Category: Awards

Awards and accolades given to graduating seniors at Honors College Senior Recognition Ceremony

5/4/2017

By Kayla D'Alessandro

In the Student Center Ballroom, on April 26, 2017, the second ever Honors College Student Recognition Ceremony took place. The night began at 6 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, where students to be recognized and their guests socialized for an hour until 7 p.m., when the ceremony began. I spoke with Katherine Emberton, a graduating English education major before people started to take their seats. Emberton and her guest were happy that the ceremony gives recognition to all of the hard work the seniors have done through their undergraduate career. When asked what her stand-out experience at the Honors College was, she told me the colloquium on Planet of the Apes, taught by Jason Powell, was her favorite. The ceremony honored students receiving special awards the following awards:

Provost Prize for Outstanding Senior
Joe and Carol Trimmer Awards for Outstanding Senior Honors Thesis or Project
Academic Honors in Writing
C. Warren Vander Hill Award
Medallion Honors
Peer Mentors
International Scholarships

After these accolades were handed out, red and white rope cords were presented to every Honors College senior graduating in May, December, and June. All-in-all, it was a night for guests to see what their loved ones have achieved over the past four years.

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Graduating seniors honored at the first ever Honors College Senior Recognition Ceremony

4/28/2016

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On April 26, the Honors College hosted its first-ever Honors College Senior Recognition Ceremony. The event was created to replace the former all-campus senior recognition ceremony, which was discontinued this year.

By Olivia Power

Student Honors Council officers greeted graduating seniors, their families, professors, mentors, and thesis advisors alike at the doors of the Student Center Ballroom at the first ever Honors College Senior Recognition Ceremony on April 26.

The ceremony honored the 150 graduating seniors, provided them with their red and white Honors College cords worn at commencement, and recognized various scholarship award-winners and academic honorees.

Secretary to the Dean Coralee Young said that she planned the event in response to the university discontinuing the campus-wide senior recognition ceremony.

“They always had a big event in Worthen for all the graduates, and they outgrew the space. So then it would have been a matter of the students coming to pick up their cords and awards on their own, and Dr. Reubel wasn’t going to have that,” Young said. “We just wanted it to be very special for [the seniors].”

The event began with a dessert bar and mingling. The relaxed atmosphere, complete with live piano music, lasted for an hour before the ceremony itself began at 7:30. The ceremony opened with Associate Dean of the Honors College John Emert delivering a note from Dean James Ruebel, who was unable to attend the event. Ball State’s acting President Terry King then delivered welcoming remarks.

Then, the awards and honors began. The first awards presented were the Joe and Carroll Trimmer Awards for Outstanding Senior Projects. There are two winners annually of this award: one winner for research and one for a creative project. The two respective winners, senior Ally Garrett and senior Gabbi Boyd, were recognized and given the opportunity to inform the audience about their senior honors theses.

Dr. Emert and Student Honors Council President Valerie Weingart then presented all of the graduates with their red and white cords. Every student’s name was read, and those who were present walked across the stage in a fashion reminiscent of a graduation or commencement ceremony.

Next, the 2016 Provost’s Prize was presented to Honors senior Shay Stewart. The Provost’s Prize goes to one student, not necessarily from the Honors College, every year, and requires a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, a resume, 2 letters of recommendation, and a personal statement.

Director of National and International Scholarships Barb Stedman recognized the recipients of national and international scholarships, of which there were 7. Professor Laurie Lindberg recognized the three integrated studies majors who worked with the Honors College to create their own distinctive area of study, which must be a combination of at least two departments or disciplines.

Finally, academic honors were presented. Students receiving cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude were asked to stand, and Lindberg and Professor Berg recognized the students with departmental honors and academic honors in writing.
Graduating senior Jessica Benz, a human resources management major, said that she enjoyed the ceremony, but didn’t know it was its first year.

Another appreciative graduating senior, psychology major Megan Schott, had some ideas for ways to tweak the ceremony in the future.

“I don’t know if I would have everyone walk across the stage to get their cords, because that took a while,” Schott said. “I liked the scholarship winners and academic honor[ees] more, because you got to hear more about people, and not just their names.”

Commencement this year will take place on May 7, where the 150 Honors College graduates will proudly walk across the steps at the David Owsley art museum, adorned with their white and red cords symbolizing their four years of hard work, critical thinking, completion of a senior thesis, and many memories along the way.

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Cultural Vistas Fellowship Winners Q&A

3/26/2015

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Each year, 12 students nationwide are selected to receive a Culture Vistas Fellowship for a two-month internship. This year, two Ball State Honors College students have been selected for the award. Each of them will be heading to India this summer.

Megan Bradford

Haley Carrol

How did you hear about and decide to apply for a Cultural Vistas Fellowship?
Megan: I heard about the fellowship because one of my friends, Denise Blankenberger, was a recipient of the fellowship last summer. I decided to apply because I can't picture a more perfect experience. Theses kind of opportunities are the ones you can't pass up on. I was absolutely delighted to even be a part of the fun application process experience I had. Now I am looking forward to the journey with the fellowship!

Haley: I am pretty sure that the first time I heard about Cultural Vistas was from the amazing Barb Stedman. After I was told about the fellowship I looked it up and after spending about six minutes on the site I instantly decided that I wanted to apply. In that amount of time I grasped that this fellowship had a few components that I was extremely interested in. First was the theme of the fellowship, which was “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, and with my dream being to do PR for renewable energy companies and I thought that the theme was tremendously applicable. Next, with the fellowship I would be able to be immersed in a new culture and be able to gain internship experience abroad in a country where exciting, large-scale changes are taking place in the renewable energy section. It was a remarkable opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up.

How do you feel about the country to which you're headed?
Megan: I am really excited about the host country being India. I have had the joy of hearing stories from friends about their experience being there with family. It’s been a goal of mine, and now I’m finally getting the opportunity. India is such a beautiful, colorful world of culture and I am excited to see it firsthand. I have also been looking into informal settlements recently. I am excited to have an opportunity to see the contrasting styles of life so close to each other and hear about what it’s like in each one. Just being able to see and hear about the lives people live in India will be amazing.

Haley: I am very excited to be traveling to the country of India and spending two months in the city of Bangalore. Getting the chance to travel has always excited me and now that I know that the majority of my summer will be spent abroad in India I am thrilled. Thinking about everything from the food to the the city atmosphere to the new cultural experience makes my heart beat a little faster but in the best way possible. My goal for the trip is to have an open mind and be willing to accept new experiences and truly experience what it means to live and work in India.

What does it feel like to be one of only 12 winners nationwide?
Megan: An opportunity like this is thrilling. The idea of being one in 12 nationwide is a great honor. It encourages me to be confident in what I can do, but it also gives me drive to make the most of the experience because only a small group of people are getting this opportunity.

Haley: I am extremely honored to be one of the winners this year! I am thankful for the rare and extraordinary opportunity to be in India this summer getting the chance to see my many passions come together on a global stage. I knew that it was going to be a competitive process but I told myself that someone has to win so why not me? In many respects I think life can be too short and I always try to take advantage of every opportunity that I have and this fellowship is no different. When I found out that another one of the winners was a student from Ball State I was stunned and so excited. I am overjoyed to be traveling with Megan to Bangalore and getting the opportunity to celebrate, talk, and freak out with another Ball State student and friend before the big trip.

What do you plan to do while on the internship? How do you think it will change you?
Megan: I am, of course, looking forward to professional experience, especially in another country. Mostly, though, I am excited to meet people. Being able to be a listener in a world so different from my own will open up my mind to so many new ways of thinking. I expect it will change the way I think about things and handle even the smallest day to day experiences.

Haley: In Bangalore I plan on interning at a renewable energy company. I hope to gain insights into the renewable energy world and especially how renewable energy impacts other countries. I am particularly looking forward to observing what tactics and modes of communication are successful for promoting renewable energy in India and which are not. I think I will learn more than I can image right now. I will learn how to work with people half way around the world and with a culture that is much different than my own. Even though there will be differences, I am excited to learn as much as I can and bring back my two months worth of knowledge and experience that will make me a better student and person.

Is there anything else you want to let people know about the experience or the application process?
Megan: Something this experience has already instilled in me before I leave is this: If you really want something, go ahead and try. Go into it thinking you can, and be sure to give it your best. Understand what you gain from each step of getting there so you are ready to handle whatever the ending is. Find people to help you. Trust me there are plenty out there, and they can make a big impact. Then go out there and chase after what makes you excited.

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Vanderhill Award Nominations

1/24/2015

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by Ellie Fawcett

Nominations are now being accepted for the Vanderhill Award for most outstanding Honors professor.

Each year, hundreds of Honors students participate in classes that that amaze, inspire, or change them. The Vanderhill Award is given to one outstanding Honors faculty member each year. Students nominate the candidates for the award, and a student committee determines the recipient of the award.

“Because teaching Honors is so distinctive and different from the way most faculty are trained to teach, faculty are able to develop their skills in ways that are only possible elsewhere with great difficulty. The winners also get the opportunity to attend the next annual meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council, to meet others engaged in similar kinds of professional development,” Dr. James Ruebel, Honors College dean, said.

Honors faculty come from many departments on campus. Ruebel said that recognizing professor’s outstanding achievements is important not only to the Honors College but also to the professor’s home department. The professors themselves can see recognition of their achievement in the Honors House where there is a plaque that bears the names of past recipients.

Students who have taken an Honors class with a professor they think deserves recognition may pick up a nomination form from the front desk of the Honors House or DeHority. The form is also available online here. Nominations are due by Friday, February 6.

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Students and Faculty Present at NCHC

12/2/2014

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by Ellie Fawcett
photos by Carson Weingart, former Student Honors Council President

The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is a group whose mission is "to support and enhance the community of educational institutions, professionals, and students who participate in collegiate Honors education around the world."

NCHC holds an annual conference where ideas are exchanged. The conference is held over a weekend, and includes poster sessions and roundtable discussion sessions.

This year, seven Ball State Honors students, three honors faculty members, and both Honors college deans attended to present on topics related to Honors life at Ball State. The conference was held in Denver, Colorado.

Rebecca Jackson won an award for her poster presentation: "Poetry and Prose Composed with Code and Mathematical Notation."