49th Annual Conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council

Four of our Honors Program students, Kate Culverhouse ’16, Joe Fisher ’17, Molly Malinowski ‘17,and Jared Walters ‘17, along with the Honors Program Staff, attended the 2014 National Collegiate Honors Council Conference that took place in Denver, Colorado. The conference consisted of different presentations and discussion sessions that allowed participants to gain insight into aspects of Honors Colleges at higher education institutions across the United States and beyond. Kate and Joe not only attended these sessions but also lead two presentations, titled, “Say Goodbye to the Rockies: Build a Successful and Cohesive Honors Community” and “Surviving an Avalanche: The Importance of Peer Mentors for First Year Students.” In these presentations, Joe and Kate discussed what the Merrimack College Honors Program does to help establish an Honors community among its students. They discussed the importance of building community among Honors Students, and how Honors students come together and become leaders on campus and through service in the surrounding community. Joe and Kate also discussed the Honors Peer Mentoring Program, highlighting the impact this program has had on first year students. They shared the successes and setbacks of building the program, and presented feedback from the upperclassman mentors and the freshman mentees. Reflecting on the experience, Joe Fisher stated, “I would say that the most successful part was our presentations. We were able to share our ideas with various programs around the country, and answer multiple questions for the betterment of all.”

After attending many informative and thought-provoking sessions, the conference participants from the Merrimack College Honors Program gathered useful and insightful feedback from other students and administrators across the country. The exchange of thoughts and ideas among Honors Programs was really powerful, and allowed all schools in attendance to strengthen and grow. This year’s NCHC Conference was truly a success!