News
Congrats to the HoCo Nursing Graduates!
Congratulations to our Spring 2013 Honors Nursing graduates Kirstin Kellar, Robin Smith, and Nikki Relan, on their recent presentations of their theses. They are pictured here with their thesis advisers.
From left to right:
Thesis adviser Dr. Marjorie Geisz-Everson
Honors student Kirstin Kellar
Thesis adviser Dr. Janie Butts
Honors student Robin Smith
Thesis adviser Dr. Elizabeth Harrison
Honors student Nicki Relan
Congrats to HoCo Women!
Congratulations to some of our Honors College women who were selected to participate in the NEW Leadership™ Mississippi Institute:
Ashley Betts
Jazmyne Butler
Yolanda Cruz
Reem Dawoud
Domonique Jackson
Rachael Luckett
We are proud of you!!!
Congrats to Kyle!
The Honors College would like to recognize one of our graduate assistants, Kyle Ethridge, on his recent award for student teaching! He was chosen by USM's College of Education and Psycholgoy to receive the Outstanding Teacher Intern Award for 2012-2013, awarded by the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Teacher Education (MACTE). He represented USM and the English department for the second year in a row at the award ceremony at the Mississippi Department of Education on April 5th. The university had approximately 350-400 student teachers from both semesters and all departments last year, and Kyle was chosen for this award from all of these students based on these qualities:
- Has earned a high grade point average in comparison with other candidates within the institution’s degree program;
- Has demonstrated outstanding teaching ability through performance in the teacher internship and other field experiences;
- Has demonstrated outstanding character and interpersonal skills, through performance on teacher candidate disposition assessments, and other contributions such as leadership and service while at the university.
Congrats, Kyle! We are proud of you!!!
Congratulations to the new Honors Ambassadors!
We are very pleased to announce – in no particular order – the NEW 2013/2014 University of Southern Mississippi Honors College Ambassadors:
RAKEEM DANIELS
ARDAN THORNHILL
MEREDITH MCPHAIL
REBECCA WINSTEAD
JOSH VON HERRMANN
NATALYA ORTOLANO
MEREDITH MOODY
CONNER MILLER
DRAKO WELLS
LAUREL DUTY
MADISON RALPH
ELISHA CADE WILLIS
MYKA MURPHY
LAUREN BUSH
DRU MOZINGO
STEPHEN COBB
TIFFANY HOWARD
KINSEY EILAND
AMY BROGAN
KRISTI FLEETWOOD
SHELLEY DENT
We welcome this wonderful new class of Ambassadors and look forward to working with them in the coming year! Congratulations!
USM Founder's Day
Congratulations to the following Honors College students that were recognized at the USM Founder's Day Celebration!
Meridith McPhail- 2013 Outstanding Freshman
Kyle Moore- 2013 Outstanding Freshman
Jordan Nettles- 2013 Outstanding Freshman
Sarah "Lizzy" Roberts- 2013 Outstanding Freshman
Aleke Vehos- 2013 Outstanding Freshman
Bailee Alexander- Most Outstanding Freshman Female
Benjamin Knaus- Best Male Citizen
Timothy Wells- Leave It Better Than You Found It Award
Mohamed "Mo" Ismail- Barbara Ross Gold Leaf Scholarship
Ashley Nicole Barnes- Hall of Fame
Jazmybe Butler- Hall of Fame
Benjamin Chad Lyman- Hall of Fame
Jordan Rex Mathews- Hall of Fame
Blakely Owens- Phi Kappa Phi Bowl
Kristen Mechanic- Judge R.J. Bishop Mississippian Award
Ann Marie Chilcutt- Student Government Association President
Owen Patrick Terry- Student Government Association Vice President
Christopher Glenn Brewer- Student Government Association Attorney General
Meet HoCo student, Rachel Payne
Check out what Honors College student and transfer to USM, Rachel Payne, is up to on campus!
USM Research Internship
Honors College, May 2012 – Present
I currently have the privilege of participating in research under the mentorship of Dr. Yan-Lin Guo of the Biological Sciences Department. We are studying the innate immunity of mouse embryonic stem cells, with the long term goal of cultivating endothelial tissues from stem cells that will have the protection of a fully functional innate immune system. I will be involved with this project until I graduate from USM.
MS-INBRE Scholar
May 2012 – February 2013
The Mississippi Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence was a wonderful opportunity for me to receive hands-on training and bench research experience. It opened the door for me to work with Dr. Guo in the field of stem cell research and I was able to present a poster at the MS-INBRE science symposium in February of 2013.
Check out this cute picture!
Dr. Dan Capper gives a bear a hug in Muir Forrest while on the REL 131H active learning trip to San Francisco.
HoCo Students in France
Honors College students Anna Rikki Nelson and Justin Baggett wanted to check in with us to let us know how their studies in France are going! Here is message from them:
Justin and I are really enjoying France! We wanted to check in with HoCo and thank everyone for all their help with getting us here! I've actually made a lot of progress on my thesis (I have plenty of reading time here while we're on trains and buses).
I've included a picture of us at Omaha Beach in Normandy. We did a D-Day tour last weekend while we stayed in Bayeux. If anyone in HoCo
wants to keep up with our adventures, we do have a blog: http://annaandjustin.blogspot.fr/
Our language skills are progressing nicely. We are able to communicate solely in French whenever we feel like it.
Best,
Anna Rikki Nelson and Justin Baggett
January HoCo Professor of the Month
Congratulations to Shellie Nielsen, the January Professor of the Month. She is the professor of Honors Dance Appreciation and was also a huge supporter of our December philanthropy project, Aldersgate Christmas Toy Drive. She is pictured here with Honors Ambassador Anna-Claire White. Congrats again, Ms. Nielsen!
HEADWAE Award goes to HoCo Student
Congratualations to John Caleb Grenn, recipient of the HEADWAE award and senior Honors College student. HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence) was established by Mississippi Legislative Resolution to annually honor the academically talented students and faculty members of each of the state’s higher education institutions who have made outstanding contributions in promoting academic excellence. John Caleb is a biochemistry major and Presidential Scholar with a 3.95 grade point average, and he will attend the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS in the fall. He is also a former member of the Southern Miss men’s track and field team, earning three varsity letters in the sport, and is listed in Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities. He is doing his Honors thesis project on cancer drugs in Dr. Faqing Huang's biochemistry lab. Congrats, John Caleb! We are proud of you!
You can read the press release here: http://www.usm.edu/news/article/southern-miss-headwae-recipients-be-honored-jackson-feb-26
Aldersgate Christmas Party
Thanks to the help of Stacey Ready, Honors College Ambassador Philanthropy Chair Anna Claire White, and the rest of the Honors College Amabassadors and students, we were able to share a little Christmas spirit with the Aldersgate children. There was even a special guest appearance of a jolly man in a red suit who delivered the presents. Below you will find some pictures from this successful event. You can also read more about this event on the USM news page: http://www.usm.edu/news/article/honors-college-students-host-holiday-party-kids-supported-outreach-group#?utm_campaign=addthis&utm_source=news&utm_medium=social_media
December 2012
ENG 203H explores Washington, DC
This is Dr. Stan Hauer’s ENG 203H class in Washington, DC. They went to visit the Folger Shakespeare Library and to see “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at The Shakespeare Theatre – Harman Hall in the first weekend of December.
December 2012
Swimming With the Dolphins
Despite braving the weather from Hurricane Sandy, Dr. Kuzjac's PSY 110H class enjoyed sun, sand, dolphins, and great food in Key Largo. Here are some great pictures with the dolphins from the trip!
November 2012
Miss USM Scholarship Pageant Winners
Congrats to Honors College students, Hannah Roberts and Elizabeth Kiehn, for placing in the Miss USM Scholarship Pageant on Saturday, October 27th, 2012. Hannah was crowned Miss USM 2012 and Elizabeth received second alternate. We are proud of you!
October 2012
Honors College Professor of the Month
On behalf of the Honors College Ambassadors, we would like to honor Professor Jason Dawsey as the Honors College Professor of the Month for October 2012. Ambassador Jordan Rimes presented Mr. Dawsey with a HoCo Smarties t-shirt as a token of our appreciation. Mr. Dawsey teaches HIS 101H and 102H at the Honor House on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Soon to be Dr. Dawsey, he will present his dissertation in December 2012 and graduate in March 2013. Congrats, Mr. Dawsey!! We appreciate you!
October 2012
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congrats to Honors College students John Caleb Green, Danielle Williamson, Jessica Hill, and Ashley Villarreal on being offered admission to medical school at the University of Mississippi's Medical Center! Job well done!
Active Learning Trip to Disney was a Success!
Two of our Honors Composition sections are approaching college writing by focusing on the topic of Disney and its far-reaching, and often surprising, influences in contemporary culture. We have been asking questions about what ways, and to what ends, Disney has shaped our ideas about gender, race, education, the family, and the meaning of community. In the active learning portion of this class, we (re)visited Disney over fall break, bearing in mind the vantage points of the readings and writing we have already done. Our trip was an opportunity for field research for our final research projects, and students had the opportunity to attend a Disney institute on "Leadership Strategies."
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations to Honors psychology major Stormy Speaks! Stormy won the Mississippi Press Association’s award for Best Feature Story by a College Newspaper earlier this year.
Next Honors College Lecture Series
The Honors College Lecture Series will host Dwight Owens, author of Still Standing on Tuesday, October 9th in Stout Hall Auditorium A at 6:30 pm. A light reception and book signing will follow the event.
http://www.wdam.com/story/16962857/survivor-of-drunk-driving-accident-writes-book
Successful Aldersgate "School is Cool" Party
On Friday September 14 fifteen or so Southern Miss Honors Scholars journeyed from the campus to a modest building in downtown Hattiesburg on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Evans Street. Most of them really didn’t have a clue what to expect; many of them were frankly a little bit nervous. All they really knew is that they were hosting a philanthropic event, a back to school party named - “School is Cool”! This was organized for the children of Aldersgate Mission.
Any nervousness or uncertainty quickly vanished! This was truly a fun-filled community outreach project that focused on reaching out and showing these children how important they are to others and how important education is in the lives of these children.
Honors Ambassador Anna-Claire White coordinated the project and once the Honors Ambassadors had decided to make this party their focus, she really went to work to make it a reality. Her contact at Aldersgate was the Director, Reverend Linda Dixon. Together they worked out all the details about when to have the event, what the children needed and what activities they would enjoy.
At the Honors College we conducted a college-wide school supply drive so we could provide the children with pencils, pens, glue sticks, markers, erasers, notebooks, and so forth. In addition to providing school supplies though we also wanted to provide FUN and that we did. We had a fantastic celebration with them; some scholars provided face-painting, others played kickball and other games, we provided supplies and helped them create foam nameplates or wall décor for their rooms/doors. And of course what party would be complete without food? After hotdogs, chips and juice, the students were treated to cake on the outside pavilion. It was a very fun and memorable day for all of us and hopefully for the children of Aldersgate as well.
I know that I left with a smiling heart as did the Scholars of the Southern Miss Honors College!
Stacey Ready
A Wonderful Volunteer Opportunity!
Hawkins Elementary in Downtown Hattiesburg requires that their teachers eat with the students. This of course ensures well-behaved kids at lunch, but leaves the teachers with no time to themselves throughout the day.
A constant request from Hawkins teachers is that someone - or a group of people - might come and sit with their kids during lunch thus giving them a much needed break.
The first lunch period is around 11 am and the last lunch period ends by 1 pm. So if you are interested in giving a teacher a break during the day while helping them maintain a pleasant lunchroom environment contact Neighbors at Hawkins Elementary – neighborsathawkins@gmail.com 601.467.5333 and speak with Ms. Sharon Miles. You can also visit the website for further information www.neighborsathawkins.com.
London Calling
This summer, Dean Davies as well as many of our students ventured abroad to London with the British Studies program, part of Southern Miss Study Abroad. The program runs from June 28 to July 29, 2012. Students will spend one month living and learning in central London and earn 6 hours of undergraduate academic credit. Students also have the opportunity to travel mid-program with their class to Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris or Brussels.
Follow travelers as they blog abroad at http://blogs.usm.edu/blogging-abroad/. Learn more about all study abroad programs offered at Southern Miss by visiting http://www.usm.edu/study-abroad.
June 2012
Honors student to film "subSIPPI: An exploration of subcultures within Mississippi"
Vincent Chaney, a Senior Honors student from Diamondhead, Miss., is on his way to filming the documentary, "subSIPPI," which will be used in his Honors thesis. The documentary is to be made as "an honest portrayal of Mississippi. A search for diversity that is to be found within the State that has otherwise gone unnoticed."
To fund the project, a Kickstarter fundraiser page was made in May, and nearly $1,000 was raised in the first week alone. Today, the Kickstarter page has exceeded its original $3,000 goal, raising a total of just over $4,000. subSIPPI tanks and t-shirts are also being sold to support the cause.
Chaney plans to drive the entire state during the months of August and September to film a variety of individuals living in Mississippi. He plans to live and film among the residents of the represented subcultures. The end goal of post-production is December 2012.
Learn more about subSIPPI:
https://www.facebook.com/subsippi
subsippi@gmail.com
"From young to old, I want to understand what people feel about Mississippi and what it means to be a Mississippian."
-Chaney
June 2012
May HOCO Professor of the Month
Dr. Dan Capper, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, was recently chosen as the Honors College Professor of the Month for May. Capper teaches an Honors comparative religion class, as well as classes on Buddhism, religion and healing, Himalayan religions, religions of India study abroad and mysticism.
Capper earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago Divinity School as well as a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in religious studies from the University of Virginia. He was a Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Capper's areas of research include Tibetan Buddhism, religion and psychology, religion and anthropology, alternative religion in the United States, and religion and nonhuman animals.
Dr. Capper is the author of the book, Guru Devotion and the American Buddhist Experience, from the Edwin Mellen Press. This book is an ethnographic exploration of Tibetan Buddhist practice and guru devotion among non-Tibetan Americans.
http://www.usm.edu/philosophy-religion/faculty
Dr. Dan Capper and Honors College student Ashten Redell
May 2012
End of the semester party held Thursday, May 3
The annual end-of-semester party will be hosted by the Ambassadors on Thursday MAY 3rd at 6:30 p.m. at the Honor House. The theme is “WATER PARTY.” We'll have water balloons filled with tokens for prizes like t-shirts and exam essentials, along with other games to enjoy with friends. We recommend students come in clothes they don't mind getting soaked over a swimsuit.
Say good-bye to Spring 2012 with the Honors College! We can't wait to see you there!
May 2012
Honors students win big at Athletic Awards ceremony
We had lots of students recognized at the spring Athletic Awards ceremony. Winners include the following:
Conference USA All-American Academic Team; Conference USA Student Athlete of the Year Nominee; College of Health Award; Conference USA Academic Medalist - Lisa Knecht
Other Conference USA Academic Medalists: John Caleb Grenn, Kara Moylan, Krista Moylan, Michael Sims
Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll: Ashley Grillot, Ethan Hoff
Southern Miss Academic Recognition of Cheerleaders and Southern Misses: Nicolet Hopper, Jamie Jackson, Whitney St. Mary, Sarah Stetelman, Maggie Williams
Congratulations to these students and all of the Athetic Award winners!
May 2012
Honors Ambassador Officers elected
On Friday, April 27, at the Honors College Ambassador retreat, new members voted in four officers for the 2012-13 school year.
President- Ginny Kramer
Vice President- Patrick Hollingsworth
Secretary/PR- Ashten Redell
Philanthropy Chair- Anna-Claire White
Kramer, Honors College Ambassador President
April 2012
Honors Dance Appreciation class travels to ballet performance
This April, Professor Shellie Nielsen's Honors Dance Appreciation class traveled to New Orleans, La., for the Complexions contemporary ballet performance in the Mahalia Jackson Theatre.
Honors Dance Appreciation class outside the Mahalia Jackson Theatre after the Complexions contemporary ballet performance.
April 2012
Communication Studies professor publishes book
Wendy Atkins-Sayre, assistant professor of Communication Studies and Speaking Center director at Southern Miss and Honors College professor, recently published a co-edited book on communication centers and oral communication programs in higher education.
The first book to address the role of communication centers in the university setting, the book was recently highlighted on the Chronicle of Higher Education web site.
Communication Centers and Oral Communication Programs in Higher Education, edited by Eunkyong L. Yook and Atkins-Sayre, is a collection that examines the centers that support communication departments or across-the-curriculum programs as higher education focuses more attention on the communication field.
The authors in this text address theoretical issues covering topics such as the importance of communication centers to higher education, the effects of communication centers on retention, critical thinking in the center, ethics, and more. These essays also explore ideas about a center's set-up and use of space, staff training, technology applications, and campus advertising and outreach.
Communication Centers organizes cutting-edge knowledge of the theory and empirical research so as to practically serve peer tutors and directors, newcomers to the study of communication centers, and seasoned experts. Furthermore, this collection introduces administrators and those interested in higher education to the potential value of communication centers in higher education.
For more information about Communications Studies or the Speaking Center, visit http://www.usm.edu/communication-studies or call 601.266.4271.
http://www.usm.edu/news/article/communication-studies-professor-publishes-book
April 2012
Theater class gets tough
They're smart AND tough... Professor Robin Carr's Honors theater appreciation class learns to fake bruises with theatrical makeup.
April 2012
Hafer named Honors College Professor of the Month for April
Dr. Edward Hafer, assistant professor of music history, is named April's Honors College Professor of the Month. Hafer will be teaching the active learning Honors class, the enjoyment of music, this upcoming fall semester. We in the Honors College thank him for his work with students (as well as the delicious cakes he often bakes for the staff's birthdays). Congrats Dr. Hafer!
Hafer holds a B.A. in Music History and Literature from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an M.M. and Ph.D. in Historical Musicology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has had additional training at Millersville University (PA); Goethe Institutes in Düsseldorf and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany; and he has participated in a seminar on the works of Richard Wagner at the University of Bayreuth. His teachers have included William Kinderman, Alexander Ringer, John Hill, and Bruno Nettl.
Hafer’s research interests lie in the music and aesthetics of the nineteenth century. His dissertation addresses the role of the Wanderer in the music of Franz Schubert and the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich. He has presented research on Wagner, Schubert, and Music & Painting.
Dr. Edward Hafer
April 2012
2012-13 Honors College Ambassadors selected
Selected by their peers, Honors College Ambassadors provide a variety of services for the Honors College, including hosting special events such as tailgating tents and HOCO picnics, mentoring new Honors students and helping with recruitment of potential students. The members of this group of volunteers represent the Honors College with enthusiasm and spirit.
2012-13 members include:
Lance Tyler Albin, Meredith Barefield, Ann Marie Brahan, Tyler Brown, Kevin Buckley, Yolanda Cruz, Reem Dawoud, Salma Dawoud, Taylor Herring, Patrick Hollingsworth, Blake Houston, Jamie Jackson, Ben Knaus, Ginny Kramer, Elena Lofton, Meredith Manguno, Erin McLeod, Courtney McMullan, Virginia Pampuro, Ryan Parker, Alisha Randall, Emilee Randall, Ashten Redell, Jordan Rimes, Arik Shams, Erin Smith, Stormy Speaks, Kristin Sumrall, Elizabeth Suss, Owen Terry, Anna-Claire White, Robert Williamson, Corey Yeates
2012-13 Honors College Ambassadors
April 2012
University forum presents the 19th Annual Armstrong-Branch Lecture
On Thursday, April 12, 2012, the Honors College presents the 19th Annual Armstrong-Branch Lecture to honor Lieutenant Colonel Raylawni Branch and Mrs. Gwendolyn Armstrong-Chamberlain, who first integrated the University in September 1965. The speaker for the night will be Dr. Kim LeDuff from the School of Mass Communication and Journalism for a talk titled, "Speaking across difference: From on-campus to on-line."
Dr. LeDuff is the author of "Tales of Two Cities: How Race and Crime Intersect on Local TV News" and co- author of "Race and News: Critical Perspectives." She teaches a course on race, gender and media at the graduate and undergraduate levels, which is reflective of her research on race and representation in the mass media. In February, a State Institutions for Higher Learning (IHL) panel chose LeDuff as this year's IHL Black History Month Educator of the Year for 2012.
The University Forum series is presented by the Southern Miss Honors College each fall and spring semester. This lecture is free and open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium.
Austin Simmons, left, an Honors College student majoring in broadcast journalism, talks with Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong Chamberlain, center, and Raylawni Branch at last year's lecture. (Photo submitted)
April 2012
Goldwater Scholarship awarded to Honors student
Tyler Brown of Biloxi, Miss., a sophomore chemistry and polymer science double major in the Southern Miss Honors College, was recently named the school’s 19th recipient of a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. The coveted national award supports academic achievement in science and mathematics.
Named for the late presidential candidate and longtime U.S. senator from Arizona Barry M. Goldwater, the program was established in 1986 as a way to bolster the number of active scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to college sophomores and junior studying in these fields. The one and two-year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to $7,500 per year.
Brown credits Southern Miss for putting him in position to qualify for the Goldwater award by making available research opportunities with faculty in its School of Polymers and High Performance Materials and department of chemistry. He is currently spending the spring semester at England’s University of Exeter, and last summer conducted research at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, India.
“This honor opens so many doors for me as an undergraduate, and being at Southern Miss helped me find out where I belong,” he said. “There are so many opportunities that are just around the corner here.”
Another Southern Miss sophomore polymer science major and Honors College student, Michael Sims of Hattiesburg, earned an honorable mention from the Goldwater Scholarship Foundation.
Since 1989, the Goldwater Foundation has given more than 6,200 scholarships worth approximately $39 million. Its Trustees plan to award about 300 scholarships for the 2013–2014 academic year.
Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 78 Rhodes Scholarships, 112 Marshall Awards, 104 Churchill Scholarships and numerous other distinguished fellowships.
Southern Miss students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship and other national scholarships should contact Southern Miss National Scholarship Office Robyn Curtis at 601.266.4263 or e-mail robyn.curtis@usm.edu.
Tyler Brown
April 2012
Swimming with dolphins in Key Largo
Dr. Stan Kuczaj's Honors psychology active learning class visited Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, Florida this past March. This dolphin and marine mammal research and education facility provided a unique opportunity for students to swim with dolphins while conducting their own research.
To view more photos, visit our Facebook album.
April 2012
