First Impressions--Last Impressions

I myself am a little stunned at realizing that the SAU Honors College is graduating 35 students in May and December 2014.  I need to tell you how different they are now from when they first matriculated at SAU.

Before I talk about them I'd like to recognize some important people. First, I need to thank the wonderful folks at ARAMARK for laying out such a fine spread for us. I also need to thank Brad Stout and his crew here at Reynolds for setting us up in such a fine way. We were not the only group to meet this week-end and Brad and his bunch took special care to prepare the room early this morning so that Kara O'Neal and her decorating committee could come in a set the tables so nicely. Kara if you and your committee could please stand. Join me in giving all of them a hand.

On your tables you will notice two important pieces of information. Your table may have a small placard indicating that it is being sponsored. Sponsorship cost $100 each. This event, thus, is both a celebration and a vehicle to continue the work of the Honors College in the future. The money we raise here and elsewhere chiefly goes to support student travel. You may already know that this year honors students have or will travel internationally to South Africa, London, or New Zealand. Within the United States, honors students have or will travel to New Orleans, Savannah, Raleigh, North Carolina, Washington DC, Denver, and Little Rock. That amount of travel is expensive. Thankfully, the SAU Foundation has recently received funds designated specifically for student travel. Many honors students have received such funds. Additionally, the Honors College has supplemented those fund as well.

 As you probably already know, legislatures everywhere, including in Arkansas have drastically reduced financial support of state colleges and universities. When I first began working here SAU received over 60% of its budget from state appropriations. Today, that percentage is in the low thirties. The Honors College must raise its own funds in order to be able to provide for student travel, equipment, and supplies needed for honors education. Let's give our donors a big hand.

That brings me to the other important piece of paper on your tables. Each table should have two of these. Don't worry; I brought more. Those envelopes are for those of you who would like to give or pledge money to the SAU Foundation, which in turn, will maintain those funds for the use of the Honors College. We work very closely with Jeanie Bismark, Josh Kee, and Pat Owen at the Foundation. If any of you are here, please stand so we may all recognize you.

I hope you soon-to-be graduates will not soon forget your time here. And, when you have completed any and all postgraduate work and begun your successful career, remember us. One strategy is to start small. Send us $10 when you first can. Next year, send us $20. By your tenth year send us $100 dollars. Think about it, 35 graduates following that strategy over 10 years would mean total donations from this group of $19,250. Just imagine where we could send our students and the equipment we could purchase if each graduating class followed that donation strategy. Please think about supporting those who will follow you just like others have supported your efforts over these last several years.

Traditionally, college lasted four years. Today in Arkansas, however, only 19.7% of all students graduate in four years. More startingly perhaps, is the fact that only 38.7% graduate in six years. Let's compare those figures to those of the students entering the SAU Honors College in 2010. That year we admitted 52 students. Of those, 27 will or already have graduated in four years or less. That is 52%. What about the rest? Five students transferred to other schools. Two are still in the Honors College and should graduate within the year. The remaining 18 were dropped for not maintaining the required 3.25 GPA. But, many of those will still graduate from SAU, just not with an honors degree. So, honors college students really are different and in a good way. I have been telling parents of prospective high school students lately, "enroll in the Honors College and save a year's tuition."

So, first impressions/last impressions; that is the topic I'd like to turn to now. First of all I have learned there is no such thing as a typical honors student. If you don't believe me, just look around. Also, there is no reliable way to predict, three to five years later, what a high school student will be like when they graduate (if they graduate) college.

You might suggest ACT scores. Aren't they supposed to predict success in college? Not so much for honors qualified students. You might think a score as high as 30 or 31 might guarantee an honors degree four years later. Well, two of those students from this class that we were forced to drop had ACTs that high. Their GPAs were as low as they can go. Yes, they each had 0.00 GPAs at the end of their first semester.

Here the flip side of that coin. Sitting among you is a student whose ACT was 25. That student is graduating with a GPA over 3.6, and more interestingly, is the winner of numerous awards including a major one just a few days ago.

So, first impressions are interesting and often very wrong. Here is another wrong one. Some make jokes about this type of female, jokes that play on her lack of intelligence or, more kindly, her unique way of looking at the world. Well, a student like that will graduate in three years, has a GPA over 3.8, participated in a grueling sport, and held one of the most difficult on-campus positions for two years. So much for that first impression.

Also sitting among you is another three-year wonder. Others, early on, soon realized they were sitting with the smartest person in the room, faculty included, I'm sorry to say. Quiet competence was what they saw, then and now, demonstrated by a near pathological impulse to help peers while never speaking down to them. This student is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and had a choice between two of the most prestigious PhD programs in that student's field. That student will remain the smartest person in any room, I predict.

You have all heard about the freshman 15. And, yes, some of our students picked up those pounds and maybe a little more. What about the junior -80? Ever heard of that? This student, graduating with a heartbreaking 3.94, a B in Organic Chemistry, is certainly making a very different final impression. Throughout that student's four years here nothing changed personality wise, one of the happiest and friendly people you would ever meet, just lighter now.

Two of our students have or will complete an honors thesis. What is an honors thesis? It is directed study under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. Both of those students are graduating after only three years at SAU. One of them wrote a 40-page paper analyzing science fiction movies from the 1940s to the 1960s in order to examine how they portrayed American families. The student was especially interested in how fathers were portrayed. When this student arrived here the words "painfully shy" would have failed to describe the depth of shyness. (Be aware that shyness is a major issue among all college students, btw.) That student has come a long way. Presenting that thesis marked a milestone, more of those will be passed in future years, I'm sure.

The point of these examples, and I could give you all 52, is that first impressions of honors students are bound to be less than reliable. Instead, we should concentrate on our last impressions of them. Those students seated here (and some cavorting on stage as we speak at Seussical) have left our first impressions far behind. Now we can safely call them what they really are: Honors Graduates. They have earned our respect and admiration not because of what they looked like upon arrival or how they acted back then. Now, we know them. We know them through their hard work and their successful accomplishments.

Still, it is time for them to leave us. Bittersweet is always the mood at gatherings such as these. One the one hand we wish to keep our students here forever, but on the other hand we know that their sojourn here was always meant to be temporary. Who knew that only meant three years for some many! Regardless of how long they stay we are proud of their accomplishments thus far and expect even more from them in the future.

Graduates, please stand now so we can all see who you are and give you the rousing send-off you truly deserve.

Thank you!

Honors College Report

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Honors College Report

April 17, 2014

• In May the Honors College will graduate 27 students, a record number! In December, nine more students are scheduled to graduate.
• The Honors College currently has Honors 2 + 2 articulation agreements with College of the Ouachitas and SAU Tech. Discussions with SACC will commence soon. The Honors 2 + 2 program establishes an Honors Program at each two-year school so that their students can transfer honors hours to SAU and earn membership in the Honors College receive an honors degree from SAU.
• Lilli Hill presented SAU's first honors thesis titled: 'The Problem That Has No Name,' and Advent of Daddy: American family life in the 1950s and its portrayal in science-fiction movies. Dr. Ben Johnson supervised her thesis. See: http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2014/03/hill-presents-first-honors-thesis.html for more information.
• Rachel Wetherington traveled to the Southern Regional Honors Council meeting in Savannah and presented her poster: Sources and correlations of stress in undergraduate students. She performed that research under the supervision of Dr. Chrisanne Christensen. See: http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2014/04/wetherington-presents-poster-at-srhc.html for more information.
• The SAU Honors Council met on February 6, 2014. Students who have benefitted from extramural experiences related how their off campus trips added to their honors education. See: http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2014/03/honors-council-meets.html for more information.
• Honors College graduate Chris Harris has been accepted to the Terrorism Studies Program at St. Andrews University.
• Taylor Mills recently won an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant from North Carolina State University's Summer Research Experience in Integrative Molecular Plant Systems. It provides a stipend of $5000, on-campus housing, $100 per week to help defray meal expenses and travel expenses.
• Hallman Scholarship winner Taylor McNeel recently spent a week in South Africa studying their agricultural methods along with economic and social issues. See http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2014/02/taylor-mcneel-visits-south-africa.html for more information.
• SAU was graced by a visit by Dr.Bill Seay (SSC 1960). Seay is a retired psychology professor from LSU and was the first dean of their Honors College. See: http://sauhc.blogspot.com/2014/02/bill-seay-visits-honors-college.html for more information.

Wetherington Presents Poster at SRHC

Rachel Wetherington stands alongside her poster at SRHC 2014 in Savannah

By Rachel Wetherington:

            On March 27-29, I traveled to Savannah, Georgia to attend and present at the Southern Regional Honors Council conference thanks to funding from the SAU Foundation, Trey Berry, and the Honors College. The first event at the conference was a City as Text. I went with a group of two others and explored the City Market in Savannah. Other groups explored different parts of Savannah. It was a very interesting and engaging way to learn about this historic city. It was also an opportunity to talk to other attendees and to learn about their colleges and honors programs. There was also a riverboat dinner cruise included with the conference, which included a tour of a historical Fort Jackson.

            Another aspect of the conference was student presentations. I was able to listen to nine student presentations on a variety of topics including human trafficking, space exploration, millennials in the business world, reactive attachment disorder, synesthesia, and others. They were all very informative and interesting, and each student seemed to be very knowledgeable about his or her topic.

            My presentation was a poster presentation. The title of my research was “Sources and correlations of stress in undergraduate students.” It was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Chrisanne Christensen. The original purpose for the research was to examine the impact of the recession on undergraduate students close to graduation, but a literature review showed other possible sources for stress in this population. Therefore, a questionnaire was created using a modified version of the Inventory of College Students’ Recent Life Experiences along with three original items. Results showed that having too much to do as well as concerns about the future were top sources of stress. Additionally, some demographic characteristics, such as parental educational attainment and ethnicity, were significantly correlated with higher levels of stress. The research was very interesting to me. Further research I might conduct might include a comparison of stress levels of honors and non-honors students using a much larger sample for generalizability. I received a great response from people who came up to me and my poster; one professor wanted me to share my research with him so he could use it as an example for his students.

            The SRHC conference was an overall success. It was a great opportunity to share my research as well as to network with other honors individuals and to explore Savannah. I saw what I did right and what I needed to improve on in future poster presentations. I also had the opportunity to learn presentation skills and information about various topics from other student presenters. I hope to be able to present at another conference again soon.

Hill Presents First Honors Thesis

Advisor Ben Johnson and Thesis Author Lillee Hill pose in front of 1950s Sci Fi movie posters

Today marked a momentous first for the SAU Honors College. Senior Lillee Hill completed and presented the first honors thesis. It was titled:
 

Juvenile Delinquency, 'The Problem That Has No Name,’ and Advent of Daddy: American family life in the 1950s and its portrayal in science-fiction movies

Hill's thesis examined sex roles in America as portrayed through the lens of 1950s sci fi movies. Her main point was that Hollywood changed the roles of men from "Father" to "Daddy" following World War II. Hollywood also worked hard to re-establish traditional roles for women as well. In essence, moving Rosie the Riveter back into the home and out of the workplace.

During the presentation, Hill showed several clips from old movies to reinforce her arguments.

Hill's thesis will be available in the Honor College office and in the SAU Library.

Honors Council Meets

 SAU Honors Council, Honors Committee, and students. From L to R (all rows) Pablo Bacon, Taylor McNeel, Tim Wise, Rachel Wetherington, Michelle Beavers, Ed Kardas, Taylor Duke, Casey O'Hara, Greg Jetton, Addison Ochs, Kara O'Neal, Todd Connelly, Taylor Mills, Erma Brown, Subir Shakya, Deborah Wilson, and  Erma Brown's grandson.

The SAU Honors Council met on Sunday, February 6, 2014 for its annual business meeting. Honors students presented information on the extramural experiences they had participated in over the last year.

Terence Lee spoke of his time in London participating in acting workshops and appearing in plays. Subir Shakya told of his NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates grant at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Addison Ochs, Casey O'Hara, and Kara O'Neal spoke of their saltwater aquarium construction project. Taylor McNeel related the details of her trip to South Africa. Michelle Beavers told of her experiences with a NASA research grant and the time she spent in Mississippi learning about marine biology.

Rachel Wetherington described her time working as an intern at the FBI field office in Dallas. Deana Hughes, Joy Tan, and Taylor Duke discussed their trip to New Orleans to attend the annual meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council where all were on the program.

Finally, Taylor Mills revealed that she was the recipient of another NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates grant. This one at North Carolina State University.

One of the goals of the SAU Honors College is to promote extramural education. Thanks to recent contribution by donors to the SAU Foundation that goal has become much more reachable.

Bill Seay visits Honors College

Bill Seay, Southern State College ('60) in Nelson Hall

The Honors College was graced by a visit by SSC (now SAU) grad Bill Seay: he graduated in 1960. He came to Magnolia from Lake Hamilton High School. He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under Harry Harlow. From Wisconsin he went to LSU where he worked 40 years until his retirement.

I first crossed paths with him at LSU where I graduated with my PhD in 1978. Interestingly, from there I too went to Wisconsin but to Milwaukee, not Madison. From Milwaukee I came to SAU in 1980 and have been here since. I still have a few years to go before I make my 40 years here, God willing.

Another similarity between us is that Seay was the first Dean of the LSU Honors College. Here I am the second director of the SAU Honors College.

Seay was in town on family business and we arranged for a short visit. We ate at the Caf and then walked over to the Honors Office and Lounge in Nelson Hall. We spent a lot of time talking about how much had changed at SAU while how much had remained the same.

Seay's high school graduation class numbered 27 students. He speculated that had he attended LSU or Arkansas back then he would not have had the same career. He spoke of the hours he had spent in Calvin Wetzig's office trying to conquer the mysteries of calculus. There is a similarity between then and now. SAU faculty still spend much time face-to-face with their students. At another school (both then and now) students might be lucky to see a grad assistant instead.

Seay said SSC prepared him for the rigors of the University of Wisconsin. The time he spent here polished him sufficiently enough to succeed at one of the top (then and now) psychology graduate programs in the world.

I noted that SAU was still fulfilling the same role but that time had taken us from high school classes of 27 to classes of 600. It has also taken us from students who knew little beyond their immediate environment to students who were now world wide travelers, on the virtual web at least. Still, SAU and the Honors College continue to serve as a gentle incubator to our students preparing them for the wider world beyond.

I showed Seay the PhotoShopped picture of last year's graduating class (we had to resort to such trickery because of rain; students graduated in two separate ceremonies). He asked what those graduates were doing now. All of them, I told him, were either in graduate school, professional school, or taking the first steps in their chosen careers.

We had had a good visit. I was nice to connect again. I'm sure the same kind of meetings will be taking place between Honors College graduates in the future. I hope they remember how they were when they first showed up at our gates and how much being at SAU helped them become what they became.

Taylor Mills awarded an REU at North Carolina State University

Taylor Mills

Congratulations are in order for SAU Honors College student Taylor Mills. She has been awarded an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant from North Carolina State University's Summer Research Experience in Integrative Molecular Plant Systems.

The grant provides the following benefits:

Stipend: A stipend of $5000 from May 26-Aug 1, for 40 hours of research per week as well as your participation in other activities.

Room: Covers the cost of on-campus housing if you choose to stay in the provided campus apartments (highly recommended).

Board: Students will receive $100 per week to help defray meal expenses.

Travel Expenses:

We will book and pay for your flight if you choose to fly to NC State University (for out-of-state participants). You will be responsible for other travel costs including baggage fees and transportation to/from airport.

Way to go Taylor