Loading

Honors College February 2022 Newsletter

Honors welcomes new staff!

We would like to welcome Donna Garber (left) and Dr. Felix Wang (right) to our team.

We are very excited to welcome two new members to the Honors College team. Dr. Felix Wang has joined Honors as the Assistant Dean focusing on International Awareness and Study Abroad Experiences. Dr. Wang has a long career at JMU spending close to twenty years in the Center for Global Engagement! We look forward to welcome Dr. Wang to our team.

Donna Garber, M.A, Ed.S. will be joining the Honors College as an Academic Advisor. Employed at JMU since 2007, Donna first advised Independent Scholars students and most recently served as an advisor in the College of Business. Donna is excited to join the Honors team and help our students with a successful pathway to becoming an Honors Scholar.

Honors Earns National Award

The Honors College placed third in the NCHC (National Collegiate Honors Council) Newsletter Contest. This was the first entry for the College and a great accomplishment for members of the Communication Committee. The Honors College particularly is appreciative of the efforts of Kenya Balser (’23), Student Content Creator, in securing this recognition. Members of the Honors team traveled to Orlando, FL in October of 2021 to attend the annual conference and presented on a multitude of topics including:

  • Best Practices for Social Media in Higher Education: Tammy Steele, Kenya Balser and Dr. Alysia Davis
  • Honors Student Ambassadors: Thriving in the Time of COVID-19: Dr. Alysia Davis
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Honors Programs and Colleges: Approaches to Anti-Racism in Honors, an Open Discussion: Dr. Fawn-Amber Montoya

SAVE THE DATE for JMU Giving Day!

JMU will be participating in Giving Day on February 22, 2022! Join us in making a difference in the lives of our students. Your donations will assist with experiential learning opportunities through study abroad, internships, and conference travel. You can also help by becoming an Ambassador to share our student stories and spread the message about Giving Day. Join now as an Honors College Ambassador.

Watch this video from student Mya Baptiste, '22 to hear how she has used scholarship funds to help in her educational and experiential learning opportunities! Save the date and we'll see you on February 22. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) for more student stories. Go Dukes!

Join us for Giving Day Happy Hours

We will be hosting a virtual and in-person Giving Day Happy Hours around Virginia for Honors alumni to connect and celebrate the successes of the day. We welcome all alumni to participate in person and/or virtually. Event details for all events on February 22 are listed below. Take a few photos and tag us #jmuhonorsalumni!

  • Harrisonburg, VA: Capital Ale House (5-6 pm), hosted by Chris Gothard ('19), Hillcrest Club Advisor President
  • Charlottesville, VA: Fitzroy (5-6 pm), hosted by Raquel Suarez ('15M), Honors Advisory Council Member
  • Richmond, VA: Brambly Place (5-6 pm), hosted by Mary Beth McIntire ('86), Stephanie Ford ('92) and Will Cassell ('97), Honors Advisory Council Members
  • Virtual Happy Hour: Hosted by Tomalei Vess (7-8 pm), Honors Advisory Council Member
  • REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

A Return to Study Abroad

Dr. Felix Wang and Honors students experiencing the geology of Puerto Rico during their January visit.

Dr. Ángel Garcia (Geology) and Dr. Felix Wang (Honors College) led a group of JMU student to Puerto Rico for a winter session study abroad program entitled: “Cuevas del Caribe: Understanding Puerto Rico Caves and Culture Through Geotourism.” During the visit, students explored different caverns and learned about relationships and cultural aspects that connect the caves and surrounding communities throughout history. As part of the project, students documented and developed profiles for each of the caverns in the following categories: geological scenarios of caverns, geo tourism models, cultural elements associated with caverns, and intersections between culture and caverns though the lens of geotourism.

During spring break students will travel with Dr. Wang to the Dominican Republic as part of the spring Global Studies seminar: “Global Citizenship in a Service-Learning Context.” During the trip, students will have the opportunity to explore Dominican culture and society through service work and excursions. This particular seminar is in partnership with the Centennial Scholars Program. Honors students and Centennial Scholars will be able to share and learn from their unique perspectives and experiences.

2022 Medallion Ceremony

The Honors College is excited to announce that the May 2022 Medallion Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 12 from 1-3 pm in the Festival Ballroom. A reception will immediately follow in the Lower Festival Drum. Learn more about the event on the Honors College Medallion Ceremony website.

This will be a ticketed event. Each student will receive six tickets. Additional tickets may become available as registrations are finalized. More details on ticketing and event logistics will be emailed to students in April.

We look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with our Class of 2022 graduates. Go Dukes!

Participate in our Photo Contest!

Calling all photographers! Submit your best travel photos to honors@jmu.edu no later than February 25 to be in the running to win Honors College prizes and bragging rights!! Voting will open the week of February 28, with the winner to be announced on March 7 through our social media channels. We can't wait to see all your beautiful travel photos!

Spring Events

The Honors College has a busy spring scheduled with many engagement opportunities. Already in February, Honors hosted a fun game night event featuring guest speaker Kevin Bertram, founder of Fort Circle Games. More than 40 student attendees had a great conversation about board game development, enjoyed snacks and a great time in open board and card game play. Additionally, a group of students will be traveling to Massanutten Resort next week for snow tubing fun. We are also hosting an entire month of Honors student connection events including a bagel breakfast, sweet treats on Valentine's Day, cookie grab-n-go at Shenandoah Hall, and much more!

In March Dr. Felix Wang will take a group of students to experience a behind-the-scenes tour of Grand Caverns. We also have a virtual speaker lined up, March Madness fun planned in conjunction with our Madison Honors Leadership Council, and an experiential learning trip planned to historic Morven Park in Leesburg, VA. We look forward to an entire semester of great engagement inside and outside the classroom!

Stay connected with our Social Media!