Honorary Magazine 2018-19

Dr. Bob Horan

Dr. Lopa Basu Dr. Chris Ferguson

Chris: I always enjoy traveling with students to conferences and getting to know them better on a road trip – those are really my favorite. Field trips are also wonderful in that way. Our trip to UMHC in Iowa when we snuck out of the conference for a bit to take in an amazing art museum sticks out as a very fun memory. Was there an Honors Contract that blew you away? Bob: My favorite honors contracts were those in the mid-late 1990s. For each contract, the student and I had to explain to the teacher what the UHP was, what honors contracts were, and what the purpose of honors education was. These conversations were the most effective tool for informing the campus about the UHP. Lopa: So many contracts were powerful. But I still remember Jessica Weinkamp’s contract in which she painted diabetic supplies to docu- ment her own journey with the disease. I think they are still hanging in the Honors lounge! Chris: I’ll probably get myself in trouble if I don’t mention Xanthi’s study on Expand- ing Youth Rugby. That was the first contract I mentored, and it obviously paid off for me since we’re still working together six years later. I also really love when students complete a book – Maria Lewis’ study of historical architecture in Menomonie, Connor Dahlin’s poetry, and Emma Raleigh’s comic stick out in that cat- egory. And of course Laura Olson’s glass blown chandelier. There are so many fantastic projects! Was there an Honors student that surprised you? Bob: I’m unable to think of a student who did not surprise me. Lopa: Many Honors students surprised me by their strength, leadership, and generosity. Kimberly Kadlec who was a student with four children always stayed back after Colloquium to gather pencils from tables. Nobody asked her to do this. She just did it, even though she had so many responsibilities she was juggling.

Chris: There have been so many! Kori Klaus- termeier stands out as being a force of nature in getting the Honors Student Council started. Megan Hondl consistently surprised me as one of my economics advisees as she progressed on her path to a career in politics. And so many students I’ve gotten to know well through their work in the office here – Jessi Goodel, Molly Flesher, Brenna Lesnar, Allison Rigotti... I think, honestly though, Emily Wyland is probably the student that I’ve been most amazed by during my time as director. Getting to work with her every day for the last four years as our student graphic designer and watching her grow has been a joy – she has developed into an amazingly professional and skilled designer and produced massive volumes of incredible work for us. We couldn’t have hosted the conference this year without her vision and enthusiasm, and her fingerprints are on nearly every aspect of the Honors College, from our logo to The Honorary you’re reading right now. I’m going to miss her terribly when she graduates this year but am also very grateful for having had her steady influence and patience in our office for so many years. What has surprised you about the Honors College in the past 25 years? Bob: The survival and growth of honors at Stout have surprised me.The first 12 to 13 years were marked by scant resources and minimal ad- ministrative support. However, the University’s interest in “going big” with Honors in 2007 was accompanied by financial support—even during the very lean years of 2010-2018. Charles So- rensen was unique among UW administrators in his belief that Honors was beneficial for stu- dents and institutions. The Stout Honors Col- lege is evidence of that. Lopa: I am amazed at the achievements of our students.They have presented such fine work at the regional and national conferences.They have published in the Journal of Student Research and in the NCHC journals. This is above and be- yond expectations.

Chris: I think the amazing student work will always surprise me. I’m also surprised that we’ve been able to be as successful as we have been in maintaining a high quality program even as we’ve grown so rapidly. Mostly I’m constantly surprised and amazed by the dedication of the Honors staff I work with each day – from our student workers to Amy and Xanthi (and Bev Deyo-Svendsen previously) – they are the real directors of the program and really work tire- lessly to support the Honors students. What do you hope Honors grows to in the future? Bob: Our earliest informal mission in the UHP was to “commit some higher education.” Our tactic, based on necessity and borrowed from the Marine Corps, was to “improvise, adapt, and overcome.” I think both the charge and tactic still obtain today and I hope anyone who takes on the mission of Honors at Stout remains mindful of them. Lopa: I do hope Honors College secures more dedicated funding in the future. This can hap- pen with the institution deciding to prioritize it more or through a private donor deciding to endow the College. Honors is investment in the future and in the ability of the university to at- tract and retain high achieving students. Chris: I think it would be fun to have an “Honors House” that could have both dorm housing and our honors offices, lounge, and flex- ible classrooms. I think that would really help integrate all the aspects of the Honors commu- nity, and having a kitchen available would be a big boost for all our food-focused events. But, I also like being in the library and integrated with the rest of campus so that we don’t become iso- lated and insular. Whichever direction we go next, I hope we continue to develop innovative courses that give students a chance to tackle big problems and the space to take risks and fear- lessly pursue passions and curiosities.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION