Campus departments to host activities during Honors Week

Christina Thomas

Week to celebrate academic achievement with lectures, seminars, recitals and award ceremonies

Next week’s Honors Week is opened to all students to celebrate academic achievement.

For the entire week, various departments around campus will host seminars, lectures, award ceremonies, exhibits and recitals. Almost all the events are free and open to the public.

“The idea behind this week was to celebrate academic achievement on campus,” said Vicki Bocchicchio, honors coordinator of curriculum.

The Honors College is hosting several seminars, among several other events, to help students create eye-catching resumes, conduct interviews and how to apply for graduate school.

“That is our new initiative, to try to do something to prepare students for graduate level types of experiences,” said Becky Gares, honors coordinator of advising and communication.

The event started about 20 years ago when former staff member Helga Kaplan wanted to do more to honor academic success.

“She thought that the university ought to pay attention to the artistic and scholarly side of the university as well as the athletic side and the Greek side,” she said.

Gares said the past few years haven’t had as many events as in earlier years.

“We have had some big-name speakers through the years, and the departments used to do a lot of special things during the week,” she said. “Now the problem has been that departments have been asked to do more on their own, and budgets have decreased in recent years, so it has been harder to do the activities that the university would like to see during that concentrated period of time.”

One of the well-known speakers coming to Kent State next week is Sir Fraser Stoddart, who will give his speech on Wednesday called “Chemistry and Molecular Nanotechnology in Tomorrow’s World.” Anatoly Khitrin, associate professor of chemistry, said it would be a great opportunity to go to the lectures, because it will give students a chance to listen to someone speak who thinks on a broader level.

Contact Honors College reporter Christina Thomas at [email protected].

Highlights for Honors Week: All events are free and open to the public

Monday:

Annual Research Day

Keynote address by Dr. Kathie Olsen, Deputy Director, National science Foundation

Location: Room 204, Kent Student Center

Time: 11-12, lecture

1-3 p.m., Scientific poster presentations

Honors Music Recital

Location: Ludwig Recital Hall, Music and Speech Center

Time: 8 p.m.

Tuesday:

Forum for Undergraduate Scholars and Artists

Location: 204, KSC

Time: 3-5 p.m.

Immigration and Latin America

Guest of Honor University Artist/Lecture Series

Location: 310, KSC

Time: 7 p.m.

Presenter: Marcelo Suarez-Orozco

Reception at 9 p.m., 315, KSC

An Evening with Dr. Stephen Post,

author of “Why Good Things Happen to Good People”

Location: Kiva, KSC

Time: 7 p.m.

Wednesday:

Sixth Annual Honors Week Celebration of Student Achievement

Lecturer: Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart

Location: Kiva, KSC

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: KSC Ballroom balcony

4:30 p.m., Recognition awards and scholarship ceremony with student research poster session

Thursday:

More Schools Please! Graduate School Preparation

Location: Room 55, Johnson Hall

Time: 4:30 p.m.

Do you want or need to continue for an advanced degree? Learn how to evaluate graduate school options and complete the application process.

Presenter: Manal Sakr

Friday:

Seventh Annual Raymond J. Kuhn and Shirley J. Kuhn Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

Undergraduate advisers will be recognized for the significant contributions that they have made to the Kent State University community

Location: KSC Ballroom balcony

Time: 4-5:30 p.m.

All week:

2008 Art Education Fundraising Exhibit

Location: Music and Speech Listening Center, KSC

Time: KSC hours

Exhibits are designed by current art education majors and alumni of the program.

Exhibits are free and open to the public.