Cohen Honors College Weekly Update

Honors Community News

Honors Students Participate in Service Learning Showcase

mug Kudos to the Language and Community honors students taught by Dr. Rachel Showstack who engaged in the community this semester. Students presented project posters and reflections at the WSU Service-Learning Showcase on Wednesday, April 24th. Thanks to Student Involvement for organizing this event to highlight the great ways our students are learning through service.

Honors Students Awarded in Service-Learning Showcase
Congratulations to Honors students Sarah Myose, "Outstanding Overall Service-Learning Project" award, Lauren M Gawlak, "Community Impact in Service-Learning" award, and Jami McVay, "Collaboration and Leadership in Service-Learning" award at the Service-Learning Showcase on April 24th. We are so proud of your work to understand and give back to your communities! #moremeaningfulwork

Honors Is a Verb

Use your talents to grow strong communities and define what service means to you #meaningfulwork.

Contact Elizabeth Nguyen with questions at tenguyen@shockers.wichita.edu

Apply Now for Alternative Summer Break to Puerto Rico - All Students Welcome

Alternative Summer Break will expose WSU Students to complex social and cultural issues through community visits, experiential learning, direct service, group discussion, common readings, and reflection activities. This service-learning experience will focus on hurricane relief, environmental justice, school rebuilding and beautification projects, social change and leadership, and Puerto Rico-US relationships.

Students will travel from July 14-20, 2019 and participate in both pre-trip preparation meetings/ class sessions and post-trip activities/ class sessions. A connected service-learning honors course will be offered – open to all students traveling with the Alt Summer Break program. (Further information)

Apply to be an Honors Ambassador by April 26th

The Cohen Honors College is looking for engaging students to serve as Honors Ambassadors. As an Honors Ambassador, you will assist the Cohen Honors College at various events and activities throughout the year by interacting with prospective and current students, university faculty and staff, and alumni. Over the course of the year, you will volunteer approximately 10-15 hours in a variety of ways including mingling with students and parents at programs, serving on panels and hosting information tables.

To learn more about being an Honors Ambassador, the benefits and to submit your application, go to wichita.edu/honorsambassadors. Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Friday, April 26. If you have questions, please contact Trish Gandu at trish.gandu@wichita.edu.

Honors College Graduation Reception

You are invited to celebrate the end of the year and recognize graduates in the 2018-2019 Cohen Honors College on Friday, May 17, 2019 in the Marcus Welcome Center from 10:30am-12:00pm. Student community engagement efforts will be recognized for all Cohen Honors College students.

(Further Information)

Nominations for the Honors Faculty Mentor Award due by May 1st

The Honors College Student Council is accepting nominations from current honors students for the Faculty Mentor Award. Which professor has made your honors experience more meaningful? Let us know! Please fill out the nomination form by May 1st.

Faculty and Student Opportunities - National Collegiate Honors Council

NCHC offer opportunities for students, faculty and staff. Find honors-focused training on teaching and learning, experiential education, advising, program assessment, and so much more created by trusted professionals from the honors community.

Message from the National Collegiate Honors Council President

Dear Honors Colleagues:

I just recently returned from Pittsburgh, where I had the pleasure of attending AAC&U's annual Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference, an exciting meeting of almost 1,000 faculty, staff, administrators, and students striving to make our work in higher education more equitable and just.

[…]The conversations during this workshop were interesting, encouraging, and sometimes challenging. There remains suspicion in some quarters about honors as a place of privilege, remove, and elitism. Some attendees shared personal stories about not feeling welcome in their own honors program because of the way in which that community understood itself or conducted its business.

Read the President’s Full Message in the NCHC Newsletter

How2Heal Logo Competition and PhotoVoice Exhibit

As announced in previous updates, Honors student Ngoc Vuong has been awarded $5,000 by the Wichita Community Foundation to start his mental health initiative, How2Heal.

Now Ngoc needs your help!

How2Heal Opportunities

How2Heal is hosting a student design competition to select their logo. Learn more about submitting here.
How2Heal is a student-led initiative to change the dialogue of mental health and substance use issues through creative mediums, civic engagement, and student-led projects. One of the projects, PhotoVoice, is a way for community members to identify, express, and address their thoughts and perceptions on community issues through photography, poetry, and other forms of art. How2Heal is proud to announce it will be creating a task force to participate in and spearhead community-wide efforts to raise awareness about the various mental health and substance use issues facing our society and to spark crucial conversations about the process of finding the solutions. (Participation Information)

Honors Office Updates

Advising Appointment Protocol

To schedule an Honors Advising Appointment email Honors@wichita.edu or Jessica.Raburn@wichita.edu. If you happen to be in Hubbard Hall or nearby when a question occurs to you, please feel free to stop by to see if the Honors Academic Advisor can visit with you immediately.

Jessica Raburn

Assistant Director and Academic Advisor

The Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College