Fall 2009
Dean’s Message: The Honor’s College Has Moved to a New Location!
Greetings from our new home at 250 Second Street. On August 21, the Honors College opened its new doors to welcome more than 360 students.
The motto of the new Honors Residence Hall is scientia aperit omnia, which translates “knowledge is the door to freedom”. As the Dean of the Honors College and now as the Resident Faculty Leader of the Honors Residence Hall, I have the opportunity to watch many doors open in the lives of my students as they progress through their careers as student scholars. We hope to impart much information and share many skills with our students before they leave WVU. One of the greatest gifts we can share with them is a love of learning that they will take with them as they enter into their careers or graduate school.
Our new residence hall has five floors, each with a study and TV lounge located in the center of the floor to encourage both student scholarship and socialization. The student rooms are designed as suites, where two students share a room that is connected to another student room by a shared bathroom. The new hall has a beautiful courtyard and many other amenities including a state-of-the-art multimedia room, wireless internet access, and the Honors Office suite.
If you would like to see our new facility, please contact us for a tour. With a little advance notice, we would be more than happy to show you around our new Honors Residence Hall and Offices.
Honors Residence Hall Dedicated
On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, the new Honors Residence Hall was formally dedicated. For the article and ceremony photographs, please see visit http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2009/09/01/wvu-honors-hall-formally-dedicated.
10 Books for the 21st-Century Mind
So what should you be reading at the beginning of the 21st century? The following list contains a few suggestions of books that may give insight into our current century and possibly the future. Any list of this sort is sure to elicit responses of “why on earth didn’t he include ??”, “how could you possibly not have included anything by ??” and “what on earth was he doing including ??”. It is the very nature of such lists that they will be idiosyncratic and a function of the individual who puts them together. To answer these questions in part, first, I only have ten choices and these were the ones that seem to me, at this point in time (3:30 on a Sunday afternoon), to be the most appropriate. Second, it may be that I simply haven’t read a particular book and I would not like to recommend a book I have not already read all the way through; undoubtedly some extremely worthy books have been left out because I have yet to read them. So with those caveats, here are ten books for the 21st-century mind...continue reading
Alumni Homecoming Open House & Reception
The Honors College will host an Alumni Open House Reception on Friday, October 23 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the new Honors Hall to welcome back Alumni who wish to visit our new hall and talk with friendly Mountaineers both past and present. Current Honors residents will be giving tours of the Honors Residence Hall and Office Suite and mingling with alumni. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP your name and how many will be in attendance to Marie.Leichliter@mail.wvu.edu by Friday, October 16, 2009. We hope to see you at the Alumni Homecoming Open House & Reception!
William E. Collins Society Elects New President
Alumni Spotlight: Daniel R. Miller
In the spring of 2009, members of the William E. Collins Alumni Society met to elect Daniel R. Miller as the new president. Miller is enthusiastic and ready to take on the role.
He has many goals for the Alumni Society, “ I think the Society could offer a number of opportunities for WVU Honors alumni to network, to reestablish personal connections, and to support current Honors students,” he said. “First, the Society could provide a forum through which Honors alumni could discuss their career strategies, job opportunities, educational options, and life experiences with one another. Second, the Society could establish some annual activities and special events, both in Morgantown and in other regions, to allow Honors alumni to meet for the first time or to reconnect with old friends. Third, the Society could work to support Honors students by presenting speakers and panel discussions on topics of interest to these students, such as professional and graduate school application processes, available internships, and scholarship programs,” Miller explained.
While a student at WVU, Miller was very involved with the Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band. Additionally, he was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity, for which he served as an officer and host chapter convention chair for the 2000 Northeast District Convention. Similar to many students, Miller quickly realized he was unsure exactly what he wanted to study during his time at WVU. Miller said, “I struggled with a difficulty encountered by many undergraduates: the task of selecting a major. Although I entered WVU as a biology major, I found many other disciplines challenging and rewarding. After six years of coursework, I graduated from WVU with five undergraduate degrees: a BS in biology and BA degrees in English, geography, history, and liberal arts and sciences.
After the completion of his undergraduate work in 2002, Miller completed a year of graduate coursework in public administration before attending a year at the WVU College of Law. In 2006, Miller graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Miller is currently an attorney with K&L Gates in Pittsburgh, Pa. His areas of concentration include e-discovery analysis and technology, intellectual property, and antitrust litigation.
Dr. Grant S. Bromhal will continue to serve as the Alumni Society chapter vice president. Bromhal is a research engineer at The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), part of the United States Department of Energy national laboratory system.
Honors College Alumni Facebook Page!
One of the first actions taken by the new president of the Alumni Society was to establish a Facebook site for Honors College alumni! Please join at:
Summer Programs Update
SURE
The Honors College Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) welcomed 24 student scholars for the 2009 session. SURE is an eight-week program designed for students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics disciplines who are interested in pursuing careers in research-oriented fields.
elected participants spent the summer conducting research in their fields of study. The student researchers were given the opportunity to engage in professional research under a professor and graduate or post-doctoral mentor, take a research course, and present their discoveries at the SURE Research Symposium held on July 30.
West Virginia GSMS Lives in Stalnaker
he 2009 Trip to the Fair, the central theme for the Governor’s School for Math and Science (GSMS), launched in July at the Honors College. For three weeks, exciting times were had by rising eighth and ninth grade students who are interested in mathematics and science. GSMS is a summer residential program providing academic enrichment in the areas of science and math for current 7th and 8th graders living in and attending school in West Virginia.
Students worked on research projects, attended classes, enjoyed daily recreational activities around Morgantown, and took field trips to Kennywood and various other fun and educational places. If you would like to learn more, view photos, and to listen podcasts of the students’ experiences, visit http://www.honors.wvu.edu/GSMS/2009/.
Honors Leadership Academy
In July of 2009, The Honors Leadership Academy (HLA) was held for a second year and was a great success. HLA is a three-week workshop and classroom experience that incorporates Leadership 201 and Honors 199 into a cumulative experience for incoming first-year WVU Honors College students. The sixteen students who enrolled received four honors credit hours for the three weeks of intensive study and experience. HLA students took a trip to Washington, D.C. to tour the capital, visit the Library of Congress, and meet with U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller. Additionally, students spend an afternoon at Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh, PA and a day on a ropes course building team skills. Plans for HLA 2010 have already begun!
Honors College Welcomes Freshman Class of 420 +
On August 22, 2009, the Honors College welcomed over 400 first year students as new members at the annual Honors Retreat. Students spent the day getting to know one another and attending a variety of workshop sessions designed to prepare them for their first week as new WVU and Honors College students.
Ostenaco to Recognize Native American Heritage Month in November
Ostenaco, famous Cherokee leader, will visit the Honors Residence Hall Multipurpose Room on November 17, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. to recognize Native American Heritage Month as he delivers a dramatic presentation and answers questions.
During the French and Indian War Ostenaco was a leader of Cherokee warriors who assisted Virginia military leaders against northern tribes allied to the French. His leadership provided a much-needed Indian alliance for the British colonial settlements in much of present day West Virginia and beyond. Ostenaco led the fight against Ohio Valley Indians who were allied with the French and attacking settlements in the areas of the Tygart Valley, Greenbrier River, and North and South Branches of the Potomac River. With Major Andrew Lewis he led an expedition against the Shawnee along the Big Sandy River area that ended in failure but forged a lasting friendship with Lewis. Ostenaco’s allegiance with such Virginia leaders contributed significantly to the expansion of English-speaking peoples into what is now West Virginia. (http://www.wvhumanities.org/Ostenaco.htm)
Ostenaco is portrayed Doug Wood, a scholar/actor from Nitro, West Virginia. Wood works with History Alive.
History Alive is a program designed to bring historical characters to life through the scholar/actors who have researched their characters. History Alive presenters are available to non-profit organizations throughout West Virginia. The History Alive program is sponsored by the WV Humanities Council. For more information about The History Alive Program or the WV Humanities Council, visit www.wvhumanities.org.
Thesis Award for Seniors
The Robert F. Munn Undergraduate Thesis Award will be presented to a graduating Honors student for outstanding research contributions in the study of the humanities or social sciences that have culminated in the production of an exceptional thesis. The award will be presented during a ceremony held at the downtown campus library on Saturday, May 15, 2010. Students will be able to apply this spring. More information to be released on the Honors Blog when applications are available.
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