From the Dean:
Now is the time to think ambitiously about the future of the university and the future of Honors. Modeling this kind of leadership for the future, your student council took the ambitious step this year of proposing changes to the bylaws to provoke a larger conversation about Honors admissions. How do we and how should we invite students into Honors? What does it mean to be a member of an Honors community? Is that journey defined only by tests and grade point averages or is it also about diversity of thought, diversity of experience, ambition, legacy, impact, empathy, and how these qualities are pursued and demonstrated?
Watch the recording of the General Assembly presenting the changes and rationale. Vote now on the proposed changes. If you have any questions, contact student council chair Abby Jurgensmeier at aljurgensmeier@shockers.wichita.edu.
Famously, modernist poet T.S. Eliot opens his poem The Wasteland with the line "April is the cruelest month." He is refracting the more hopeful image of April as a month for setting out in a new world, for the pilgrimage that structures Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, for showers and flowers and rebirth. Let's hold fast to this great contradiction, this literary dialogue, as we move ourselves through these last weeks of April. Let's look forward with hope and let ourselves acknowledge loss and longing. We don't know what the fall will bring, but I'm working to stretch to embrace this ambiguity. Please join me. Listen to each other. Reach out. Imagine the future together.
Honors Community News
Night with the Colleges - Talk about Leadership this Saturday
The Annual Honors networking event goes virtual this Saturday, April 18, 2020 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM on Zoom. RSVP here. The link to the Zoom session will be emailed to you before the event.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to talk about leadership at this year's Night with the College, an event hosted by WHEAT to allow the Honors faculty, staff, and students to connect. Because of the current pandemic and necessityfor social distancing, we have decided to move the event online this year. We believe that providing opportunities for connection within the Honors Community is crucial in a time where many are feeling isolated. Night with the College will begin with our guest speaker, Dr. Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, speaking on the topic of leadership. Then, students and faculty will be put into breakout sessions based on their academic college at WSU.
Tabatha Polk, WHEAT President, tnpolk@wichita.edu
New! Zoom for Prospective and Incoming Honors Students
Students and faculty are welcome to visit a new event via Zoom for prospective and current Honors students. Hear from current Honors students and alumni about experiences they gained through the Cohen Enhancement Scholarship.
Cohen Honors College Student Council applications due April 24
Applications to serve on the Cohen Honors College Student Council 2020-21 are open. Apply online by April 24th.
The Honors Student Council aims to develop a strong sense of community and common
identity among Honors students by providing opportunities and serving as a refuge
to all students of the Cohen Honors College. The Council uses innovative approaches
to identify and address the challenges and needs of all Honors students and serves
as the voice of students through communication with the staff, faculty and Dean of
the Cohen Honors College. For information about current members, visit the Student Council page on the college website.
The student council meets every Thursday 5-6pm by Zoom. Visit the Cohen Honors College Facebook page for the link. To bring an idea or concern to the current student council, email aljurgensmeier@shockers.wichita.edu or honorsassistant@wichita.edu.
Become an Honors Ambassador
Honors Ambassadors assist the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College in the recruitment of future Honors students. Honors Ambassadors represent the Honors College at various events and activities across campus.Any high school senior, transfer student or current student who has been admitted to the Cohen Honors College is encouraged to apply for membership no later than 5 pm Friday, April 24.
Interviews will be conducted the week of May 11 and 18. Due to the current situation with COVID-19, Skype and phone interviews will be offered if we are not able to conduct in-person interviews. You will be notified as to whether or not you have been selected for an interview.
Ready to submit your application? Click here to access the application.
If you have questions, please contact Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu or (316) 978-6697.
Faculty Mentor award nominations open until May 1
Each year, Honors students are invited to nominate an Honors faculty member who has provided mentorship inside or outside of the classroom for the Faculty Mentor Award. To nominate a faculty member who has had a positive impact on you, submit a letter describing in detail what qualifies the faculty member for this award.
Submit your nomination through the online form by May 1. Past recipients are not eligible.
Past Recipients:
2019 - William Woods, English
2018 - Peter Cohen, Public Health Sciences
2017 - Douglas Parham, Communications Sciences and Disorders
2016 - Elaine Bernstorf, Music
2015 - Stephen Brady, Mathematics & Statistics
Honors Courses Still Available for Summer and Fall 2020
Seats are still available in several of the Honors Seminar offerings for Summer 2020 and Fall 2020. For full course descriptions, search the online schedule of courses. Type the word "Honors" in the Keyword field to see a list of all college and department honors courses.
Remember department honors courses have an "H" following the course number, e.g. PSY
111H. You also can turn a regular course into an honors course through an honors agreement.
Email Jessica.Raburn@wichita.edu with any questions or to arrange a meeting to discuss how these courses may meet general education and Honors requirements for you.
HNRS 106AB - Exploring Our National Parks. Dr. Chelsea Redger Marquardt guides students in learning about our national parks
through a service leadership lens. Student will explore the service, volunteer coordination,
historic preservation, conservation and human impact. 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM Tuesday & Thursday (CRN 16765)
HNRS 305U - The Power of Storytelling. Journalist Roy Wenzl explores narrative and storytelling with honors students. Using
their own lives as the source, students develop story-telling techniques. 5:35 PM - 7:55 PM Monday (CRN 14783)
HNRS 405G - After the Fall: Identity in Literature. Dr. William Woods. This prescient course starts with the premise that nothing human is eternal. Nations fail, cities fall to ruin, and then, somehow, the
human miracle: people gather themselves to begin again, starting out on the long road
back to security, culture and a new identity. Accomplished literature professor, Dr.
William Woods, uses literature spanning the fall of Troy to the aftermath of WWI to
examine devastation, renewal and new life. 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM Tuesday & Thursday (CRN 16787)
Move forward your degree this summer with expanded course offerings in Honors. All offerings are in the new Remote format. Students in these courses will have designated or arranged times when they are expected to meet in a remote platform as determined by the professor.
HNRS 153T - Bang, Black Holes, Fate of the Universe. Explore the universe with astronomer, Martin Ratcliffe. Students learn about our universe
from the Big Bang to recent spacecraft missions. June 1 to July 24 remote, synchronous class times: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 11:00 – 12:00 (CRN 32445)
Summer Pre-session! HNRS 310G - Digital Imaging (1 credit). Martin Ratcliffe introduces students to the basics of scientific imaging using CCD
cameras in this short course. Imaging is used in areas such as medicine, astronomy,
engineering, meteorology, and Earth Resources/land management. During this course,
you will understand how CCD devices work, how to process images in black and white
and color, and what scientific information can be acquired. May 18-30th remote, synchronous class times: Monday through Friday 11:00 – 12:30; additional meetings
will be arranged. (CRN 32446)
HNRS 351 - Survey of Leadership. Dr. Chelsea Redger Marquardt guides students through an overview of the main leadership
theories and a history of leadership. Students learn to recognize and apply leadership
theory. June 1 – June 27 remote, synchronous class times: Monday through Thursday 9:00 – 12:00. (CRN 32444)
HNRS 406C - Making Social Impact. Dr. Eveline Ndinelao Kalomo leads students to explore how to understand social forces
and social change through qualitative research. Students use the information gathered
to design a qualitative research proposal and a poster presentation. Open to honors
students with a background in social sciences. Course may be used to fulfill the honors
research or creative activity requirement. June 29-July 24 remote, synchronous class times: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 – 12:30. (CRN 32419)
- Personal Leadership Development in a Community Setting
- Understanding of Community Partners and Non-Profit Organizations
- Exploring Social Justice and Justice Based Service
- Developing Personal Understanding of Social Responsibility
- Honors Agreements welcome!
Honors office contacts
- Main Office: The office is open remotely M-W 8am to 5pm. Email honors@wichita.edu, and Erin LeBegue will answer or route your question to the right person!
- Advising: Email Jessi Raburn Jessica.raburn@wichita.edu to set up a phone or Zoom appointment.
- Scholarships and Recruitment: Email Trish Gandu trish.gandu@wichita.edu
- Budget and Calendar: Contact Carla Mann Carla.mann@wichita.edu
- Teaching, Faculty, and Questions for the Dean: Contact Kimberly Engber kimberly.engber@wichita.edu
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