NCHC Conference in St. Louis

Wednesday, October 26 - Saturday, October 29, 2005

        On Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Honors College Advisor, Christopher Walther, and Editor of Scholastica, Maria Tomassi, packed their suitcases and ventured down to the exciting city of St. Louis, Missouri to attend the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference.  Upon arrival at the conference, Professor Walther attended sessions with other Honors professionals to discuss a myriad of topics ranging from assessment in Honors to obtaining undergraduate scholarships. Maria Tomassi was also able to gather additional valuable information for the Honors College.  She attended several conference sessions that showcased student research, featured student-run panels, and discussed the role of students at the NCHC Conference.

 Friday night allowed all Honors students and faculty attending the conference to visit the famous St. Louis Arch.  Most people do not know that visitors are allowed inside the Arch.  A small ferris-wheel type cart brings five people at a time to the top of the Arch, 630 feet above the ground.  Across the street from the Arch is the courthouse where the famous Dred Scott case was finalized.  Now a museum, the court house has information posted about Dred Scott and the case.  After a visit at these historic places, a dinner was held, showcasing southern cooking and music.

Professor Walther and Maria also gave an oral presentation at the conference titled, “Civic Engagement within an Honors College,” on Saturday.  Over thirty students and faculty members from various Honors Colleges from around the United States attended the presentation and where extremely impressed by what Pace’s Pforzheimer Honors College is doing.  Professor Kathleen Harris of Loyola Marymount University in California discussed at length with Professor Walther and Maria how she wants to start Civic Engagement projects within her Honors College.   The Pforzheimer Honors College in influencing colleges and universities across the nation!                          

The Pforzheimer Honors College recognizes the value of the National Collegiate Honors Council in the development and advancement of its own program.  Therefore, we hope to take on a more active role in the 2006 annual conference by possibly taking additional students, submitting student papers or projects, or again hosting our own conference session on “Documenting Honors History.”