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UW Honors Students Study with Former Inmates, Break Stereotypes

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Questioning stereotypes is an important part of the college experience, as UW Honors students learned yet again by attending classes with former prison inmates.

Below is the latest in our series of campus news articles that speak to the influence that honors students and programs have on their universities and larger communities. Previously, we published another story about students in the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College who attended classes in prison with inmates who wanted to pursue higher education.

This post is an excerpt of an article by Catherine O’Donnell, who writes for the University of Washington News and Information service.

When Dolphy Jordan was 16, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison for first-degree murder, and served 21. He spent much of it in a six-by-nine-foot cell because that was the usual space for an inmate.

When discharged two years ago, Jordan was hungry for education.

During winter quarter, Jordan and other former inmates like him were in a class with people equally hungry for education: honors students at the UW.

And now the group, 10 former prisoners and eight honors students, has become the Post-Prison Community Collaboration Project. As part of its work, the group in April put on “People with Convictions,” an evening in Kane Hall featuring a discussion of prison life, a dramatic presentation and a dance performance that includes former prisoners.

“The Post-Prison class grew out of jury duty that became a life-changing event,” said Claudia Jensen, a UW affiliate professor who specializes in Russian music but ran the class as part of the Honors program.

Things started in February 2011, when Jensen’s husband, Brad Clem, was a juror in a case of three young men charged in a drug deal that included assault. He and Jensen were struck by the disparities between the young men and their own children who were about the same age but had had many more opportunities. This led Clem and Jensen to a post-trial conversation with defense attorney James Bible, and eventually to the Post-Prison Education Program, where they now volunteer as tutors.

The program helps former inmates with post-secondary education, and includes wraparound services – help with things like books, rent, groceries and child care.

Jensen, 57, taught her first honors course in spring 2011. She was struck by similarities between those students and the ones in the Post-Prison Program: “They want to get every drop out of their education. Everything I assign, they read; everything I ask, they do.”

Jensen suggested the post-prison class to Julie Villegas, associate director of the UW Honors
Program, and Rachel Vaughn, now director of the UW’s Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center, who supported and helped plan it.

Lizzie Reid, 47, is a member of the Post-Prison class and its resulting collaborative. She served three sentences, a total of almost five years, on drug charges. Reid is now in her fourth semester at Green River Community College in Auburn. She’s nailed a 4.0 average each semester, aiming for the University of Washington, a law degree and a career as a public interest attorney.
In a series of reflections for the class, Reid wrote that the grades “helped me to have more faith in myself, and to begin believing that things could truly be different.”

Jensen and the students recently submitted a 13-page summary of the Post-Prison class to the Harvard Educational Review for an upcoming book on the school-to-prison pipeline. Reid contributed an essay about how an abusive childhood made her lose interest in education. It grew out of one of her reflections.

Having availed himself of the Post-Prison Education Program, 39-year-old Jordan attends South Seattle Community College, aiming for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a career helping kids at risk.

“I’ll be able to relate to kids,” he said. “Convey my experience so as to prevent them from making the same mistakes I did.” Meantime, Jordan works part-time as volunteer coordinator for the Post-Prison Education Program.

Both UW and Post-Prison students realized they have the same dreams about education making their lives rich and good. They also got rid of stereotypes. Some honors students were wary of associating with people who had served time but wound up organizing such things as a girls’ night out, not part of the class but rather, on their own. The former prisoners had wondered whether they’d be accepted, whether they’d fit in college. “But I found that I could fit. I did,” said 42-year-old Gina McConnell.

Ben Horst, a 20-year-old UW honors student, wrote about things he didn’t expect: “We both came here to learn, we wind up teaching each other more than we ever thought possible. We shattered stereotypes from the moment we sat down.”

UMass Honors Student Works Against Quake Damage in China

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In our continuing series that shows how honors students influence their universities and beyond, we include the following from UMass Amherst. The story shows the importance of undergraduate research programs, such as the research assistantships offered at UMass.

“The 2008 Sichuan earthquake was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since 1976. It had a magnitude of 7.9. On May 12, 2008, during the quake’s two-minute long main tremor, nearly 80% of the buildings in Wenchuan County were destroyed. Hardest hit were the poorer, rural villages where many of the buildings were constructed before the 1976 Tangshan earthquake when seismic design codes were introduced. Six months after the earthquake, the central government announced that it would spend $146.5 billion USD over a three-year period to rebuild the areas affected.

“Civil engineering major Zhiren Zhu ’13, who calls both Amherst and Beijing home, cites this earthquake as the primary motivation for pursuing his field of study. He recalls watching news reports and noticing that although thousands of school buildings and hospitals had collapsed, structurally strong government office buildings were left standing. He explains,”Strong structures can be created, but they were not affordable. Thus, I wished to create a smarter structural system that can be applied to every ordinary house around the world and save more lives from natural disasters.” He aspires to create safe, sustainable, and affordable structural systems built to withstand inevitable natural disasters.

“Noting the poor structural integrity of schools and hospitals and the severe geological and hydrological problems caused by construction of dams on the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, Zhiren says, “…society wants to see rapid development of infrastructures, [and] engineers often sacrifice safety and sustainability.” Structures are being built, he observes, but not necessarily designed. In the hope to someday address these problems and similar ones all over the world, Zhiren chose to attend UMass Amherst and enter Commonwealth Honors College.

“Although intrigued by structural engineering, Zhiren also has a genuine interest in the fields of environmental and water resources engineering and enthusiastically welcomes opportunities that require him to apply his knowledge to real-life situations. The chance to complete a Commonwealth Honors College Research Assistant Fellowship that combines his interests in engineering and the environment has truly been integrative, challenging, and rewarding for Zhiren.

“Attending a research university and completing a rigorous honors curriculum is not simply a résumé-builder for this ambitious student, passionate musician, and dedicated international student orientation leader. Having lived in Japan, Norway and China as well as the United States growing up, Zhiren was constantly adapting to new environments. Now, in his own way, Zhiren is contributing directly to the community where he lives and studies.

“Zhiren applied for and was awarded a $1,000 Research Assistant Fellowship to study wastewater treatment under the guidance of Professor Chul Park for a project called, “The Development of New Wastewater Treatment Technology for Reduction of Sludge and Nutrients.” Zhiren is part of a research team that plans to present a pilot-scale demonstration of improved wastewater treatment technology to officials at the Amherst Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“Disposal of sludge generated during wastewater treatment most often occurs through incineration or ocean-dumping, methods which can lead to ocean water contamination, air pollution, and global warming. Zhiren Zhu and Professor Park agree that currently there are few alternatives for basic methods of sludge treatment. Together, they are developing a new process that has been shown to reduce sludge generation and remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

“Zhiren explains, ‘Since interactions between microorganisms are the most natural and sustainable means of nutrient removal, we would like to use algae instead of chemicals to achieve our goal” and believes that now is the time for “engineers to consciously emulate nature’s genius and treat nature as our mentor.’

“With growing global concerns over the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and resource competition, students like Zhiren Zhu advance basic infrastructures to improve the environment and life quality of human beings. He admits, ‘Civil engineers may not be able to create iPhones or rockets, but we can still influence people’s lives by providing better quality water, safer traffic systems, stronger buildings and a cleaner environment.’

“Zhiren’s parents are both university professors in China and he predicts that he will follow in their footsteps and become a professor himself someday. ‘I simply can’t imagine a life without school,’ he says. “It just feels perfect to learn something every day and get to understand the world better.’

Florida, Penn State, UT Austin, Clemson, and Missouri Lead in Career Services

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According to the Princeton Review, four of the 50 universities we currently follow on this site are among the top 20 in the country when it comes to providing career counseling and placement assistance to new graduates.

The University of Florida ranks number one in the nation in this category, among all major universities, public and private.

Here is the list of the top 20:

1. University of Florida
2. Northeastern University
3. Penn State University
4. University of Texas at Austin
5. Barnard College
6. Claremont McKenna College
7. Rochester Institute of Technology
8. Bentley University
9. Clemson University
10. University of Richmond
11. Missouri University of Science and Technology
12. Spelman College
13. Yale University
14. Cornell University
15. Lafayette University
16. University of Missouri
17. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
18. American University
19. Southern Methodist University
20. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Iowa State Student Wins Udall Scholarship–and Hits Students Where They Live

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The contributions of honors students to their universities are certainly recognized by honors professionals, but the contributions often cited are increased average test scores, more awards–such as the Udall Scholarship for undergraduates–and higher graduation rates.

Well, Iowa State Honors student Casey Fangmann clearly qualifies, but the interesting thing about Casey is that his contributions to the university are not only directly related to the Udall award he earned this year but also literally hit his fellow students where they live. See the story below by ISU writer Jessica Miller:

By Jessica Miller
May 1, 2012

AMES, Iowa — An Iowa State University student has been named a 2012 Udall Scholar by the Udall Foundation. Casey Fangmann, a senior in industrial engineering from Toddville (formerly of Cedar Rapids), is one of 80 students in the nation to win the prestigious scholarship. The award was announced by the University Honors Program, which coordinates nominations and applications.

Fangmann is well known at Iowa State for his work with The GreenHouse Group, which created a recycling program for the university’s residence halls. During his term as president (2009-10), The GreenHouse Group won the Governor’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Award with ISU Dining, ISU Department of Residence and Facilities, Planning and Management) and the ISU Live Green! Award.

A member of the University Honors Program, Fangmann won the Lockheed Martin Corp. Award, an Iowa State College of Engineering award for engineering excellence, and the engineering college’s Building a World of Difference Renewable Energy Scholarship, which is sponsored by Black & Veatch. And he received Iowa State’s award for top student leaders on campus, the Student Affairs Outstanding Challenger Award. He was one of the top five candidates for America’s Next Eco-Star Competition.

Established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation awards scholarships to undergraduate students who show promise of making significant contributions — through scientific advances, service or community action — to environmental, natural resource or Native American issues.

Scholars are selected for their participation in campus activities, research or service. Fangmann was selected from a field of 585 candidates nominated by 274 universities and colleges throughout the United States. Only about 15 percent of those nominated are named Udall Scholars.

“Students chosen for this highly selective scholarship will move into a broad range of environmentally related careers in law, regulation, policy, conservation and research,” said Dana Schumacher, an assistant director of the University Honors Program.

As president of The Green Umbrella — a student organization that serves as voice of sustainability at Iowa State — Fangmann coordinated 40 campus and community sustainability events for the 40th anniversary of Earth Week in 2010.

“My career goal is to infuse sustainable practices into industrial settings by identifying the environmental and financial benefits associated with process improvement opportunities,” Fangmann wrote in his application. “I aspire to motivate the next generation of managers in industry to develop a culture that embraces sustainability as a key element in the business model.”

Fangmann has interned three summers with Rockwell-Collins in Cedar Rapids, most recentlyworking with its Global Sustainability Team.

The 2012 Udall Scholars will assemble in August in Tucson, Ariz., to receive their awards and meet policymakers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care and governance. Each Udall Scholar receives a scholarship of up to $5,000.

Hertz Awards 2012 Go to “Gifted Young Leaders” in Science, Engineering

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The Hertz Awards are surely among the most prestigious academic awards that a student can earn: only 15 are awarded each year, chosen from 600 highly-qualified applicants, and the awards have a five-year monetary value of $250,000.

The Hertz Foundation says that its fellowships for “gifted young leaders” are “considered to be the nation’s most generous support for graduate education in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences,” and you can, so to speak, take that to the bank.

Fellows have the freedom to innovate in their doctoral studies without university or research restrictions. “The Hertz Foundation nurtures these remarkable scientists and engineers as they develop and explore their genius,” said Foundation President Dr. Jay Davis. “We help genius find itself.”

The Livermore, California Foundation says that for “nearly a half century, the Hertz Foundation has fostered the scientific and engineering strength of the nation by finding the best and brightest from those disciplines. During the past decade, there has been a major shift of the candidates towards those who apply physical and computational tools to the problems of biomedicine and health.”

The Foundation noted that at least 30 students were worthy of the awards, but funding required keeping the total actually awarded to 15. The Foundation plans to extend its fund-raising efforts to provide additional support.

Included in this 50th cadre of Hertz Fellows (2012) are six students from public universities, including four from the universities whose honors programs we follow. Three of these are present or former students in honors programs: Anjali Datta, University of Texas Plan II-Engineering Program; Grant Newton Remmen, University of Minnesota Honors Program; and Yun William Yu, General and Departmental Honors, Indiana University. Kelly Dare Moynihan is a Distinguished College Scholar in Engineering at the University of Texas.

The cadre for 2011 included students from Georgia Tech, the University of Kansas, and the University of Wisconsin.

Here is the complete list of 2012 winners:

Cheri Marie Ackerman, Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley
Nicholas Ranieri Boyd, Computer Science University of California, Berkeley
Allen Yuyin Chen, Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anjali Datta, Electrical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
Arvind Kannan, Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology
Brian Lawrence, Mathematics ,California Institute of Technology
Max Nathan Mankin, Chemistry, Harvard University
Kelly Dare Moynihan, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas
Austin Vyas Ramanan, Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grant Newton Remmen, Physics/Astrophysics, University of Minnesota
Jonathan Robert Russell, Biotechnology, Harvard University
Jacob Noah Steinhardt Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
James Ryan Valcourt, Quantitative Biology/Bio-Engineering, Princeton University
Christian T. Wentz, Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yun William Yu Applied Mathematics Indiana University, Bloomington

UNC Chapel Hill Honors Theses: A Big Plus for Careers

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However much we dislike college rankings that equate quality with “outcomes” such as the highest salaries or mention in Who’s Who, practical considerations are a major part of almost every student’s plans.

The story below by Dana Blohm of the Daily Tar Heel describes how students writing senior honors theses at UNC Chapel Hill have their eyes on research and on the future.

By Dana Blohm
April 11, 2012

Abby Lewis spent her summer doing research for her honors thesis. But instead of heading to Wilson Library, she went to Paris.

While it might be an unconventional way to research for the extensive project, the senior said she was able to analyze unpublished French memoirs, reaching past what she would have been able to accomplish just at UNC.

“To go abroad by myself was challenging, but it was rewarding to have that experience,” she said.

About 340 seniors chose to write honors theses this year, with the most coming from the psychology department, said Jessie DeHainaut, program assistant for Honors Carolina.

In recent weeks, students have been presenting their final theses and defending them against panels.

Senior economics major Jamie Isetts said students must be passionate about their topics to complete the challenging process.

“The most difficult part was realizing how to balance what you wanted to do and what I was able to do with the resources I had,” Isetts said.

Several seniors said they were forced to change their topics due to unforeseeable circumstances.

“I came into it with a clear idea about what I wanted to write and that set me back in a lot of ways,” Lewis said. “Once I stepped back and saw what I had, there was a different paper there.”

Assistant director of University Career Services Laura Lane said students benefit from writing theses in a number of ways.

Lane said writing an honors thesis helps to develop the number one skills employers are looking for — communication.

“For anyone contemplating going into academia, it’s a must,” said economics professor Mike Aguilar, an honors theses adviser.

Many honors thesis students also commented on reaching a new level of research that they were unable to learn in school.

“I think writing my thesis definitely helped me get into graduate school because I can say that I’ve already done in-depth research,” Lewis said.

Students must choose an adviser in their department. Many had relationships with their advisers before starting their theses. “It really helps to know the student ahead of time,” Aguilar said.

Professor Tim Carter said he gets as much out of advising students as they get from him.
“It’s a fabulous opportunity to engage in cutting edge information with a smart student,” he said. “It’s one of the best parts of our jobs as faculty members.”

Senior Chris Nickell, who has Carter as an adviser, said the end product is worth all the work. “To see an argument take shape, and to now have the capacity to talk about the topic on a new level is really rewarding,” he said.

But Isetts said students’ motivations should be genuine, and not just for the recognition.
“Don’t do this honors thesis unless you do it for yourself,” she said.

“Don’t do it to get the honors or it will be a soul-sucking process. It’s for you, so make it your own.”

Georgia, North Carolina State Lead in 2012 Undergrad Awards

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With the recent announcement of the 2012 Udall Scholars, we can now report on the leading schools among the 50 in our review that have earned the most prestigious undergraduate awards–Udall and Goldwater scholarships.

The Udall Foundation “awards 80 scholarships of up to $5000 and 50 honorable mentions of $350 to sophomore and junior level college students. The majority of the Udall awards go to students “who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, economics, and other related fields.”

Goldwater awards are given to encourage research and excellence in the STEM subjects–science, technology math, and engineering.

This year, the University of Georgia and the North Carolina State led the way in undergraduate awards.

Along with winning three Udalls, Georgia students also earned the maximum yearly award of four Goldwater scholarships. NC State students also earned the maximum of four Goldwater awards to go with two Udalls.

Undergraduate awards are one indicator of the undergraduate research opportunities that are available at universities.

Schools among the 50 to earn at least three total undergraduate awards are listed below:

Alabama–3 Goldwater
Arizona–3 Udall and 1 Goldwater
Arizona State–2 Udall and 1 Goldwater
Georgia–3 Udall and 4 Goldwater
Illinois–1 Udall and 2 Goldwater
Iowa–1 Udall and 2 Goldwater
Kansas–4 Goldwater
Maryland–1 Udall and 2 Goldwater
Massachusetts Amherst–3 Goldwater
Michigan–1 Udall and 2 Goldwater
Minnesota–1 Udall and 3 Goldwater
Nebraska–4 Goldwater
Ohio State–3 Goldwater
Oregon–3 Goldwater
Pitt–1 Udall and 3 Goldwater
South Carolina–3 Goldwater
UT Austin–3 Goldwater

Purdue to Open Residential Honors College in 2013

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Here is some great news from Purdue: they plan to open a residential Honors College in the Fall of 2013. See what Assistant Dean Catharine Patrone has to say about this exciting development at one of the nation’s premier public universities. Purdue honors has a bright future, and not only for engineering students.

May 2, 2012

By RACHEL RAPKIN Assistant Campus Editor

With the University’s plan for an Honors College, students will have the opportunity to live and learn from each other while gaining valuable leadership skills.

In July, the Board of Trustees approved the plan to develop the residential Honors College. The University plans for students to be enrolled by the fall of 2013.

Over the summer, during the third module, assistant dean of the Honors College, Catharine Patrone, said first year students will have a chance to preview the Honors College by enrolling in the Accelerated Summer at Purdue program.

“The students will have the ability to take four honors credits,” she said. “In addition to the Honors course opportunity, extracurricular (events will be provided) to help build the community around them.”

Dennis Savaiano, interim dean of the Honors College, said a task force with around 100 members had been meeting since the fall and had been looking into recommendations for the planning of the curriculum, governance, scholarships and post graduate support.

“They came up with a set of proposals. The (University) Senate reviewed the proposals, ( and on April 24) the Senate passed a resolution endorsing the Honors College and another resolution endorsing the curriculum committee,” Savaiano said.

Patrone said with the approvals of the endorsements from the University Senate, the next step is to officially start creating the Honors College curriculum.

“The University Senate approved the college and the faculty governance structure,” she said. “Each college or school (including the libraries) will have one faculty member elected or appointed … They are going to be assigning and approving the Honors College curricula. The governance committee will begin their work in September.”

According to a Powerpoint from Savaiano to the Academic Affairs Committee during March’s Board of Trustees meeting, the Honors College is looking to incorporate more diversity, complement all the colleges curriculum and enhance student leadership.

“The idea (of the Honors College) was to unify our existing programs and make them more robust and grow them so that perspective students would see a richer opportunity, particularly in a residential model,” Savaiano said.

The residential model is going to be an area where students live and learn together. Savaiano said this could increase student enrollment and possibly encourage upper division students to stay in the residences where they can mentor the lower division, or first year students.

“Building a residential model that is a more robust honors experience was certainly our goal,” he said. “Currently there are about 1,200 honors students at Purdue, and we would like to grow that to 2,000.”

Patrone said there are a large number of students who want to be a part of the Honors College, but the dorms are full and they are leaving the University to find another place where they can be a part of a close knit community.

“Students who are looking for that experience are going to other universities,” Patrone said. “They are choosing to go elsewhere and, sometimes, even out of the state. We hope the Honors College will keep them in Indiana and attract them to Purdue.”

Penn State Schreyer Enhances First-Year Experience

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Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College will implement next Fall a new program that provides more community and continuity for entering freshmen. The First-Year Experience will also increase the honors credit hour requirement for the freshman year. The interesting story by Daily Collegian writer Aria Moyer is below.

By Aria Moyer
Collegian Staff Writer

Incoming Schreyer freshmen will see familiar faces throughout their first academic year.

Beginning next fall, incoming Schreyer Honors College freshmen will be required to participate in the First-Year Experience — a sequence of general educational writing and speaking classes with the same professors and classmates during both the fall and spring semesters.

The program intends to prevent incoming Schreyer freshman from feeling lost and overwhelmed in different required Writing/Speaking classes, Schreyer Honors College Associate Dean Arun Upneja said.

Upneja said he’s “very excited” to offer this new and inventive format in a course.

Students will be required to take English/Communications Arts and Sciences 137H (Rhetoric and Civil Life I) in the fall followed by English/Communications Arts and Sciences 138T (Rhetoric and Civil Life II) in the spring, which also satisfies the first-year seminar requirement — 137H is the prerequisite for 138T.

Upneja said these plans have been discussed for a year now through wide consultation with both students and faculty of Schreyer Honors College and the College of Liberal Arts, and feels glad to finally see it all come together.

In the past the only similar combination of classes offered at Penn State has been Liberal Arts 101H (Honors Rhetoric and Civic Life).

Upneja said this was a great class for a single semester, but it lacked the combination of credits and community setting.

“This is where the first-year experience would pick up as both an enjoyment for students and sufficient credits,” he said.

The First-Year Experience also ups the number of credits required for a scholar’s freshman and sophomore year from 18 to 21.

With the inspiration from this course, the honors college implemented the First-Year Experience, which allows for a combination of both first year writing and public speaking for a total of six honors credits, rather than four.

Upneja said that he doesn’t view this idea as an increase in credit or requirement but more as a “sequence of courses. ”

The goal of the combination class, he said is to simply keep the same group of students with the same professors — and it will be up to students to make sure they follow the requirement.

Upneja said he understands it will be difficult to maintain the same scheduled class with the same group of people for both fall and spring semester, but he encourages students to do so.

Schreyer’s Honors College Dean Christian Brady said that he feels this “coherent systematic offering” shows the flexibility of the honors college in a more modern setting.

He added that this is a great opportunity to develop students of integrity through a sense of community and ethics. Brady also mentioned that these classes will only be offered to honors college freshmen and aspiring Paterno Fellows.

WSU Asst Dean Brings the World to Honors Students

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The Honors College at Washington State University is already renowned for its global education emphasis, and now its assistant dean has received an award for her work.

Assistant Dean of the Washington State University Honors College Jessica Cassleman was presented the 2012 Robert C. Bates Award for her dedication to the advancement of international education programs. The award was administered by the WSU Office of International Programs.

The Robert C. Bates Award is presented annually to a member of the WSU or Pullman community who has: enriched the cultural experiences of the WSU international student and scholar population; promoted global networking through classroom and experiential education; or, increased awareness among the WSU student and/or staff population about our global interconnectedness.

Says Libby Walker, dean of the WSU Honors College, “Those of us familiar with Jessica’s activism and involvement in international education are certainly not surprised that she was honored with this award. We are proud of her accomplishments, and appreciative of Jessica’s dedication to the development of global education in the Honors College.”

Dean Cassleman has not only worked to enrich the lives of hundreds of WSU students, but she has also reached beyond the campus to facilitate bilateral agreements with other U.S. universities and to promote honors education in universities abroad.

Out of the classroom, she helped in the development of an Honors program at the Universidad Austral in Valdivia, Chile; the Federal University of Parana in Matinhos, Brazil; the Regional University of Blumenau, Brazil; and the Scientific University of the South in Lima, Peru. She has also served as key player in the establishment of partnerships between WSU and the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, Chile and Universidad de Concepcion in Concepcion, Chile.

She was a key proponent of the development of the WSU Honors College’s Certificate of Global Competencies, an elective program aimed at the enhancement of students’ preparation for the global environment of commerce, creativity, and scholarship.