Welcome to the 309 new Honors students at Ferris State University! And to all the  returning students: Welcome back to the Honors Program at Ferris State University.

This is a terribly exciting year for Honors. We have a new office, a new Student Association to build, new curricular opportunities to develop, and a new advisor!

First, and most importantly: Charlie Malone will be joining the Honors Program staff as Honors Advisor on September 9th. Charlie comes to us from the University of Northern Colorado, where he has been teaching English. A creative writer by training, Charlie has also worked as a hall director at Naropa University, thus bridging the live-learn ideal for which we strive in Honors.

Charlie has a great set of ideas for Honors, and we’re thrilled to have him on board.

Second, our new offices are located in Pickell Hall.  There a conference room that will hold 14 people, which can be ‘checked out’ at the Pickell desk after

Honors Popcorn Maker

hours.  If you need to use it during normal business hours, check with Tammy or Sharon to make sure that we don’t have anything scheduled.  There is also a very nice popcorn maker and coffee maker. So if you need caffeine or sustenance (and they really are the same thing, aren’t they?), we’ve got you covered.

Third, the new ‘Honors Student Association‘ is being launched this fall. This should both unite the three existing Honors student organizations: the Peer Mentors, the Programming Board and the Endeavor; as well as provide a forum for Honors students to voice their ideas, opinions and concerns about the program.

The HSA introduces a couple of new ways to build the Honors program:

• the Academic Affairs committee will help the Director review proposals for Honors courses and nominate professors to teach Honors courses.
• the Community Engagement committee will find and promote opportunities for service in the community.
• the Honors Student Council will be the ‘umbrella’ governing body that will organize and unite all the student groups in the Honors program at Ferris.

The constitution of the HSA is available for review in the Honors student handbook— which, incidentally, is also new. You can learn more about the HSA and how to sign up by reading ‘Interested in how the Honors Program Runs? Sign up for the HSA!‘

Finally, this year we’re going to be working hard to rethink the Honors curriculum at Ferris.  We want to emphasize and encourage study abroad opportunities, as well as independent research and experiential learning (i.e. Internships and practica).

This is an exciting period of transition for us, and I think the program has all the potential in the world. So let’s get to work.