Central Michigan University Honors Program Viewbook

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CMU Honors Program CMU Honors Program Honors Program

Welcome to the Central Michigan University

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Meet Sara Rimer

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National Prominence

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Sara is an example of how Honors students can distinguish themselves by taking full advantage of the benefits offered by the CMU Honors Program.

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Academic Excellence

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Benefits

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The CMU Honors Program offers many tools, experiences and opportunities to put Honors students on the fast track to success.

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Honors Courses

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Traditions, Events and Involvements

Discover the many ways Honors students can involve themselves in the community through Honors traditions, events and leadership positions.

Honors Research

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Global Perspective

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Learn about the Honors Senior Research Project and Creative Endeavors, the two capstone experience options for the Honors Program.

Not only are CMU Honors students learning on campus; they are using the entire world as their classroom to broaden their educational experience.

Community Service CMU Honors students make a difference locally, nationally and internationally through extensive volunteerism.

Find out how the CMU Honors Program offers courses that are interesting, relevant and qualitatively different that a general education plan.

Learn how the CMU Honors Program offers a high quality of education.

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The CMU Honors Program has more than 200 approved faculty members who will teach, mentor and advise Honors students throughout their Honors experience.

The CMU Honors Program has distinguished itself nationally through achievements by its students, faculty and organizations.

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Honors Faculty

Honors Living

Learn why living in an Honors Residence Hall enhances the enjoyment of Honors and the college experience.

Alumni Success

CMU Honors students continue to set themselves apart from their peers after CMU graduation; learn about some of their success stories and how being a part of the Honors Program helped them.

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Letter from the Director Dear Friends of Honors, Since 1961, Central Michigan University has been a leader in Honors Education and continues to maintain a nationally recognized program designed for academically talented and highly motivated students. Our goal is to provide a more intimate and enriched educational experience, within a larger university context, for a diverse group of students that are ready and willing to engage in the life of the university and the life of the mind.

Centered around the core academic mission of the university, the Honors Program allows students to begin their academic careers with smaller Dr. Phame Camarena classes taught by some of the university’s most talented educators and cap their training with a senior project supervised by a faculty scholar in their discipline. Beyond the classroom, Honors students also have opportunities to build relationships with fellow student-scholars in the Honors Living Community and Honors student organizations, to travel around the world as part of Honors sponsored projects, to volunteer in the community, to benefit from mentoring opportunities with Honors Alumni, and to receive specialized academic advising to help them refine and achieve their academic and personal life goals.

In the end, we believe that the Honors Experience can help to transform the lives of students so they understand their place in the world in new meaningful ways and are better equipped to make a difference for the greater good in both their professional paths and personal lives. The CMU Honors Experience encourages students to aim higher and achieve more than they ever imagined possible.

Within the pages of this book, you will find information on every facet of the Honors experience. It is our hope that, upon browsing through the opportunities we have to offer, you will be inspired to aim higher and achieve more with the Central Michigan University Honors Program.

Sincerely,

Dr. Phame Camarena, Director

Honors Students in Acti Honors Students in Action

Sara Rimer

Meet...

Hometown: Constantine, MI Majors: Mechanical Engineering; Mathematics Minor: Spanish Honors Scholarships (see p. 10-11): Centralis Scholarship Honors Program Alumni Board Scholarship Senior Research Project (see p. 16-17): Modeling and Simulation: Effects of Adhesion of Nanomaterials in Water Treatment (Advised by Honors Faculty Member Dr. Leela Rakesh) Community Service Experience (see p. 20-21): - Led HIV/AIDS awareness program in Boston, MA - Worked with rural poverty in Beards Fork, WV - Oversaw water quality improvement project in Sainte Luce, Madagascar through Engineers Without Borders Global Diversity (see p. 18-19): - Volunteered at a local orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico, as part of Los Ni単os de Oaxaca Mexican Exchange Program through the Honors Program - Completed an engineering internship for academic credit in Sevilla, Spain - Helped build a house for a family in Morelos, Mexico, through Habitat for Humanity Global Village

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Research Experience (see p. 16-17): - Developed and analyzed a problem to generalize a water supply problem for a community sand filter water treatment system - Awarded a National Science Foundation Grant (marine engineering research) - Awarded a National Science Foundation Grant (mathematical research) National Presentations (see p. 6-7): - Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics (University of Nebraska) - American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America joint meeting (Washington, D.C.) - Engineers Without Borders - USA Great Lakes Workshop (University of Illinois) Favorite Honors Courses (see p. 14-15): “All of them! My most memorable were definitely The Individual and Community in Modern Society, Introduction to Microfinance, and Los Niños de Oaxaca Service Learning.”

Favorite Honors Professors (see p. 12-13): “My favorite professors had to be all of the professors I had in my favorite classes: Dr. Phame Camarena, Dr. Brad Van Eeden-Moorefield, Dr. Helen Hagens, Dr. Norma Bailey, and Dr. Michael Pisani.”

Favorite Honors Activities (see p. 22-23): The Honors Service Learning Trip to Oaxaca, the Honors Watercolor Painting Lesson, the Honors Chess Challenge and the 2008 Presidential Inauguration viewing with Honors students Favorite Memories of Honors Living (see p. 24-25): “Meeting so many interesting, wonderful people and learning about many different subjects just by conversations I had with the fellow students I lived with.”

National Prominence National Prominence Awards from the National Collegiate Honors Council: • National Honors Student of the Year: Bill Brewer, 2005 (Far right)

• First place in the Newsletter Contest: 2003, 2005, 2009

• Second place in the Newsletter Contest: 2002, 2007, 2008

“I remember having excellent classes that had superb student-to-teacher ratios with professors who were talented at presenting material. My greatest memory will still be presenting my research at a national conference and winning an award for best presentation.”

Brandon Hoving, ‘08 Meteorologist with the National Weather Service

Honor Bound, the student-produced newsletter of the Honors Program, has won six national awards from the National Collegiate Honors Council since 2002, including first place three times.

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7 Honors students present research at professional conferences across the globe, including:

The CMU Honors Program, a community of scholars since 1961, is a nationally recognized program. Here are just some of the ways our program is active and engaged around the state and country: Honors Students National Recognition • Honors student Bill Brewer in 2005 received the “National Honors Student of the Year” award given by the National Collegiate Honors Council • The CMU Honors Program is the winner of six national awards for our student-produced newsletter, Honor Bound • Our Honors students are presenting their research nationally and internationally, receiving awards, scholarships, fellowships and job offers for their high-quality work • The CMU Honors Program was recognized by the United Nations in 2006 for our volunteer efforts in raising $6,000 for malaria prevention

Honors Faculty National Recognition • Three of our faculty members have received the Michigan Professor of the Year Award • Our over 200 Honors faculty have national and international reputations in their disciplines

• Society for Conservation Biology Conference Brazil • National American Chemistry Society San Diego, California

National Success of Alumni Our alumni hold top political posts in Washington, D.C.; serve in the U.S. Courts; teach nationally and internationally at some of the world’s finest institutions; are developing new drugs to help cure disease; are in the Middle East working toward peaceful relations; are editors and broadcasters for media outlets; lead specialized surgical units; work in global markets, and so on. Many have been recognized nationally for their career success and giving back to the community.

Our Honors Program • The CMU Honors Program houses the prestigious Centralis Scholarship Program, which draws top scholars from not only Michigan, but also from other states and even outside the country • We offer Honors courses around the world from tiny Beaver Island to Europe and Asia

• International Society for Neuroscience San Diego, California • American Mathematical Association Conference Orlando, Florida • American Association for the Advancement of Science Washington, D.C. • Council for Exceptional Children Conference Baltimore, Maryland • Society for Research in Psychology St. Louis, Missouri • American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association for America Joint Conference Atlanta, Georgia

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Spotlight on Honors Academics:

2,200 Students from across the nation and globe who compete for the prestigious Centralis Scholarship annually Nearly 900 Current CMU Honors student population 4 Percentage of CMU students who are in the Honors Program 32/4.0 Average ACT score and high school GPA of Centralis Scholarship Recipients 3.76 Average Centralis student CMU GPA 3.64 Average Honors student CMU GPA 100 Percentage of CMU’s academic colleges represented by Honors students

Central Michigan University’s nationally recognized Honors Program provides an academic challenge for the university’s outstanding students. Established in 1961 as one of the first such programs in Michigan, the CMU Honors Program offers learning experiences that are qualitatively different from non-Honors courses and creates an advanced learning environment that promotes development of the important skills of inquiry, analysis, synthesis and critical evaluation.

As part of the Honors Protocol, each student must complete: • At least 22 credit hours of Honors coursework • Diversity coursework which may include foreign language, American Sign Language, study abroad or an Honors cultural diversity course • A minimum of 120 hours of community service • A senior research project or a creative endeavor

Academic Excellen

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Academic Excellence Academic Excellence

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“I have learned that I can rise to the occasion when challenged, and I have had a better opportunity for success through the different advantages that the Honors Program offers.�

Natalie Cook, Honors student

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Qualitatively different from general courses, Honors courses employ unique teaching methods to create an atmosphere in which students delve more deeply into a topic in a more interesting fashion.

Benefits Benefits

Each Honors student - with the help of the Honors Program and departmental advisors - will complete an Academic Planning Document to help them plan and visualize what their college career will look like. Many students view this as one of the best tools they receive as a college student.

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The CMU Honors Program brings together a community of outstanding students, scholars, professors and researchers who inspire and encourage students to become their best - throughout their college years and beyond.

In addition to offering students an advanced learning environment, Honors study has other tangible benefits.

• Faculty mentoring • Alumni mentoring • Small class sizes of fewer than 20 that offer unconventional teaching • Eligibility for Honors scholarships and research/study abroad funding assistance • Completion of an academic planning document that maps out all courses needed each semester to graduate from CMU on schedule • Specialized Honors Program advising • Research opportunities, including the Honors Senior Research Project • Centrally-located Honors offices in Powers Hall in the heart of campus

• Eligibility to reside in a designated Honors Living and Learning Community in Larzelere and Trout halls • Honors special events • Reduced cost educational and cultural trips nationally and internationally • Priority registration for classes • Recognition as an Honors graduate on official university transcripts and special notation in the CMU commencement program

Scholarships and Awards • • • • • • • •

Centralis Scholarships Ruth Heyman Scholarships Roger and Phyllis Kesseler Honors Scholarships Multicultural Award of Distinction Scholarships Honors Program Alumni Scholarships Honors Study Abroad Grants Honors Research Grants Honors Director’s Awards

Benefits

Honors Honors FacultyFaculty Math professor Lisa Demeyer is among the more than 200 Honors Faculty members dedicated to providing students with an Honors education through more intimate class settings and unique teaching methods.

“I had an Honors professor that took me under her wing as a freshman and not only served as my thesis advisor, but she helped me make a lot of useful connections. By my sophomore year I had professors in my department seeking me out to work in their labs, rather than me seeking them out. She really challenged her Honors students and her classes were taught like graduate classes rather than simply lecture.�

Julie Bowling, ‘03 Greene County (Ohio) Board of Developmental Disabilities

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The heart of the CMU Honors Program lies in the core of Placing an emphasis upon student-faculty interaction over 200 Honors Faculty members who: • Work closely with Honors students in a small group atmosphere • Are willing to explore alternatives to the traditional classroom approach • Encourage Honors students to think critically about world issues and become engaged as active citizens • Mentor Honors students in undergraduate research • Prepare Honors students for the rigors of graduate school and professional careers • Encourage students to consider ethical implications of an academic discipline and moral obligations imposed by their own talent

Honors students interact with Honors faculty in the classroom, in the laboratory and even around the world.

It is not uncommon to see Honors students dining with Honors Faculty in the campus dining halls and many Honors professors enjoy having their Honors classes meet in their homes for meals and conversation.

Honors Faculty

Honors Honors CoursesCourses In addition to rewarding classroom experiences, the Honors Program also offers several courses designed to get students out of the classroom - and onto the Appalachian Trail, for instance.

“With their intimate class sizes, extraordinary instructors, and countless intellectual opportunities, the CMU’s Honors Program offered me a truly enriching collegiate experience.”

Brian Wieferich, ‘02 Certified Financial Planner, Waddell & Reed

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The CMU Honors Program offers approximately 80 Honors courses each year taught by the best faculty on campus. In class sizes of 20 or fewer, Honors students will participate in lively and engaging discussions with Honors faculty and other high-ability students.

Here is a sampling of some recent topics discussed in Honors courses: • Is eugenics - the practice of eliminating certain traits from the gene pool with the goal of improving the species defensible? What are the arguments for and against eugenics?

• Is there a conflict between science and religion?

• Are the rich necessary in an egalitarian democracy?

• When is capital punishment justifiable?

• What are the causes and consequences of global warming?

• What aspects of modern life have made it more difficult for us to cope with, and give meaning to death?

• What are the best arguments for and against securing our U.S. borders?

• When is it morally permissible for a country to go to war?

• What are the viable options for developing alternative energy?

• What lessons have we learned from the Gulf Oil Spill? Hurricane Katrina?

• How important a role does the vampire play in classic and modern literature?

• What does it mean to be human? What constitutes a human right? What is the role of globalization in human rights discourse?

• What impact has colonization, oppression and culture change historically had on the American way of life?

• What is “pop culture” and how does it impact each generation?

• How useful is biological technology in solving crimes?

Honors Courses

Honors Student Honors Student Research Research

Parkinson’s Disease

Political Participation by Young Adults

Supply Chain Sustainability Nonprofit Job Satisfaction Huntington’s Disease Childhood Obesity Archaeology in Eastern Peru High School Sports Injuries The Housing Bubble Hearing Loss Community-Based Weight Loss Programs Depression Morality Amputee Mood and Learning Salience and the Female Vote Water Quality Climate Change GIS Mapping Technology Implicit Racism in Jury Decisions The Harry Potter Phenomenon Genome Research Violent Offender Frustration & Aggression Contextualizing the Success of Star Wars Bone Mineralization Metabolic Syndrome in Children Vietnam’s Banking Industry Alternative Energy Lupus and Ethnicity Leverage Exchange

The 2008 Presidential Election The Detroit Federation of Teachers Child Eyewitnesses Energy Drink Abuse

to Crime Reluctant Readers Faiths around the World Latin Literature and Drama Parenting Styles Hospitality Industry Employee Turnover 3D Game Demos African-American Writers War and Dress Catholic Schools Math: Statistical Implications Trout Habitats The of Missing Values Ovarian Cancer Open Meetings Act Traded Funds Youth Peer Cultures Planned Parenthood Archaeology in Peru College Athletics The Impact of the Enlightenment Student Social Interactions Vocal Chamber Music Marriage Satisfaction Fluoridation in Drinking Water Use of Portable Music Players International Business Taxation Youth Activity Levels Ageism Fibonacci Identities Moral Absolutism The Secondary Amino Effect Nanomaterials in Water Treatment Professional Athlete Contracts Role of Father in Public Relations Academic Achievements of Daughter

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For their Senior Research to conduct original fields - like Amanda on endeavor in fields photography, art

17 All Honors students will complete a significant Senior Capstone Project with a faculty mentor in their field. These capstone projects may be completed in any discipline and can take the form of an empirical study, a piece of original scholarship on an emerging topic, or the design and presentation of an original creative work.

Project, students may choose academic research in a variety of the left - or to design a creative such as music, filmmaking, and more - like Katie on the right.

“My Honors Senior Research Project was a great experience and it opened a door for a presentation at a national conference and to working on a manuscript for publication. Without this experience I never would have been competitive for the PhD program I have been admitted into.”

Carrie Bredow, ‘05

“My Honors Senior Project has really helped me get into a top notch graduate program and into a graduate research group that is second to none.”

Stephen June, ’07, Chemistry, Polymer Science Graduate Student, Virginia Tech

“My Honors Senior Research Project prepared me well for PhD-level research with some of the brightest minds in the field of environmental chemistry.”

John Sivey, ’03, PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University

“(My Senior Research Project) helped me stand out from other job applicants.

Today’s job market is so competitive that it is crucial to have any leg up on others.”

Jonathan Stano, ’08, Financial Planning Associate, Vantage Financial Partners Limited

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Diversity & GlobalGlobal PerspectivePerspective Diversity Where in the world have Honors Students studied?

LEGEND Honors students have studied here

In addition to coursework, here is a sampling of what some Honors students were able to do abroad: Walk the Great Wall of China  Work with impoverished orphans in Oaxaca, Mexico  Participate in Cultural Festivals in Guatemala  Tour the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero Gardens in Paris, France  Visit the Great Barrier Reef  Drive through the Andes on a weekend excursion from Argentina back to Chile  Take in the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basillica, and the Trevi Fountain  Shop the open air water boat markets in Bangkok  Forage the Jungles of Cambodia  Tour Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany  Take in a sunset under the South African Sky  See the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace  Try sushi in Japan  Explored caves and tubed the Indian Ocean in Australia

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“Proving to be my most memorable college experience to date, studying in Thailand provided an experience that allowed me to step beyond my cultural bounds, and through immersing myself in Thai society, I gained insight far beyond what academics could have taught me. The Honors Program gave me the motivation, as well as the funds, to study abroad and has helped me discover the wonder of travel, something that will be a lifelong passion of mine.”

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The CMU Honors Program celebrates and promotes diversity and cultural appreciation.

Through study abroad, foreign language courses, special topic Honors courses and cultural trips, Honors students gain an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.

Using the world as their classroom here is a sampling of Honors Course highlights from Honors Students abroad: • Visited the places in England on which J.K. Rowling based Harry Potter • Studied business practices of Asian and American Companies in Beijing and Shanghai • Studied Irish Theatre in Dublin • Traced the roots of Darwinism in England on the 200th Anniversary of The Evolution of Species • Appreciated Renaissance Art in Florence, Italy

& Global Perspective Alex Donaghy, ‘10

Medical school student at the University of Michigan

Community & Civic Eng Community ServiceService Civic Engagement & “When we are able to empty ourselves of our own desires and gain a sense of humility in serving, we also grow as individuals and discover our true selves.� Rebecca Pilon, ‘10

Honors students complete hundreds of hours of community service during their academic career, making a difference in the community in which they live.

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Community Servi

ngagement

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The Honors Program promotes volunteering at the highest level. Serving the community is a core Honors value thus a wide variety of service projects are offered each semester in which students can plan and participate to earn their hours.

Honors partners closely with the CMU Volunteer Center and local, state, national and international volunteer agencies to provide a broad array of service opportunities, representing a range of issues such as hunger, homelessness, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, birth defects, malaria prevention, animal shelters, literacy, etc…

Opportunities to serve:

Recent Honors Philanthropy Success:

• Honors Outreach Network (H.O.N) • Honors Program Philanthropic Society (HPS) • CMU Volunteer Center • Alternative Breaks Program • Beaver Island Service Learning Courses • Los Ninos de Oaxaca Service Learning Course

• $12,000 for the Isabella County Community Soup Kitchen (its largest donation ever) • $10,000 for the Isabella County American Red Cross Mobile Food Pantry (its largest donation ever) • $6,000 for Malaria prevention in Africa (the largest donation by a college group that year; recognized by the United Nations)

Lifetime Volunteering

The commitment to service at CMU carries into the lives of Honors alumni. Above, Honors alum Dr. Sarah Roberts (‘04) works with impoverished children in need of health care in Guatemala. Below, Honors alum Shannon Rease (‘01) stands with local villagers in Jamaica where she helps recruit Peace Corps volunteers.

vice & Civic Engagement

Honors Traditions, Events an Honors Traditions, Events & Involvements

Honors students are talented both in and out of the classroom, and have the opportunity to display their talents at the annual Honors Program Talent Show.

“My participation in Honors-sponsored extracurricular activities has given me priceless memories that I will never forget.�

Blaise Badynee, Honors student

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As an Honors student you will have the chance to participate in a variety of enriching and cultural events, including: • Honors Talent Show • Trips to see Broadway musicals, plays and world-class dance • Claude S. Larzelere Trivia Challenge • Honors Graduation Recognition Program • Service-Learning Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico • Summer Beaver Island Courses

• Honors Photo Gallery • Annual Honors Awards • Honors Graduation Last Lecture • Annual MLK Peace March • Honors service events • Honors guest speakers

Honors Students are also encouraged to join one or more of the following Honors leadership opportunities:

• Honors Outreach Network (H.O.N) • Honors Program Philanthropic Society (HPS) • Honors 100 course mentors

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• Honor Bound student newsletter • Honors Council representative

Honors Traditions, Events Involvements

Honors students may live in Honors housing by selecting either Larzelere or Trout Residence Halls. Honors housing provides opportunities to share living space, study for classes together and interact daily with other high ability students.

For more information about Larzelere and Trout Halls, visit www.reslife.cmich.edu

Honors Living Aim Higher

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HonorsHonors Living Living

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Residents of Honors housing have a rich history of having the best hall spirit on campus, and many campus leaders (such as Student Government presidents and Homecoming Ambassadors) are Honors students living in Larzelere or Trout.

“Living in Larzelere during freshman year you are surrounded by people who want to talk and listen and debate. You want to hang out until 4 a.m. watching movies and laughing.�

Emily Doerr, ‘07 Grants and Contracts Manager for the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency

Park Library serves as an integral tool for Honors students in completing their Honors coursework and research, as well as a convenient central location for researching, studying or visiting with a friend over a cappuccino.

Honors Alumni Honors Alumni Success Success

Success for Honors students is not limited to their undergraduate careers; Honors alumni are setting themselves apart from their peers in the professional world, as well.

“The students in the CMU Honors Program have a rich history of being among Michigan’s finest. The chance to journey with them throughout my undergraduate years is my most cherished memory from CMU.” John Sivey, PhD, ‘03 PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University

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Since its founding in 1961 the CMU Honors Program has a growing number of professional alumni distinguished in their fields and making a difference in their communities.

Honors Alumni are working around the globe as surgeons, attorneys, nuclear physicists, space shuttle engineers, politicians, corporate financial planners, educators and pharmaceutical researchers.

Honors Alumni are earning advanced degrees at some of the finest institutions in the world (i.e. Harvard, Cambridge, Princeton, Georgetown, Yale, Duke, Michigan, Oxford, MIT).

Honors Alumni continually earn national and international awards in recognition of their success.

Honors Alumni remain active with current Honors students and the Honors Program in a variety of ways. Many volunteer as a mentor to current Honors students, some serve on the Honors Alumni Board, families attend Honors events, others volunteer as guest speakers or participate in the Centralis Scholarship Competition.

Alumni also have a tradition of helping to fund scholarships, study abroad trips and research grants through generous alumni donations.

Honors Alumni Success

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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PA I D Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859 Permit No. 93

Central Michigan University Powers 104 Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859 Phone: (989) 774-3902 Fax: (989) 774-2335

Learn more about the Honors Program

University Honors Program 104 Powers Hall Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 (989) 774-3902 www.cmich.edu/honors

About Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University offers the best of both worlds. Students tell us it’s just right because it offers the resources of a doctoral research-intensive university with the caring community and hands-on learning environment that makes it feel like home. We invite you to explore our website and learn why CMU might be just right for you.

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www.cmich.edu