Honors Ice Cream Ice Breaker

On Monday, September 26, 2011 the Pforzheimer Honors College students gathered together for our first Honors Event of the semester, the Honors Ice Cream Ice Breaker. This event draws a large amount of student attention every year because of its combined academic and social appeal. The students were in Gottesman Room was buzzing with excitement to be reunited as a class and catching up on the fun moments of our summer vacations and work experiences. We were all looking forward to hearing the wise words of the afternoon’s speakers and then for the sweet, ice cream that would follow later.  It was also a way to reconnect Honors students with their former professors in a more informal environment.

As the room began to fill, Honors College Director, Dr. Benton, settled everyone down in order to begin the long awaited event.  We listened to numerous advisors, faculty members and distinguished professors discuss the many different academic opportunities that students could become part of, including honors societies for various majors, as well as different campus services offered to Pace students and the service and academic events that are going to be held this semester. 

Advisor from the Center for Academic Excellence, Allyson King, spoke to the student body about exploring majors to help them decide what career paths are available.  Professor Margaret Fitzgerald’s lecture informed us about the Criminal Justice Honors Society for those whose majors apply.  Professor Christopher Walther, the Honors College Advisor, left his post at the ice cream table to discuss the Pleasantville UNICEF C.H.I.L.D project.  Honors Office Student Aide, Diana Cavallo, spoke to her peers about Golden Key International Honour Society, which she is currently the President of.  Golden Key is an Honors Society specifically for Junior and Senior students with a 3.5 GPA or above.  These were just a few of the many opportunities and speakers that were presented to Honors College students.

While the title of this event may give an indication that the main premise revolved around ice cream, its core purpose was to ease students back into “college mode.”  It was also a wonderful chance to welcome us back to the fall semester and remind us of the academic importance in college life and all of the campus opportunities available to enhance our resumes.  Information like this is crucial for anyone from first year students to graduating seniors, to help us maintain our grade point averages and further understandings of our major area of studies.