Pool Party 2015

Honors Students Gather at the Magnolia Country Club Pool

Unlike last year, the weather was warm and dry for the SAU Honors College annual pool party.

Thanks to Ray Lindsey of Marlar's Cafeteria (be sure and "Like" them and be sure to drop by for lunch sometime) there was more to do than swim. Students dined on chicken tenders, french fries, and sumptuous desserts. All were washed down with iced tea.

Here is a YouTube video showing that honors students have motor skills as well as mental ones.

Romo's Summer Research at UAMS

Ricardo Romo

During the summer I had the privilege to participate on a research project with Dr. Abdel Bachri with the partnership of Dr. Rupak Puthak and  Dr. Martin Hauer Jensen.  In our research we desired to understand how Gamma tocotrinol, a drug, mitigates the stresses of microgravity and gamma radiation on chromosomes. Chromosomal aberrations are serious abnormalities that arise from stresses of radiation and can cause circulatory system diseases.  Astronauts and cancer patients that were exposed to radiation contribute a good portion of our population with these dilemmas. With my undergraduate partners Daryll Webb and Cullen Shaffer, we spent a good amount of time with familiarizing ourselves with similar published articles. We experimented with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (huvec) for they are an intermediate resistant cell line against radiation.  Dr. Bachri had us practice all the basic protocols, and stressed how fundamental it was to achieve maximum proliferation, and to prevent contamination in the lab. Basic procedures like Giemsa staining, trypsinizing cells, and cell counting were essentially the methods that we performed during the whole summer. As an honors student it was an amazing experience finding out the different insights into how research is integrated and directed. I find it to be very beneficial to learn and work somewhere different. It brings out a self-rewarding feeling to use this experience as a resume builder for grad school where I hopefully could begin next year.

Faculty Information Fall 2015

SAU Honors College / 21 August 2015

How we recruit honors students:

From HC Web page (http://www.saumag.edu/honors/):

We admit first-year and transfer students based upon a global assessment of academic potential. We examine ACT scores, high school GPA, required submitted essays, letters of recommendation and other relevant information. Current SAU students who have earned at least a 3.5 GPA may petition the Honors College for admission. Students transferring from affiliated Honors 2+2 programs (SAU Tech, SACC, and College of the Ouachitas, at present) must hold a minimum college GPA of 3.25. Also, they too must submit an online application, required essays, and letters of recommendation.

Honors Demographics

Honors students (N = 175) study in all four of SAU's Colleges. Most, however, will be found in Sci&Eng, followed closely by LPA, and more distantly by CoB, and CoE.

Honors FAQ

Are there separate honors courses?

Yes. Honors courses are either full honors or contract honors. In full honors, only honors students may enroll. Those classes are smaller and are taught differently. Please think about offering full honors classes in your department.

In contract courses, students contract with the instructor to elevate a regular class to honors level. For example, genetics students receive 23 and Me kits to analyze their own genome. Later, they report on their results to the class orally and in writing. Simply adding a research paper should be avoided. Projects that are interesting and engaging are best. Contracts for Spring 2016 must be finalized by Monday 7 December 2015

Do faculty get paid to teach honors courses?

No, but faculty will be allowed up to $300 per course to purchase materials or supplement travel expenses. On a case-by-case basis and by written request additional funds may be provided. (Note: faculty who taught honors prior to July 2009 may request a $300 stipend in lieu of expense money. Such funds are subject to normal payroll deductions.)

How many honors credits are required?

Honors students must take a minimum of 24 honors hours in order to graduate. A few students have taken over 50 honors hours. Nearly all graduate in four years or less.

What GPA is required to remain in the Honors College?

The minimum GPA to remain in the Honors College is 3.25. Students are given one semester to regain that GPA. They retain their honors status while on probation.

What about travel?

Thanks to recent SAU Foundation funding honors students have been able to travel in the US (Denver, New Orleans) and overseas (London, South Africa, and New Zealand).

What is the graduation rate?

About 66% of those admitted graduate with honors in four years or less. Nearly all admitted graduate eventually. A few transfer, fewer still fail to graduate.

May I donate to the Honors College?

Yes, through payroll deduction. Also, a major donor is sought to name the College.

Contact Information

Ed Kardas (epkardas@saumag.edu) at Peace 109 or Nelson 200  x4231 (anytime)

David Wingfield (dlwingfield@saumag.edu) Nelson 200, x4375 (afternoons 1 to 5)

Web page: http://www.saumag.edu/honors/           Blog: http://sauhc.blogspot.com

The honorable Parnell Vann, mayor of Magnolia will be this year's speaker at the annual matriculation ceremony on Sep. 20 at 2 pm in Foundation Hall.

May 2015 Honors College Graduates

Here are our graduates for May 2015

I was in a hurry and failed to compose the photo properly, but I did get everybody with two shots.

Wingfield is Finalist for NCHC Award

David Wingfield and Deborah Wilson in the SAU Honors Office

Congratulations to David Wingfield for being named a finalist in the first annual NCHC Award for Administrative Excellence.

Here is the citation that accompanied his nomination:

David Wingfield, Southern Arkansas University – Finalist
“The SAU Honors College was founded in 2003 and David Wingfield has been its administrative assistant since the beginning. He has seen the Honors College grow from a small handful of students to a cohort that now exceeds six percent of our overall student body. David eased my transition as the second director by gentle suggestion and totally competent administration. It would be difficult to run the Honors College without him and impossible to replace him. Students call him "Dr. David" and he is always quick to respond to their requests and problems. He especially has a soft spot in his heart for international students whether they are in honors or not. On his own time, he has driven them to the airport, opened his home to them, and learned and prepared some of their own cuisine. We are only a two-person shop but he carries well more than his share. He is more than my right-hand man, he is the soul of our program.” –Edward Kardas, Southern Arkansas University

Austin Taylor Earns Terry Award

Austin Taylor accepts the award for the Bob Terry Supplemental Instruction Scholarship from Mrs. Terry

Honors student Austin Taylor was recently awarded the Bob Terry Supplemental Instruction Scholarship.

According to the SAU Web page, this award is:

• awarded to an outstanding SI leader each semester in honor of Dr. Bob Terry, retired professor of English, who started the SAU SI program in the early 1990s.

Congratulations

Early Registration for Honors Students

One of the advantages to joining the SAU Honors College is early registration.

Last week, Honors College staff registered most of its honors students for courses for the two Summer semesters and the Fall semester.

Honors students are invited to link to a Web page and to sign up for a five-minute appointment AFTER they consult their PACT-8 schedules and meet with advisors from their major field.

The Honors College does not advise students, but it does place them in the courses after they have consulted with their academic advisors.

Honors students complete the process quickly IF they remember to bring the Short ID for each  course. Honors staff, using the command-line version of POISE can then enter their courses quickly, in some cases in less than a minute.

The early registration process also serves another important function. It allows honors students the opportunity to meet with honors staff twice a year and to catch up with each other.