Read more to see what's new  with KSU Honors College programs, students and faculty!

News & Updates from the Honors College
Plan now for spring semester!
Advising session sign-ups underway, 
Honors and DEHP students register early, October 31st 

October means small group advising in the Honors College! All University Honors and Dual Enrollment Honors Program students must attend an advising session in order to remain in good standing, get approval for their spring schedules, and ensure they are on track for completing graduation requirements. Honors students enjoy the privilege of registering a day earlier than other students, on Monday, October 31st! 
  • University Honors students on the Kennesaw campus will receive an email inviting them to register for an advising session online. Seniors will be advised first, followed by juniors, sophomores and first-year students. Questions?  Email [email protected].
  • University Honors students on the Marietta campus should contact the Marietta Honors office to arrange an advising appointment at 470-578-3931 or [email protected].  
  • Dual Enrollment Honors Program students received an email to their KSU student email accounts on Sept. 26th with a link to online advising sign-ups. Students with questions should email [email protected].
Spring term honors offerings will include honors sections of general education courses in English, history, political science, microeconomics, music, technical writing, and Calculus II.  Special topics honors seminars and colloquia will explore such topics as the marketing of Disney, stress and humor, critical inquiry, Irish literature, religion and environmental values, the roots of folktales, and global literacy. Honors offerings are posted online at honors.kennesaw.edu.  

Spring Study Abroad Experiences
The "City as Text: London" course offers an affordable study abroad opportunity over spring break for honors students on both campuses. The 3-credit interdisciplinary honors seminar, intended for sophomores and up, allows students to explore sites and topics related to their disciplines in London. All students are eligible for a $1,000 Global Learning Scholarship to help offset the cost of the course, reducing the program fee to $1,800. Interested students should contact Dr. Kami Anderson ([email protected]) on the Marietta campus or Dr. Katherine Kinnick ([email protected]) on the Kennesaw campus for more information.  Application and $300 deposit is due by Nov. 1st.  

Optional travel abroad opportunities are also available through the Roots of Folktales seminar (Dubai) and the Cultivating Global Intellect seminar (Southeast Asia).  

Honors Book Club launches
More than 40 honors students and honors faculty sank their teeth into pizza and Natasha Trethewey's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Native Guard, at the first of three Honors Book Club meetings September 21st. Demand for the book club so exceeded expectations that students were divided into three groups led by Dr. Liza Davis, Dr. Michelle Miles, and Dr. Julia Morrissey.   Left to right, Students Emma Gough, Davaisha Stukes, Amelia Jester and Honors faculty member Dr. Debra Coffey.  Natasha Trethewey, a national poet laureate, will deliver the Honors 20th Anniversary lecture, open to the campus community, on January 24th. Photo by Stacey Solomon.



Honors students cheer on the Owls
Honors students from both campuses tailgated at the Honors College tent at the September 10th football game. University Honors students  James Kammerdiener  and Collin Bledsoe gave the food and games a thumbs up. Upcoming tailgates are planned for the October 8th games against Missouri S&T and the homecoming game on October 15th against Liberty University. Students should wear their KSU Honors or DEHP t-shirt for free admission and food. Students who do not yet have a t-shirt can claim theirs at the tailgate. Look for the Honors tent in the Black Lot off Big Shanty Road. Photo by Ariel Walley.

Honors student spotlight

Honors student to compete for U.S. in World Karate Championships 
Emma Gough on the medal stand after winning two silver medals in the 2015 Pan-American Karate Championships.

Emma Gough

Emma Gough, a first-year University Honors student and former Dual Enrollment Honors Program (DEHP) student, will represent the United States at the World Traditional Karate Federation Championship in Krakow, Poland on October 14-15. She is one of nine women selected for the U.S. National Team who will compete for a world title. 

Emma first earned a spot on the U.S. team in 2014 at the age of 16. The following year, while a high school senior in DEHP at KSU, she won a gold medal at the U.S. National Tournament in a team event, followed by her biggest wins to date:  two silver medals in the 2015 Pan-American Championships in Brazil.  This year, she took home an individual bronze and team silver medal at the 2016 national championships. Kata, a choreographed form, is her strongest event.     

A 4.0 student who didn't start studying karate until she was 13 years old, Emma trains up to twelve hours per week and also works as an instructor and staff member at Jinsendo Karate in Smyrna.  "Being homeschooled was definitely a huge factor in my ability to pursue karate throughout high school," Emma said.  In her senior year, she completed four college classes through KSU's DEHP program.  "Being in DEHP allowed me to take Honors courses where I found the professors to be very generous in accommodating my travel schedule.  They worked with me to make sure I had the chance to complete the assignments that I missed due to travel," she said.

"I applied to only two colleges, KSU and Berry, and despite being offered a chance to compete for a Presidential scholarship to Berry, KSU was my college of choice from the beginning," Emma said.  "I am living in the honors residence hall and loving campus life." 

Currently undeclared, her travels for karate have led to an interest in linguistics - she's currently taking Portuguese -- and a possible major in International Business. "After my trip to Brazil for the Pan-Am tournament and making friends with people there, I became interested in the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture." Emma was also selected to participate in KSU's President's Emerging Global Scholars cohort. For now, she is focused on balancing a full-time class load with the biggest international competition of her career. Good luck at worlds, Emma!   

Honors alum pursues career path, publications in children's mental health

Jacob Allen
Jacob Allen (Honors Scholar, Psychology, Fall '14) recently learned that his honors capstone research is under final revision and review for publication in Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. The peer-reviewed journal, sponsored by the international psychology honors association, publishes empirical research by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. Jacob's capstone thesis, "Childhood Abuse and Interpersonal Problems:  Mediation Analysis of Self-Defeating Beliefs and Alcohol Consumption," focused on the relationship between childhood abuse, self-defeating beliefs, and adult interpersonal problems, including binge drinking. He conducted a multiple regression analysis with data from 171 undergraduate students, finding that self-defeating beliefs contribute to a negative cycle of problems in interpersonal relationships.   

Since graduating from KSU, Jacob completed a nine-month internship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. He worked with the Prevention Research Branch, conducting research on technology use patterns and risk of sexually transmitted infections among black and Hispanic men. He presented this research at a national STD prevention conference in September, and is first author on a manuscript that has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. 
 
Jacob is currently in his second year in the Master's of Public Health program at Georgia State University, where he is specializing in biostatistics. His master's thesis will employ geospatial mapping to provide a spatial analysis of hospital closures in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.  He currently works as a graduate research assistant with the Georgia Health Policy Center's Center of Excellence for Children's Behavioral Health. He is part of an interdisciplinary team that works with state agencies, policy-makers and other children's behavioral health stakeholders on research, policy and finance issues related to children's mental health. In addition, he began a practicum this fall with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice's Office of Behavioral Health Services, where he is focusing on research and evaluation of violence prevention programs and treatment models for incarcerated youth.
Do you have an accomplishment we can share?  Email your news and photo to [email protected].

Upcoming 20th anniversary events 

The University Honors Program celebrates a major milestone this year -- the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Honors Program -- and you are invited to the party! Events for students, honors faculty and the campus community are planned throughout the year on both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses. Students who attend an event will receive a commemorative Honors t-shirt.

Upcoming events open to all Honors and DEHP students include:
  • Honors tailgates for home games on October 8th and 15th 
  • Pumpkin Launch viewing party on October 27th (Marietta campus)
  • Gobble Jog on the Marietta Square to benefit MUST ministries
  • Team gingerbread house building competition on Dec. 1st on both campuses. 
  • Retirement reception for Dr. Liza Davis, Dec. 5th
  • Honors 20th Anniversary Lecture featuring Pulitzer Prize winning author and National Poet Laureate Natasha Tretheway, January 25th.  

See calendar of events below for more event details.

Look for more information about Honors events in email and social media! Follow us @HonorsKSU on Facebook and Twitter!
October - December Dates and Deadlines

Oct. TBD -- Mandatory Advising Sessions continue all month -- make your appointment!

Oct. 5, 3:30 p.m. -- City as Text Information Session, Kennesaw campus, Willingham Hall 226

Oct. 5 -- Last day to withdraw from a course without academic penalty

Oct. 8, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. -- Honors Tailgate, Black Lot off Big Shanty Road

Oct. 12, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. -- Specialized Scholarships Workshop:  The Marietta Student, D-101

Oct. 15, 4 - 7 p.m. -- Honors Homecoming Tailgate, Black Lot off Big Shanty Road

Oct. 18, 12:30-1:45 p.m. -- 2nd Honors Book Club meeting, various locations

Oct. 20, 3:30 p.m. -- Crafting Your Materials for Scholarship Applications Workshop,  WH 226

Oct. 27, 3:00-5:00 p.m.  -- Pumpkin Launch viewing party, field between Howell & Norton Halls,                  Marietta campus

Oct. 31 -- Registration opens for Honors and DEHP students

Nov. 1 -- Application and deposit deadline for City as Text Course

Nov. 8, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. -- Interview Skills Workshop, Willingham Hall 226, Kennesaw

Nov. 15 -- Application deadline for Global Learning Scholarship for Spring study abroad

Nov. 16, 12:30-1:45 p.m. -- 3rd Honors Book Club meeting, various locations

Nov. 24 -- Gobble Jog, Marietta Square

Dec. 1, -- Team Gingerbread House Competition. Marietta:  12:00-2 p.m., D bldg lounge;           Kennesaw:  3:30-4:45, WH Honors Lounge

Dec. 2, 11:30-1:00 p.m. -- Poster session & reception for Kennesaw campus Honors Scholar     graduates, Student Center Univ. Rooms

Dec. 5 -- Last day of classes

Dec. 5, 3:00-5:00 p.m. - Retirement Reception, Dr. Liza Davis, Leadership Room

Dec. 6, 2:00-3:30 p.m. - Poster session & reception for Marietta campus Honors Scholar graduations, location TBA

Dec. 6-12 -- Final Exams

Dec. 13 & 14 -- Graduation

 
Need a reminder?  Never miss an Honors event or deadline by signing up for Remind text messages!

Honors students can now sign up to receive text alerts about important KSU Honors news and deadlines. 

Kennesaw Honors students: text  @uhkennesaw to 81010

Marietta Honors students:  text  @uhmarietta to 81010

Dual Enrollment Honors students:  text  @2016dehp to 81010
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KSU Honors College | honors.kennesaw.edu