Friday, November 03, 2017

UNCW Honors College faculty and students will be heading to Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 8-12 to take part in the annual National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. Students and faculty from honors programs and colleges across the world will learn best practices and explore the role honors students can serve in addressing issues of access, equity and technology in education.

“The best thing about this conference is that it puts honors students front and center, talking about their research, their successes and their growth as students and scholars,” said Paul Townend, associate vice chancellor and dean for undergraduate studies. “This kind of networking and collaboration with others across our region is crucial. I am looking forward to a great conference.”

UNCW Honors College faculty including Kate Bruce, Jennifer Horan and Nathan Grove will present their research, act as panel chairs and serve as judges during student poster sessions at the 52nd NCHC Annual Conference. Bruce, a past president of the NCHC, will lead the NCHC signature workshop “Beginning in Honors,” an orientation for new leaders of honors colleges and programs. Former Honors Associate Director Bill Atwill will also chair a panel on the NCHC experiential learning program Partners in the National Parks.

“We have been attending this conference since at least 1995,” said Bruce, UNCW Honors College director. “With nearly 900 institutional members, the National Collegiate Honors Council is the leading professional association for those who provide college-level honors education. UNCW honors students will be able to discuss research topics with students and faculty from universities from around the world.”

Two UNCW honors students will also be active participants at the conference. Junior Sarah Bischoff will assist Bruce and Horan in their role as panel chairs, and senior Caroline Orth will present her honors project, “Visual, Concrete, Collage and Comics Poetry as Contemporary Feminist Poetics.” A key focus of UNCW’s Strategic Plan is providing students with challenging academic opportunities and applied learning experiences.

“The Honors College at UNCW is growing and thriving, and we are involving this year’s 156 freshmen in a variety of programs in addition to their academics,” said Bruce. “This conference is a great opportunity for faculty and students to continue to develop their skills and make meaningful professional connections." 

-- Christina Schechtman

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