E-HONORS

Frostburg State University's Honors Program Newsletter

March 2003: Volume 1
Issue 1

Winners of the Academic Excellence Awards
The Honors Program has recently introduced Academic Excellence Award given to honors students for outstanding academic performance in different categories. This past Fall, students were chosen for their achievements in one of three categories of excellence. The categories include "Earning an A in English 111", "Earning a 4.0 GPA", and "Scoring the Highest Grade on the Orientation 101 Final". When more than one student qualified in any of these categories, a winner was drawn from all the eligible. The awards include a gift certificate to Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant in Frostburg. The following students earned awards for Fall 2002:

• Earning an A in English 111 - Keith Klemm
• Earning a 4.0 GPA - Shelley Calendine
• Scoring the Highest Grade on the Orientation 101 Final -
  Lori Blank

Congratulations to all winners. Awards will also be presented for outstanding achievement during the Spring 2003 semester.

Honors Courses Offered for Fall 2003

This Fall we are offering the following classes:
Honors: Art Appreciation
Honors: Introduction to Computer Science
Honors: Principles of Economics - Macro
Honors: Freshman Composition
Honors: Advanced Composition
Honors: Introduction to World Politics
Honors: General Psychology
Honors: Introduction to Sociology

IDIS 491: Honors Seminar: The Science of Harry Potter: This seminar entails an overview of the scientific method as employed in the physical sciences and a critical examination of the Harry Potter books to assess the possible science behind the fantasy.

IDIS 491: Honors Seminar: Classical Political Rhetoric and American Politics: This course focuses on the development of political reasoning through the careful consideration of the original works of political theorists, including such topics as the ideal political community and "natural right".

Another Honors seminar may be added to the schedule. If you would like to view the seminar syllabi, stop by the Honors Program office.

Where Are You Planning To Live Next Fall?
Reminder, we want to know your housing requests for 2003-2004.

• Are you planning to stay in Cambridge or Westminster? Are you planning to stay in your current room? Who will be your roommate in West?
• Do you want to move into Cambridge or West for next year? Who do you want as your roommate in West?
• Do you have any room or cluster preferences?

We need your information to determine our priority list and help Residence Life allocate rooms for next year. Please email your preferences to honorsprog@frostbuerg.edu by March 10th. Housing requests are prioritized on the basis of progress toward completion of honors requirements.

Call Dr. Connelly @ #4998 if you have any questions.

MCHC PORTZ Award Competition Announced
The Maryland Collegiate Honors Council announces the 2003 Portz Awards for outstanding two-year and four-year honors students. Recipients are chosen on the basis of: GPA, quality of academic papers or projects; contributions to the honors program; and, contributions to their university or college. Each institution is allowed to nominate one student. We encouraged FSU faculty, in particular those who have taught Honors Program classes, to suggest nominees for the Portz award. Self-nominations are welcome.

Please forward suggested nominees and self-nominations by March 31 to mconnelly@frostburg.edu.

The Grand Canyon Semester: The West as Image and Reality
In the Fall semester 2003 the Grand Canyon Semester will offer students an opportunity that is interdisciplinary, theoretical and practical. Students will attend the campus of Northern Arizona University, which is in the southern Colorado Plateau canyon country. Jointly sponsored by NAU, the National Park Service at Grand Canyon National Park, the Grand Canyon Trust, and the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon Semester grew out of the National Collegiate Honors Council's 1999 Grand Canyon Honors semester. They are looking for a small group of outstanding students to join a strong and dedicated teaching faculty, including Native American leaders, to study the Grand Canyon region from the perspectives of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. The courses (15-18 credit hours) are designed to be easily transferable to home institutions.

For more information, email curtis.hinsley@nau.edu or visit www.grandcanyonsemester.nau.edu.

Online IDIS 491 - Summer 2003
This summer, the Honors Program will be offering an on-line seminar about Power and Control in American Education. The instructor will be Dr. Gary Wakefield of the Education Department. The majority of this course will be on-line with a few mandatory face-to-face meetings with the instructor. Blackboard will be used to access quizzes and readings. Chat discussions will be also be utilized in this course. Course syllabi are available through the Honors Program.

If you have further questions, please contact the Honors Program at 301-687-4998.

Fall 2003 Student Assistants Needed for ORIE 101 Sections
The Honors Program is looking for student assistants who are willing to work with the Learning Communities and other orientation sections this Fall. For the Learning Community orientation sections, preference will be given to prior learning community students.

Please call Dr. Connelly at 301 687- 4998 if interested.