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Kent State University Honors College
Parents & Friends Newsletter
October 4, 2023
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Photo Above: Members of the Honors Leadership Academy for fall 2023, pose outside of the Honors College during their first days at Kent State. | |
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A Message from the Dean
Fall 2023
Dear Parents and Friends,
Fall is always an inspiring time for us, as new plans and opportunities develop and grow with the new academic year. Our large freshman class (593!) joined us with much fanfare (see convocation photo!) and ice cream (see photos of the ice cream social!) and we also welcomed back our energized sophomores, juniors and seniors! The extended summer weather has brought students outside, and it is wonderful to walk across campus and see so many students enjoying the beautiful campus.
We continue to develop our new programming, and note this year’s expansion in…
Honors Drop-In Tutoring expanded to include Biological Sciences as well as Math and Chemistry: We are pleased to offer drop-in tutoring beginning NOW in the Honors College Library and #062 Johnson Hall on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 5:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Honors Digital Leadership Academy is in its second year, and has openings for Honors students in Computer Science, Visual Communication Design, Emerging Media and Technology, as well as Computer Engineering, who are interested in a paid internship in IT this year, which will also provide Honors internship credit. For those that continue through the academic year as a successful intern, a $1,000 tuition scholarship will also be included.
Peer-to-Peer Support is Back for a Third Year! We have ten Honors Peers in training, mentored by the Counseling Program in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, who will be deployed in the residence halls and on campus this year. They are trained to listen carefully, and to help students find appropriate counseling or self care help. Each year becomes more successful as students become aware of the program, and we think this program is really making a difference!
Based on successful group events held last year, Peer-to-Peer has several ongoing initiatives and upcoming interactive events this semester including a visit to a pumpkin patch this month, a breakfast tailgate to watch a football game, and wellness and waffles events before finals. Dr. Theresa Tschannen Isabella is also returning this year as our Honors embedded CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) counselor, and will meet with Honors students in person on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this year. (Of course, all counseling services offered by the university are available to our students as well). Joint Peer-to-Peer and CAPS programming will also be offered in the college.
Academic Enrichment mini-workshops return for a Third Year! Our academic enrichment programming will be offering mini-workshop sessions on a range of useful tools and services: accessing services in the library, writing commons, and how to access tutoring in any subject through the Academic Success Center.
How You Can Support Your Student’s Well Being During the Semester
College students across the country are feeling the stress and anxiety of global and US news, of uncertainties of all kinds, and for freshmen, these concerns focus on just commonly shared worries. What are they? We asked the incoming freshmen this year what their #1 concern or fear was about starting college, and the concerns parallel last year’s freshman class - Fear of Failing, Fear of Loneliness, Stress & Anxiety, and Worries about Time Management.
These concerns are all interrelated. Time management skills are important, as students are often surprised at the workload differential between high school and freshman year, and tend to over commit to many clubs and experiences during their first year. These factors tend to increase their anxiety and stress and fear of failing. We will be working on all of these topics this fall with our students.
Please also check-in with them frequently to see how they are doing and if they are accessing the many support structures offered in the college and the university. Here are some links you may want to share with your student:
Where can I find Health and Wellness Resources?
Don’t forget about that flu shot! Students call 330-672-2322 to schedule an on-campus flu shot or visit the website for more information at Deweese Health Center.
How about Residence Hall Questions or Issues?
University Housing - Current Resident Resources
What about Commuter Students?
Kent State has a Commuter Student Organization entitled “COSO”, which stands for Commuter & Off-Campus Student Organization; view more information at www.kent.edu/coso.
Where do I go for Financial Aid Questions?
Student Financial Aid
One Stop For Student Services
Where can I find Student Services?
Student Services
Read on to learn about events and achievements in the Honors College!
With Best regards,
Alison J. Smith, Ph.D.
Honors College, Dean
Kent State University
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We're Here to Help!
Introducing Our Honors College CAPS Clinical Psychologist
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Introducing Theresa Tschannen Isabella, Ph.D., who joined Kent State University in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) in the spring of 2022 and is dedicated to serving the Honors College community.
For appointments, Honors College students may call the CAPS Office at 330-672-2487 and schedule with Theresa or any of the other available therapists. Sessions are available Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Theresa has in-person availability within the Honors College office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Visit the CAPS website for a complete overview of services available, including links for workshops, skills series and self-help resources.
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Class of 2027
Shows Their Spirit
at Convocation!
The freshman class experienced a super loud and exciting welcome to their Kent State journey at the fall 2023 convocation.
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Kent State Welcomes Freshman
Class of 2027
Honors College Admits Largest Class in History
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Pictured Above: The Honors College freshman Class of 2027, the largest incoming freshman class in the history of the college, gather for a group photo outside of the Honors College during the Welcome Events and Ice Cream Social. | | | |
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Kent State University welcomed the Honors College’s largest incoming freshman class this fall, and the students are full of ambition, drive and focus. Despite the ongoing challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on incoming college students, these Kent State students are resilient and ready to embark on their future paths.
Dean of the Honors College Alison J. Smith, Ph.D., said this year marks the largest class size of incoming honors students in the history of the college, with 593 total first-year students, in comparison with 587 students in the fall of 2022. Included in that total are 10 international students, the largest number of international students entering the college during their freshman year to date.
“The honors freshmen are in every [undergraduate] degree-granting college and in most undergraduate majors,” Smith said.
The College of Arts and Sciences attracted the most first-year honors students this year with almost 29% of the freshman class majoring in one or more of the college’s 42 majors, ranging from natural sciences and mathematics to social sciences and humanities.
The College of the Arts follows with just over 13% of incoming honors students selecting majors in visual, performing and design arts.
Read the entire story on the Honors College freshman class for fall 2023. Visit the Honors College Facebook photo album to see photos of the Honors freshman ice cream social.
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Honors College Cookies & Registration
Spring 2024 Honors Scheduling
Honors College students residing both on and off campus had the chance to grab a cookie from Insomnia Cookies and join the Honors College with conversations from the Peer-to-Peer mentors during the spring 2024 cookies and registration events. Members of Peer-to-Peer Support was available to discuss course registration questions, along with offer support to the students during this busy time in the fall semester.
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Flying Flashes Win Back-to-Back
Air Race Classic Titles
Honors College Student Part of Winning Duo in 2023 Event
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The Flying Flashes have won the 2023 Air Race Classic, claiming back-to-back titles! The team, consisting of Laura Wilson and Honors College member Peyton Turner, brought home four titles: 1st place Overall Competition Class, 1st place Overall Collegiate Challenge Award, 1st place Fastest Cessna Award, and 1st place Fastest Women in Aviation International (WAI) Team. The competition spans 4 days and includes 10 legs of flying, covering a grand total of 2,685 miles from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Homestead, Florida.
Wilson and Turner competed alongside 42 other teams, of which 18 were other collegiate competitors. Wilson is a 2022 graduate of Kent State University, and currently works as a Certified Flight Instructor at the KSU Airport. She competed in the 2022 Air Race Classic alongside fellow Kent State Alumni Alex Johnson. Wilson and Johnson won First Place Overall by less than 20 seconds in a Cessna Skyhawk 172SP.
Turner, a junior Aeronautics major and Honors College student, joined Wilson on the team this year. Wilson and Turner were selected by College of Aeronautics and Engineering faculty and staff members. Each year’s team consists of at least one experienced racer from a prior year. This year, Turner was selected from a group of 26 eligible students after submitting an application and participating in an interview.
Turner says that the Air Race Classic was “four of my life's most exhilarating, stressful, and most importantly fun days…It puts all of your skills to the test both on the ground and in the air.” Wilson says that this year’s competition posed different challenges than in 2022. “I felt more prepared going into it because I’d done it before and I knew what to expect. Additionally, the pressure was on. Not only was I a returning racer, I was the returning champion. I knew a lot of other racers would be watching me and my university closely.”
Read the full story here.
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2023 Portz Scholar
Serene (Hawes) Montgomery
The National Collegiate Honors Council has announced Kent State University Honors College graduate Serene (Hawes) Montgomery as a 2023 Portz Scholar. Montgomery is the 11th honors student from Kent State to be named a Portz Scholar since the national competition began in 1990.
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“Each year, the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) awards four Portz Prizes to undergraduate honors thesis writers in four broad academic areas, in a competition for most excellent undergraduate thesis,” Honors College Dean Alison J. Smith, Ph.D., noted. “Serene (Hawes) Montgomery receives this year’s Portz Prize in the Humanities, becoming our 11th Portz Scholar. We are so proud of Serene for her outstanding scholarship and we note the excellent advising she received from her thesis advisor, Professor Ronn Daniel, in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED).”
Read the full story.
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Honors College and Education Abroad Gave Kent State Grad Tools for Success
An Engaging and Challenging Curriculum Prepared Josh Budd for a Variety of Career Options
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After changing his major several times, Kent State graduate Josh Budd finally found his passion in the College of Education, Health and Human Services (EHHS) and in the Honors College.
His coursework in integrated social studies, as well as the Honors College curriculum, led the 2020 graduate to his current career as an instructor at Stow-Munroe Falls High School, where he teaches ninth-grade American History and 12th-grade World Geography.
“I started out as an integrated language arts major, and then I decided, ‘Well, I don't like to read, so that is a problem,’ ” said Budd, a Green, Ohio, resident. “Then I wanted to be a speech therapy major, and I did not stick to the coursework as much as I would have liked. Then I found my passion for social studies and graduated with a bachelor's degree in integrated social studies.”
Honors College ranked high when Budd was deciding whether to attend Kent State because it offered him a challenging experience through its thesis programs and its education-abroad program. Studying abroad helped him develop more empathy and connection with people of backgrounds different from his own.
Budd recommends that new students consider applying to Honors College because it fosters critical problem-solving skills and the tools to take on the challenges that they will confront once they graduate.
“If I had to describe the Honors College to somebody who's never heard of it before, I would say that it is a place that rigorously sets you up with opportunities and tools that you will need in order to become, not just a member of the Kent State University community, but also a student that actively gives back to the community,” Budd said.
Read the full story here.
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Three Honors College Members Receive Kent State Alumni Awards
One Student, Two Alumni Receive 2023 Golden Flash Awards
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Haley Dees, a junior Honors College student studying aerospace engineering, quickly embraced opportunities for leadership and involvement when she enrolled at Kent State University. Dees has been selected as a 2023 recipient of the Golden Flash Award.
In her first semester as an undergraduate student, she joined the High-Powered Rocket Team-Avionics, served as a tutor at the Academic Success Center, was inducted into the Honors Leadership Academy and helped co-found the Women in Engineering Club. Since then, she has taken on new challenges, allowing her to channel her passions for aeronautics, research, service and inclusion.
In June 2022, Dees was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to the Kent State University Board of Trustees. During her two-year term as a non-voting member of the board, she will bring the perspective of the undergraduate student body to meetings. She also serves as a student representative on the gender subcommittee of the KSU Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Taskforce.
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Isobel Day, May of 2023 Honors College alum, received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and has been announced as a 2023 recipient of the Golden Flash Award. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in ethics, peace and human rights at American University.
During her time at Kent State, Day served as vice chair of governmental affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), as well as the political science department's undergraduate student representative.
Day served as the Newman Civic Fellow, where she worked to better connect the university with the Kent community by engaging community organizations and leaders. She conducted research on period poverty, which refers to the lack of access to over-the-counter menstrual products for women in need. She then brought together Kent State’s Community Engaged Learning, Women's Center and USG and collaborated with various community partners to run a menstrual product drive for Kent City Schools.
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Avery Hall, May of 2023 Honors College alum, received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and has been announced as a 2023 recipient of the Golden Flash Award. She has recently taken the LSAT and is planning to attend law school next fall.
Hall was very involved with student advocacy at Kent State, using her voice to encourage other students to do the same. As chair of the May 4 Task Force, she was provided the opportunity to write and present a speech as the highlighted speaker of the 53rd May 4 Commemoration. Her powerful speech called upon students to make themselves heard, as they have far more power than they often believe.
Hall was a member of the Undergraduate Student Government programming board, the Relay for Life committee, a community partner advocate for Community Engaged Learning, a Democratic Fellow for the Campus Votes Project, an intern at the School of Communication Studies, the membership community chair for Kent Student Ambassadors, the Vice President of Lambda Pi Eta and chair of the May 4 Task Force.
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Blue, Gold and Green:
Mental Health Campaign at Kent State
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The second Annual Mental Health Awareness Month at Kent State University will have a unique campaign this fall.
Nationally, Mental Health Awareness Month is in May. However, since most people leave campus after a week, Kent State took Mental Illness Awareness Week, which happens in the first week of October, and extended it to an entire month.
“This is a time where we notice a peak in the utilization and request for our mental health resources,” said Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Kent State University. “We thought we would take advantage of that.”
Drummer-Ferrell oversees the Advocacy, Support, and Well-being pillar within the Division of Student Life, which includes offices, centers, services, resources, and initiatives focused on student wellness. She also has been leading the university’s efforts around mental health.
Kent State’s Mental Health Resources and Support website had a soft launch in the spring of 2023.
“We wanted the website out as soon as possible. Just like in the fall, October is a peak [for the utilization and request of mental health resources]. In the spring, March is a peak,” Drummer-Ferrell said. “We wanted to make sure to get the information out when there are a lot of students, faculty, and staff who need to be reminded of those resources.”
The website has resources for anyone who needs direct support or wants to learn more about mental health.
The Mental Health Campaign will bring attention to the website and have large- and small-scale campaign deliverables across the entire eight-campus system. It will officially launch on October 9 after students return from Fall Break.
A Mental Health Campaign Kickoff event will happen on October 10, which is also World Mental Health Day. Kier Gaines, licensed therapist and mental health advocate, is the event’s featured speaker, which will be live-streamed and open to the university community.
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Freshman Honors Colloquium:
Quotes of Inspiration and Color Across Campus
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Follow us on our social media accounts for information on
events, programming and reminders!
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