and willing people. All of them have the best interests of the Honors College at heart. They make my job easy.

            Thanks to all of you for allowing me such an easy life. I don't really know what I have done to deserve it and I'm not going to question it either. Congratulations once again to our graduates. I hope you have enjoyed your brief stay here and will always look back fondly at your time here. Thank you parents too. Your helicopter fleet is minimal and is usually grounded. Thank you for lending us your children for a few short years.

            Now it's time for the real reason we are here. The door prizes! For that I'll turn the microphone and the podium over to the HCA, the Honors College Association. I hope my number wins something too.

Fidel, queremos viajar a Cuba

Sent a tweet to Fidel Castro today (or so I hope). Here is what it said in Spanish, a translation follows.

Comandante, quiero viajar a Cuba con mis estudiantes de Arkansas. Vivi en La Habana de 1957-1960. Soy dirigente de el Honors College aqui.

Commander, I'd like to travel to Cuba with my students from Arkansas. I lived in Cuba from 1957-1960. I direct the Honors College here.

So you want to join the Honors College? Bromine

So, you want to join the SAU Honors College? See if you can answer this question: Why are bromine tank trailers smaller than the trailers used to transport milk or gasoline?

If you think you know the answer, e-mail me: E-mail me the answer