Read more to see what's new  with KSU Honors College programs, students and faculty!

News & Updates from the Honors College
Honors Scholar Jiexi Liao Biochemistry (2014) is the first KSU student to win a Goldwater Scholarship. She completed a Research Experience for Undergraduates appointment at MIT and is conducting research in bio- molecular science.
 
Honors College offers mentoring for KSU students pursuing prestigious scholarships and fellowships  


Dr. Michelle Miles
Dr. Michelle Miles, the Honors College's Director of National and International Scholarships and Fellowships, helps KSU students navigate the application process for prestigious national and international scholarships and fellowships.  Read her tips here and see Dates and Deadlines below for her scholarship workshop dates.

Q: What are some of the prestigious scholarships that students can apply for?   
A:  There are a variety of national and international scholarships and fellowships for which KSU students are eligible to apply.  These prestigious awards include the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, and Goldwater awards. A comprehensive listing of the scholarships is available on the Honors College website. While many of these scholarships are for graduate study, there are some awards available for undergraduates.

Q: Are KSU students competitive for these scholarships?  

A: While these scholarships are indeed highly competitive, KSU students - and in particular, KSU Honors students - are certainly viable candidates. Often, scholarship foundations are looking to diversify their student bodies, and as such, when an outstanding candidate applies from a university that has had few successful applicants, that student captures the attention of the committee. In the past three years, KSU has produced three Fulbright scholars and Gilman and Goldwater scholarship winners.

Q:  What do most of these scholarships require?  
 
A:  Most scholarship applications require a personal statement, a statement of grant purpose or scholarship-specific essay, a curriculum vitae (resume), official transcripts, and letters of recommendation from at least three faculty members. Often, there will be an internal review of applicants prior to the national application submission. A select panel of KSU faculty and administrators will review the candidate's materials, schedule a campus interview, and decide whether or not to endorse the applicant. A letter from the institution will then formally nominate the student for the award. Read more...

Honors College announces annual student and faculty awards
Students encouraged to nominate Honors faculty

The Honors College is pleased to announce the creation of annual awards to honor outstanding students and faculty. One student from both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses will be recognized with the Honors Program Outstanding Senior award and the Outstanding Thesis/Capstone Project Award. The Distinguished Honors Faculty award will recognize a faculty member for excellence in teaching and mentoring honors students. These awards join the existing award for Outstanding Dual Enrollment Honors Program student (see Student Spotlight below for a profile of this year's winner, Samantha Morgan).  The awards, as well as recognition of all students graduating as Honors Scholars, will be presented at a luncheon on April 22nd.  KSU President Daniel Papp will join Honors College faculty and administrators in presenting the awards. A poster session before the luncheon will showcase seniors' capstone theses and projects. The selection process and criteria for the awards is different for each award:

Outstanding Honors Faculty Award:  Students are encouraged to nominate honors faculty for the award.  An email from the Honors College will be sent in the coming weeks to solicit nominations. The Honors Club co-presidents and Honors Student Government Association senator will serve on the selection committee. 

Outstanding Honors Senior Award:  To be considered for the award, students must be in good standing with the Honors Program, with a GPA of 3.5 or better in non-STEAM majors and 3.25 or better in a STEAM major. Preference will be given to candidates in their senior year who have a fully-approved capstone proposal and have substantive scholarly, creative or service-related achievements shared with publics beyond the classroom. Nominations will be solicited from honors faculty, and seniors with a 3.7-4.0 GPA (or the top 10 seniors by GPA) who are on track to graduate as honors scholars will be invited to apply for the award.   

Outstanding Honors Thesis/Capstone Project award will be determined by faculty reviewers and the Honors Director on each campus.    

Additional information on the awards is available on the Honors College website.
Honors student spotlight


Samantha Morgan
Samantha Morgan has been named the Outstanding Dual Enrollment Honors Student for 2015-16. The award is presented to the student with the highest GPA and greatest number of KSU credits and honors courses. Samantha began dual enrollment as a junior at age 15, after being homeschooled through the directed studies program at Compass Prep Academy. She is on track to complete 56 college credits with a 4.0 GPA by the time of high school graduation. At KSU, she is a supplemental instruction leader for Chemistry 1211 and worked in a biochemistry lab last summer. She also serves as an officer in the KSU Honors Club.  Samantha has been accepted to Georgia Tech, where she plans to study Chemical Engineering with a biotechnology concentration in order to pursue a career in medical research in drug and vaccine synthesis for infectious diseases.  She is currently a semi-finalist for Georgia Tech's Presidential Scholarship. Outside of school, she recently earned a black belt in ATA tae-kwon-do.

 
Laura Sherman
Laura Sherman, a fourth-year Architecture major with a minor in Construction Management, won first place in the KSU Comprehensive Design Studio Competition in December.  She designed a lung cancer community center in Atlanta, GA at the current site of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Natatorium.  The design uses an integrated focus on poetics and methods of sustainable architecture.  Laura is also the former president of the Southern Polytechnic State University Student Honors Council, 2013-14.  



Do you have an accomplishment we can share?  Email your news and photo to kkinnick@kennesaw.edu.
Faculty Notes
PEGS Program Manager Ken Hill works with second-year PEGS students Annalee Bramlette and Ana Kazemi on their intercultural research presentations.

Dr. Ken Hill
Mr. Ken Hill, Program Manager of the President's Emerging Global Scholars (PEGS), will be moving (literally!) to a new position in March as site manager for KSU's study abroad facility in Montepulciano, Italy. In his new role, he will be responsible for Education Abroad program support, fiscal operations, university policy compliance, and risk management, among other duties. Approximately 200 students participate in study abroad programs at KSU's Montepulciano educational site each year, including students in the Honors College's Great Books cohort. The Honors College wishes to express its gratitude for Mr. Hill's service, which has included providing leadership for PEGS since its inception in 2010, and developing PEGS curriculum, study abroad experiences and co-curricular activities. Dr. Michelle Miles will assume responsibility for PEGS until Mr. Hill's replacement is confirmed.  

Dr. Kami Anderson
Dr. Kami Anderson, Honors Program director - Marietta campus, was featured in an interview on the website Mater Mea, "What It Takes to Raise Bilingual Kids," by Angela Johnson.  Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of Communication and author of the book Language, Identity and Choice: Raising Bilingual Children in a Global Society. A fluent Spanish speaker, Dr. Anderson and her husband are raising their four children to be bilingual.    
Dates and Deadlines

February 10 - Last call for DEHP students to submit Readmission Applications to remain at KSU after high school graduation.  Forms were distributed at October advising sessions and should be hand delivered to DEHP in Willingham Hall 230, email dehp@kennesaw.edu

February 19 - Honors Club service project: Visit to Daybreak Village nursing home.  Contact club president Saniya Ahmed, sahmed18@students.kennesaw.edu, for more information.

February 24, 3:30 p.m., Willingham Hall 226 - "Scholarships 101" workshop with Dr. Michelle Miles

February 29, 7:00-8:30 p.m., KSU Center 400 -Information session for DEHP students who have applied for readmission to KSU as freshmen, email dehp@kennesaw.edu

March 2 -  Last day to withdraw from a class lass without academic penalty

March 15, 3:30 p.m., Williangham Hall 226 - "Scholarships 101" workshop with Dr. Michelle Miles 

March 16, 5:30 p.m., Willingham Hall Honors Lounge - Honors Club event:  Showcase of of Honors Student Research/Capstone Projects

March 22, 2:00 p.m., Bailey Center - Impact of International Experience event featuring president of the Peace Corps and Senator Johnny Isakson
KSU Honors College | honors.kennesaw.edu