Honorary Magazine 2018-19

THE DIRECTOR

Dr. Chris Ferguson

Welcome to another edition of our nationally recognized news- letter, The Honorary ! The 2018- 19 year in the Honors College was another year of amazing stu- dent accomplishments thar we’re excited to share with you. Our theme of Facing Failure: A Year of Learning From Mistakes was perhaps my favor- ite yet. It was chosen to elevate what I think is the most impor- tant mission of our Honors College. Above all else, we strive to be a space where students can take risks, try new things, experi- ment with innovative ideas, and feel supported regardless of the outcomes. Too often students, and especially Honors students, struggle with lofty expectations of success. They have high stan- dards for themselves, and those around them often come to expect big things from them as well. Our attempt this year was to remind ourselves that there is not always a quick and linear path to those successes, and we often learn the most from the errors we make along the way. As we saw with our colloquium selections, this is an important lesson both at the individual level and the macro-societal level.

There were several personal highlights for me including our hosting of the 2019 Upper Midwest Honors Conference in Menomonie. More than 200 honors students and faculty from 25 different institutions attended and had a wonderful event, thanks to the hard work of Amy Brostrom, Xanthi Gerasimo, Dr. Tom Pearson, Allison Rigotti, Emily Wyland, and our other student staff who make every day in the office fun and exciting. (See the story on page 10). I truly enjoyed getting a chance to work with all our fabulous stu- dent volunteers, as well as get- ting to see our students present their remarkable work to others from across the region. We hosted several thought provoking guests in the Honors office, including the 2018 Cabot Executive in Residence, Denise Coogan, who spearheads Subaru of America’s zero land- filvavl efforts. Faculty members Lopa Basu and Nels Paulson also gave fascinating talks on the research they conducted during their sabbaticals. Student work on Honors con- tracts continues to impress me each day. Some of my favorites

this year were Will Yang’s mov- ing poetry, Kylie Anderson’s application of a new LGBTQ+ Bechdel-test for films, and Emma Sisk’s exploration of the history and science of sourdough. As you’re reading this, the UW-Stout Honors College is celebrating our 25th year, a per- fect time both to reflect on how far we’ve come and to plan ambi- tious paths for the future. It’s also a great time for alumni and friends of Honors to dive in and get involved with activities from Homecoming to Colloquium or other campus speakers and events. Please stay in touch, come visit, and get involved! As always, I can’t wait to see what you do next and wish everyone the best for a success- ful new academic year.

- Dr. Chris Ferguson

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION