News of Recent Events

Spring Graduating Seniors Recognized
Western Regional Honors Conference
Research Day 2006

Spring Graduating Seniors Recognized

Misty Anderson is congratulated by Dr. Ron Edgerton as this year’s recipient of the Becky R. Edgerton Award

After such an eventful year for the Honors community, it was finally time to celebrate the end of a fantastic year and recognize our graduating seniors and award recipients at the Spring Honors Awards Banquet. This year we invited anthropology professor Sally McBeth to be our guest speaker at the event, which was held in the Panorama room at the University Center.

Following dinner and Professor McBeth’s insightful presentation, Marie Livingston and Debra Holman shared an overview of some of the numerous accomplishments Honors had this year, including hosting the Western Regional Honors Council Conference and the formation of the Center for Honors, Scholars, and Leadership. Then it was time to announce the graduating seniors and award recipients, announcements which the students had been eagerly awaiting.

Misty Anderson was honored for her commendable thesis work with the Becky R. Edgerton Award. Bethany Harrington, Mike Bradshaw, and David Bloemker received the freshman, sophomore, and junior Academic Talent Scholarships respectively for their academic achievements, and the top Academic Talent Scholarship was jointly awarded to Shawn Brackett and Katie Goulet for their contributions to the Honors community and their outstanding academic records.

Outgoing SHC officers Shawn Brackett, Candice Walkinshaw, David Bon, David Bloemker, Katie Goulet, Rob Tait, David Zartman, and Monica Hernandez gather for a final photo op at the Honors Awards Banquet

Casey McGaughey was recognized as this year’s Volunteer of the Year for his dedication to participating in various community service projects. Finally, all of the Student Honors Council officers were recognized for their dedicated service to Honors throughout the year.

The banquet ended in high spirits as everyone was able to reflect on and enjoy the achievements that were made possible through all the hard work of Honors faculty, staff, and students.

Katie Goulet
VP of Social Affairs

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Western Regional Honors Conference

Katie Goulet is recognized by Dr. Stephen Rosenbaum, WRHC President, for having her essay, “My Anti-Necklace,” selected for inclusion in Scribendi, our regional honors journal.

In March of this year, I attended the Western Regional Honors Conference at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver with several other students from UNC’s Honors Program. This conference allowed for Honors students from all over the Western United States to meet, share research, and discuss Honors-related topics. It was also a conference sponsored and planned by UNC’s Honors Program, so it was great to be part of the host group for the event.

Over the course of a few days, we sat in on fascinating research presentations concerning various topics in virtually every subject. In the evenings, we gathered for various receptions, including the annual celebration to recognize the students whose creative works were selected for publication in Scribendi, the regional honors journal. Our own Honors Program was proud to have two winning contributors for this year’s journal: Mike Bradshaw and Katie Goulet. In our free time, we had the chance to tour the beautiful Brown Palace and its Presidential Suite. We also took some time out to explore the shops and sites of downtown Denver.

Mike Bradshaw, Monica Hernandez, Sarah Pickett, and Debbie Holman in their group presentation on “The Spirit of Service Learning.”

A particularly memorable part of the conference was the group presentation on service learning given by our own UNC students and staff.  Monica Hernandez talked about the culture of service learning at UNC and how the Honors Program encourages students to be involved in community service.  Sarah Pickett described her internship experience with the Fort Morgan Museum as a way to give back to the community, gain new knowledge and skills, and get college credit for the work done. Mike Bradshaw really drove home the value of service learning, though, when he talked about the power of one—the ability each of us has to impact others’ lives in a positive way.

This conference was an entertaining and educational experience and a great chance to meet Honors students from schools all over the country. I recommend this conference to anyone who has the chance to attend.

Katiana Jones

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Research Day 2006

This year’s Research Day took place on Thursday, April 6th. As per campus tradition, it was one of the major events in UNC’s Academic Excellence Week, and it attracted many students to present their research in public presentations or poster displays. Over 300 undergraduate and graduate students shared their research projects on a wide range of topics with campus audiences throughout the day.

Students were able to share their ongoing or completed work in the spirit of academic pursuit, and faculty, students, and others in attendance were able to choose from a variety of presentations during each scheduled session to suit their interests. Large poster sessions were also held in the morning and afternoon, making for a rich perusal of project displays in the UC ballrooms.

Research Day is coordinated annually by the University Honors Program with financial assistance from a variety of campus organizations including the Graduate School, the Graduate Student Association, Sponsored Programs and Academic Research Center, and Student Representative Council. Several campus honor societies and the Student Honors Council are also actively involved in providing on-site support for the event.

If you have never presented at Research Day, consider doing so in the future. This non-competitive forum provides a great opportunity to gain public speaking practice and to share your research firsthand. Don’t be afraid to sign up as a presenter next year if you haven’t participated already!

Katie Goulet
VP of Social Affairs

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