Rives, Gregory: My Bucket List

When first asked to make a list of the five things I have to do before I die, I thought to myself that this would be an easy assignment. However, at the inexperienced age of 18 it is difficult to prioritize the most important resolutions in your life. As thoughts streamed through my head most ideas were unrealistic and superficial, but eventually one hit me. The top item on my bucket list would have to be resolving my biological clock. This includes finding my true love and eventually well, you get the picture. Although, I don’t plan to do this anytime soon it is still at the top of my list as the one thing to do before I die. As for the second item, before I die I have to save someone’s life. This idea is the sole driving force behind my aspiration to become a doctor. While items number one and two are selfless and non-materialistic, it is hard to be an American without dreaming of living extravagantly. Which brings me to number three; before I die, I must own a luxury vehicle. The items listed next are quite similar; both deal with overcoming a challenge. At number four is swimming the English channel and at number five is standing atop Mt.Everest. While the last two items are clichés, they are things that I always wanted and thought I could do. Therefore they rest at the bottom of my top five.

Swim Party Held at Magnolia Country Club

(Honors College students playing Ninja at the Magnolia Country Club Pool.)

After some early scary moments, such as a locked pool and no lifeguards, the 2010 Honors College swim party and barbecue got of the ground successfully. Kudos to Gary Herron for providing two lifeguards with less than one hour's notice and to Patti Moses for taking the time to trek back and unlock the pool.

Tom Pearson delivered a large crowd of swimmers via the SAU bus. Ms. McMahon from Mule's Cantina provided a veritable feast of delicious hamburgers, delectable hot dogs, and yummy grilled chicken. She also brought enormous brownies for dessert. The swimming sure came to an abrupt halt when she called out that dinner was ready.

So, our first swim party was a success. Soon, it will be but a pleasant memory of our hottest summer on record. See you there again next year.

Thomas, Valerie: My Bucket List

Life is too short to spend it worrying about trivial matters, passing matters, and material possessions. Although everyone gets wrapped up in trials and distractions, I believe that we all need to find a way to experience what we truly want out of our lives. I do not want to die unfulfilled, so what follows is a small portion of my bucket list.

I would love to go scuba diving before I die. I am fascinated with the ocean and its dark depths. I would really like to come face to face with a shark in the “cage of courage.” On my scuba adventure, I’d like to visit a coral reef and see the kaleidoscopic environment of color and life.

The second thing on my list is to travel all around the world. I’d like to see different cultures and see the festivals they hold. For example: the festival of the dead in Mexico, Oktoberfest in Germany or the Hinamatsuri in Japan. I also want to see the remaining wonders of the world, and imagine ancient cultures.

I would like to learn a foreign language before I kick the bucket. I would like to learn Japanese, because above all other places I want to travel there. Their culture has always fascinated me, and I would love to experience it on authentic terms, not just as a tourist.

Donating blood will have to be the fourth thing I would like to do. My fear of needles has always stopped me from donating (I literally need to be held down for shots.) I want to confront my fear someday, and give blood so that it might help save a life.

If at all possible, perhaps in my retirement years, I would like to run an animal shelter. I’d like to create a sanctuary for the unfortunate animals of abuse or abandonment. It always affects me when I see helpless animals, and I always feel powerless to help them, so someday I want to help every single one that I find.

Class of 2010 to Matriculate Sunday

Composite photograph of the SAU Honors College 2010 entering class (click on photo to see a larger version).

On Sunday, August 29 the SAU Honors College will hold its annual Matriculation Ceremony. This year we welcome 52 new students, our largest class ever. Included in that class are four sophomores who successfully petitioned for admission based upon their freshman grades at SAU. Also included in this year's class is a junior transfer student from SAU Tech in Camden.

Thanks to the generosity of the governor and the legislature the largest contingent of honors students hails from Arkansas. Thirty two students, including six from Magnolia, chose to enroll in the Honors College. Texas and the world tied for second with eight students apiece. The Honors College class includes international students from Nepal (3), Nigeria, Korea, Malaysia, and Bulgaria. The remaining four students came from the states of Louisiana, Florida, Minnesota, and California.

Jim Gunter to speak at Honors Matriculation

Associate Justice Jim Gunter of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Associate Justice Jim Gunter of the Arkansas Supreme Court will be the main speaker at the SAU Honors College annual Matriculation Ceremony. Gunter received his BBA from Texas A&M University and his JD from the University of Houston. He was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2004.

Previously, he practiced law in Hope, Arkansas. He also was a prosecuting attorney in the 8th Judicial District. Since 1991 he has served as a circuit judge and a chancery judge in the 8th Judicial District. Gunter is a member of the American Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Southwest Arkansas Bar Association, and the Hempstead County Bar Association. He is also a past president of the Arkansas Judicial Council.

He serves on several committees of the Arkansas Supreme court, is chair of the Arkansas Judicial College Education Committee and the Alternate Dispute Committee. He is active in several community organizations including the Calvary Baptist Church of Hope, the Boy Scouts of America, the Lions Club, and Habitat for Humanity.

The SAU Honors College is privileged to host Judge Gunter's visit to our campus and is grateful to SAU graduate and Honors Council member Dr. David Peppers for making it possible.

The Matriculation Ceremony will be held in the Foundation Hall of the Donald W. Reynold Campus and Community Center starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 29, 2010. A reception will follow the ceremony in the Grand Hall. The Honors College will welcome 52 new students, a record number that represents a 62.5% increase in enrollment over last year's class. The public is invited to attend both the ceremony and the reception.

For further information, contact Edward P. Kardas, PhD, Director of the SAU Honors College at (870) 904-8897 or by e-mailing epkardas@saumag.edu.

Recent Donations and Grants

Here are some recent contributions to the SAU Honors College. Be sure to patronize these business or to thank the contributors.

Recent Donations and Grants

Coupons for Free Meal for incoming honors students at Quiznos: ARAMARK
Drinks and Snacks for Honors College: Dale Dunn Farmers’ Insurance
Flatscreen Television and A/V equipment for Honors Office: Walmart
New computers for Honors Hall: SAU
Furniture for Honors Office: Ivan Smith
Refrigerator for Honors Office: Ms. Deborah Wilson
Microwave for Honors Office: Dr. Chrisanne Christensen

2011 SRHC in Little Rock-Bridges

Old railroad bridge crossing the Arkansas River near Clinton Library (photo by E. Kardas, 2009).

The following message just arrived from Rick Scott, Dean of the Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas.

"I am writing to alert you that information has been posted on the SRHC website about the 2011 conference. It will be the 39^th Annual Conference of the SRHC, and it will take place from March 31-April 2, 2011, at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The conference theme is "Bridging Scholarship and Citizenship: Making Honors Count." Little Rock is a city of bridges, and bridges make beautiful metaphors that help us speak about ways we connect and carry ourselves. Reflecting on bridges calls to mind a feature central to honors education—bridging scholarly work and civic engagement. Our keynote speaker, Skip Rutherford, Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service will address the conference theme.

The Clinton Presidential Library will be the site of our gala on Friday evening, complete with food, drink and tours. Following the gala the River Market Entertainment District is at your doorstep with a lively nighttime scene.

Block room rates will be available March 30 through April 2, with singles and doubles priced at $129 a night and triples and quads priced at $139. A call for proposals will go out in November with a submission date at the end of January.

To learn more go to http://www.srhconline.org/index.php.

Looking forward to having you visit our locale next spring,"

Of course, SAU Honors College will be there with bells on. Make your plans now and get your submissions ready.

Working on Moving Day

Deborah Wilson worked a lot harder than I did today. But, when I saw the camera I went to work too. It was hot, but we had a LOT of help. That made the work lighter for everybody. The temporary ramp we installed also sped things along compared to last year.

Thanks to everyone who pitched in today. Southern Aluminum loaned us the ramp. Dale Dunn's Farmers Insurance insurance agency bought the drinks, and Lewis Funeral Home provided the tent.

We have all taken the first step on what promises to be a banner year.

Ft. Worth Trip: Important announcement

See: http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2010/07/upcoming-events-early-fall-2010-sau.html for more details. The short story is we can now only take 22 students on the Ft. Worth trip. Click on the link above for more information.

Moving Day is Saturday, August 21

(If you look at the picture closely, you will see a rainbow.)

Freshman will be moving into the Honors Hall North starting early Saturday morning on August 21. We will have a tent, courtesy of Lewis Funeral Home out front. There we'll have water, volunteers, and a hand truck or two.

If you can, spend a few hours helping honors freshman move in. Let's get the semester started off right. See you then.

Tweaking our new poster

We took our poster (see last post) to Dan May, SAU's graphic art professor for comment. He suggested a few changes. Some we implemented, some we did not. The main thing we changed was the color of the path and the letters on the path. Dan said we should pick up the color of the blue border better in the main body of the poster. So we did.

Dan agreed that Inna Bagaeva, the artist, should add "2010" next to her name. Inna did add the date. In 20 years who knows how much these will be worth? :-)

Dan also said we should not mix drawing and photos. He wanted us to draw the building instead of using a photo. There we demurred.

We are real proud of the poster and have made a couple of 2x3 ft copies. One will go in the Honors Office and the other in the Honors Hall classroom. We are also making 300 8x11 inch ones for distribution to local high school counselors.