NCHC Conference in Philadelphia

NCHC Conference in Philadelphia
Wednesday, November 15 - Saturday November 18, 2006

              On Wednesday morning, November 15, 2006, Maria Tomassi, Editor of Scholastica, Prof. Chris Walther, Honors Advisor, and Michael DeRario, student aid, packed up the car and began their journey to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to attend the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Annual Conference.

              Arriving early, the staff had the chance to explore the city a bit.  Sites such as the Liberty Bell and City Hall were witnessed first hand.  The trio ventured up to the top of City Hall, 44 stories high, to a look-out deck that provided a spectacular 360 degree view of Philadelphia.  “It was a windy day, which made it kind of scary, but the view was great,” said Prof. Walther.  They checked into the conference that night and mingled with students and faculty from other Honors programs and colleges across the country.

              On Thursday, Maria and Michael attended various student sessions including “Students in Honors,” which was a basic welcome session, and a “Student Party” where students networked together.  Prof. Walther attended an all-day faculty workshop entitled “Developing in Honors,” that dealt with various topics.

              Maria, Michael, and Prof. Walther presented their own session on Friday morning entitled “Documenting Honors History: Scrap Book and Website Design.”  Here, the Honors College at Pace University, Pleasantville, got to show off their fine work on their scrap book and website.  Maria spoke about the scrapbook while Michael presented a fantastic PowerPoint presentation about the website.  This session was standing room only as other interested conference attendees listened intently, asked questions, and gave input from their respective schools.  After this session, the trio took a break to try an authentic Philly cheese steak before returning to the conference to attend other fascinating presentations.

              That night, the NCHC hosted a party at the National Constitution Center.  Desserts and beverages were available as conference attendees mingled with one another.  There were actors dressed up in colonial wear.  Ben Franklin even made a guest appearance and posed for pictures.  After dessert, all were welcome to view the Center’s interactive museum which showcases America’s history.  Conference attendees learned about great Americans, got to be part of their own presidential induction, or participate in a mock jury.  The museum is circular in plan with a theatre in the center which showcases a touching documentary about how the constitution was written and what it means.

              On Saturday morning, Maria participated in a panel presentation entitled “How to Present an Award-Winning Newsletter.”  The room was once again packed as the winning newsletters were discussed.  Everyone in the room shared information about their school’s newsletters.  There were several representatives present from schools that do not have a newsletter but would like to start one.  These individuals gathered a wealth of information from the award winners.  After this presentation, all conference attendees were welcomed at the Presidential lunch where awards were given.  Maria, Michael, and Prof. Walther accepted their award for first place in the student-written newsletter category.

              The conference was once again a great learning experience for all who attended.