Southern Spotlight

The Honors Director, Michael Garoutte, was interviewed by Kevin Greim on Southern Spotlight, a radio show aired at halftime of Southern's football games. This interview aired in October 2007. Click on the title to download an mp3.

New Directors for the Program

Change is the order of the year at Missouri Southern. The institution is currently searching for a new president and academic vice president. And after Dr. Patricia Kluthe retired in May and Dr. Jeff Martinek took a position at Iowa Wesleyan University in August, new Directors were selected for the Honors Program.

This blog has been dormant since the changeover, mainly because we were expecting to be able to move to a new website hosted at MSSU. But that has not happened, so I'm resurrecting the meta-blog. If you're reading this, feel free to post a comment to let us know that you were here.

And Honors Scholars, send your important info, updates, travelogues from abroad, and other honors to us at the Honors office, preferably by email, so that we can tell the world!

Wallace named Outstanding Graduate of MSSU

Sarah Wallace

Sarah Wallace of Branson has been named the 2007 “Outstanding Graduate” by the Missouri Southern Alumni Association. The award was formally presented at the Honors Convocation on Tuesday, May 1 in Taylor Performing Arts Center.

Wallace is a senior Spanish Education major and Mathematics Education major. She has a 4.0 cumulative Grade Point Average in her double major.

Lee Pound, Alumni Director, says Outstanding Graduates are selected on the basis of superior involvement and leadership on campus and in the community, as well as high academic achievements and respect received from students, faculty and staff.

Wallace, a 2003 Branson High school graduate is the only senior member of this year’s women’s track and field team at MSSU. She is a member of Spanish Club, Kappa Mu Epsilon, Kappa Delta Pi and Alpha Chi.

After graduation, Sarah plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Spanish at the University of Kansas. She is the daughter of Rusty and Debby Wallace of Branson and the granddaughter of Lovice Wallace of Mt. Home, Ark.

An Honors Story - Part 4

An Honors Story - Part 3

An Honors Story - Part 2

An Honors Story part 1

Here is part one of Jim Spena's epic masterpiece "An Honors Story," starring Will Lynch. Jim wrote, shot, and edited this film---which shows one day in the life of a typical Honors student---at the request of the MSSU Honors directors. We couldn't be more delighted by how it turned out. As far as we're concerned, Jim's a genius and Will's a star!

Parts 2,3, and 4 will be posted as well.

Seafha Blount Update

Seafha Blount, MSSU Honors '05, has just graced us with this detailed update on her activities since graduating MSSU and moving on to graduate work at the Univeristy of Arizona.

I graduated from the Honors Program at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) in May 2005. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, emphasizing in natural resources, and a minor in Spanish.

During my time at MSSU, I took several opportunities, with the help of the Honors Program and the Institute of International Studies, to study abroad. I was able to go to Cuba, Europe, and South America. These experiences were enlightening and life-changing in that my world view was broadened a substantial degree and I was able to see other cultures and ways of life. I am so grateful for those journeys. In addition, while attending MSSU, I completed an internship with the Yurok Tribe, of which I am a member. Working for the Tribe’s environmental program was my first “real” job in my field and I absolutely loved it. I collected water quality data along the lower Klamath River, where the Yurok reservation is located. I was delighted to learn about field work, science, and the professional work place, while experiencing my culture. I reported results from this internship in my senior Honors thesis.

In the summer of 2005, I completed an internship through the Environmental Careers Organization and US Fish and Wildlife Service. I assisted a graduate student and another recent BS graduate in a remote field camp at Ugashik Lakes, Alaska. Using sonar and gillnetting, we collected data on resident fish species diversity and abundance. Our camp was so remote there was only one other person for miles around us. The only ways to get to our field site were by float plane or a very, very long boat ride. This was an amazing field experience. I learned about scientific research and the work involved in both study design and data collection.

In January 2006, I began working on a Master of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. My research topic is long-term response of the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel (MGRS), Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis, to post-fire conditions. The MGRS is a subspecies that is isolated in the high elevation forests of the Pinaleño Mountains in southeastern Arizona. I am comparing midden occupancy (a midden is a pile of cone scales resulting from concentrated feeding in one area), home range size, and vegetation characteristics within home ranges, among areas of various burn severities. Methods include mountain-wide midden censuses, radio-telemetry, and vegetation analyses. Upon completion of my Master’s, I intend to pursue either a PhD or an Environmental Law degree then work with Native American communities.

MSSU was and continues to be an amazing resource for support in both my personal and professional life. Through the smaller class sizes and dedicated faculty and staff, my experience was the best I could have hoped for. Although I am completely enjoying my time at a much larger University, I am glad to have the strong foundation I received at MSSU.

Links:

University of Arizona main webpage: http://www.arizona.edu/

University of Arizona School of Natural Resources: http://www.ag.arizona.edu/srnr/index.php

The environmental Careers Organization: http://www.eco.org/site/c.dnJLKPNnFkG/b.795025/k.AA86/The_Environmental_Careers_Organization.htm

Yurok Tribe home page: http://www.yuroktribe.org/

Note: You can view the video of Seafha's superb Honors senior thesis presentation by clicking here.

Tim Shelhamer -- Foreign Study and the Difficulties of Assimilation

Sophomore Tim Shelhamer has another long and thoughtful post to share with us regarding his international study experience in Hong Kong. Tim has specifically asked for students to comment on the issue of international students and assimilation:

Before I came to Hong Kong I noticed that they are very much a clique in Missouri Southern. I talk to several of them, and they are generally friendly, but why is it that people from Denmark (or any other country) hang out with people from Africa, Chile, France, China, etc. (you get my point) instead of being absorbed into other social circles? I thought the purpose of studying abroad was to gain an understanding of a different place with different customs by putting yourself in a new and sometimes uncomfortable situation. In part, I attribute the lack of assimilation to the idea that most people take the path of least resistance. After all, we exchange students, while we may have very little in common with each other before meeting in our respective schools, now are in the same situation. We are in a new place and don’t know anyone. We band together. Would the same people be friends if you removed the common factor of both being study abroad students?

Tim wants your feedback. Read the whole post and comment here for all to see.

Joshua's Going to Hopkins!

Junior Honors Biology major Joshua Onuiri pinches himself to make sure he's not dreaming. He just received an e-mail from John's Hopkins University informing him that he's been accepted for a summer internship in the Basic Science Institute.

Congratulations!

Tall Matt's Travels

MSSU Honors alumnus Matt Olson (AKA "Tall Matt") has a wonderful travel blog dedicated to sharing pictures and descriptions of his international adventures, including his MSSU trip to Europe in 1998.

Matt Olson is a 1999 graduate of the Honors Program with a degree in Marketing. He earned plaudits at Missouri Southern not only in the Honors Program but also with the Basketball Lions where he played center for three years. He was employed in Kansas City for over eight years with Cerner Corporation, a company which designs clinical information systems and financial applications to improve health care delivery. While in Japan doing business for the company he came upon a quotation from Mark Twain which reshaped his path. He is now spending a year "seeing the world."

Learn what motivated Matt to change his life, his comfortable life style, and enter the world of education in the world as you read his blog and look at his photos. Regard carefully the itinerary he set for himself for the following year. For those of you that have not completed the Honors International Study, you may really find meaning and interest in his posts.

Tim Shelhamer Reports from Hong Kong

Our good friend Tim Shelhamer has a long post with some very nice pictures on his blog. Here's a sample of what Tim has to tell us:

I'm taking classes all across disciplines; anthropology, government and public administration, puthongua (chinese language), environmental science, economics, too much. The work is heavy, or maybe it just seems so because I can hardly squeeze the time for schoolwork/readings/studying into the schedule packed with extracurriculars on weekdays and exloring on the weekends. I just now made the time to blog because I had a 45 minute presentation about asian international relations I've been reading for when I had spare time. My Chinese teacher is good and I'm learing, but progress is slow in chinese language. I must also mention my anthropology class called "Globalization and Culture," because it is, so far, the best class I've ever had. The professor is great and the topic is of such interest to me.

For the entire post, and the rest of Tim's photos, click here. Don't forget to say Hello in the comments section!

Sneak Preview of Jim Spena's Film "An Honors Story"

Click here to view part one of Jim Spena's film about the MSSU Honors Program, starring our own Will Lynch. Everyone involved did an amazing job, especially the maestro himself. Stay tuned for more info about the completed film when it becomes available.

Please note the star's comments about his own sexiness. I'd like to meet the guy, but I'm not sure I'd want to shake his hand.

Jake Forste----Alive and Blogging From Sweden

Freshman Jake Forste checks in from Sweden on his blog with a new post.

Says Jake:

I would encourage anyone who has yet to study abroad to come here to Jonkoping. The city is illustrious, right on a lake here in Sweden that is more like a sea. There is something like a 500 person international student body, many of us staying in a part of town known as 'Raslaat' in an apartment complex that is really nice. There's always something to do and the people are really great. Some of my new friends include 2 guys and 3 girls from The Netherlands, a French guy named Nicholas, a Colombian, my roomate from Gothemburg Sweden, my other roomate from Canada, a Polish girl, a guy from Serbia...the list goes on. The people are so diverse that there is never a dull moment, especially when the Dutch and French bicker back and forth like school girls... hilarious.

We look forward to more from Jake, including pictures of the campus and town, as well as the characters he's running with. In the meantime, drop Jake an e-mail to let him know you miss him.

A Very Important Announcement From Dr. Kluthe

My dear honors students,

I have decided to retire at the end of this contract year. I leave with over 34 years of teaching at Missouri Southern, and if you count the years I was here as an undergrad, I have spent my lifetime here. My leaving is bittersweet for me. I LOVE my job. Working with all of you is the sustaining joy of my days. All people should hope for a career this fulfilling.
Please understand that I am a raving sentimentalist, so you must help me deal stoically with this move.
After all, we have an entire semester to finish with a "bang, not a whimper!"

My very best to you,
PK

[Please leave your comments for Dr. Kluthe on this post -- JM]

Heather Visits "Band Nerd" Nirvana

Please visit "Heather's World" for this delightful and detailed post on Heather Freelend's summer trip to Madison Wisconsin for the Drum Corps International championship.

Note: Heather is now in Ireland and promises lots of exciting blogging about her experiences in the Emerald Isle in the near future. Stay tuned!

Iashia Castle Update

Iashia Castle, class of '05 Accounting major and co-winner of the Outstanding Honors Student award has contacted us with the good news---she's now a CPA. Here's her note to us:

To All,

Well the subject line is self-explanatory. I passed all four parts of the CPA exam on the first go around so I'm FINALLY done. I've been released from the grips of the CPA King/Queen. :-) i guess hard work really pays off.

Everthing at work is going fine, I'm about to start with our busy season so I'll know in the spring if I really want to stay in the public field or not after I go through the turmoil. Iashia

Congratulations Iashia!