| HONORS COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Dean's Welcome
Highlighted HC Courses
Advising News
Honors College Student Association
Future Leader Dogs at OU Club
Grizzlies Give Organization
Celebrating Excellence
Honors College "In the News"
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DEAN'S WELCOME:
Dean Graeme Harper
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The problem with Artificial Intelligence is that it is neither artificial nor intelligent! It is no artificial because humans created it. Behind its appearance of detachment from human input it is solely based on it. It is not intelligent because intelligence involves emotional knowledge, and
while it can replicate it, AI doesn’t have it. It can solve a problem, but it can’t feel the impact. I can understand, but only if it has been offered the amount of data it needs to develop reactive combinatory skills to do so. It is, in a phrase, informed machinery’ and we can jazz that up as
much as we like, but it will never be an Honors College student!
Honors College students are, as ever, a whole gamut of wonderful – and they are because they combine intelligence with empathy, empathy with innovation, innovation with understanding. You will see some of that in this short Newsletter, whose lateness is entirely my fault! We should have had this out 6 months ago, but we have been working on a return to full in-person activities and, to be candid, loving both the challenge and the opportunity this offers.
We will likely never entirely be “only in person” as the expression goes in Higher
Education at the moment – but one thing is for certain, we will likely never be “entirely remote”. Here’s to that! Not least this will be the case because human intelligence, emotional intelligence, human life and human understanding doesn't come about just because someone learns something in its intellectual form, or because they can predict it via an algorithm or because they have
accumulated as much raw data as possible to compare and contrast it at speed. Intelligence is, as the definition suggests, creativity, varieties of understanding, feeling and self-awareness of a kind that goes beyond learnt responses and lives in the realm of felt needs and desires.
This year – and since our last Newsletter -we’ve aimed to bring this kind of ideal back to The Honors College places and spaces and activities, to rekindle the embers that were dormant while the pandemic kept us apart. Staff, faculty and students have all been both challenged and excited by doing that, and we have made considerable progress. Between now and our Newsletter –which won’t be as long away from this one as this one was from the last one – we will progress
our Honors College contributions to students, to research, to the community and to other humans– intelligently (because our students are intelligent, in all that this notion means) and without artificiality (because we aim to have some real experiences, that mean something). And we will do it with our sense of being a nationally leading Honors College in mind. Onward!
Warm wishes
Graeme
Aka Dean Harper
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HC 2080: STAR CONSETLLATIONS
by: Professor Doris Plantus
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One of the most ubiquitous sights on earth is the night sky, and for as long as people have roamed the planet the night sky was a source of wonder, knowledge, and imagination to compliment daily life in enduring ways. The Honors College debuted a course in Constellations this past year that combined the fundamentals of astronomy and ancient mythology as a way of understanding more about the space that surrounds us. Students learned to make basic instruments that measure distances by approximate degrees between stars and locations on earth. But they also learned how ancient cultures and astronomers explained the scenes from mythological figures and stories based on culture and geography. They learned to appreciate the eternal canvas of starlight that explained the importance of capturing the vast aspects of the human condition in the physical cosmos; they learned how the ecliptic was fixed, how constellations rise and set, and how the first star catalogues were compiled as a basis for mapping the heavens. A highly satisfying blend of science and art, technology and mythology, mathematical formulae and storytelling, the Constellations course changes forever the way students regard the celestial sphere.
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HC 2040: AMERICAN THINGS (A SOCIAL HISTORY)
by: Professor Chris Dingwall
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Twelve students, whose majors ranged from nursing to finance, joined me to explore the relationship between people and objects in the American history from the colonial era to the present day. Our exploration was guided by two interrelated questions. How have Americans made and used material objects to shape their experience of the world? How have material objects shaped, in turn, how Americans have created their selves, remembered their pasts, and envisioned their futures?
To answer these questions, we turned not only to a few works of historical scholarship but more important to a variety of artifacts—cabinets, dresses, postcards, drugs—that illuminate the human dimensions of large-scale historical developments. We examined the rise and fall of slavery through leg-irons and photography; the establishment of American global capitalism through the mass marketing of cigarettes; the automation of work through automotive machinery; and the formation of racial and gendered social hierarchies through everyday signage and government-issued ID cards......READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
*Project photos courtesy of Willow Kassab
"The 1990s: Music, Fashion, and the
Impression Left Behind," which feature clothing and ephemera of the
1990s music scene as collected by her family.
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HC ADVISING UPDATES:
by: Senior Advisor, Meagan Richard
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| Happy Winter Semester, Honors College students!
Hope you all are keeping warm and having a little fun along the way!
We are starting the new year off strong with academic advising and academic support! If you haven't been in to see us, we're here!
Did you know that the Honors College has its very own Graduate Assistant Academic Coach? Elizabeth Chlebek is able to provide you with tips and tricks that will help juggle your academic load with time management skills, study habits, and time management! Elizabeth can be reached at echlebek@oakland.edu for assistance!
So, what exciting things are coming this new year? This is where you come in! If there are workshops you would like to see hosted by the Honors College, please let me know! We are here to support you in any way we can! In April, the Honors College will be teaming up with Career Services for a resume building and Handshake workshop! Stay tuned for more info!
If you have questions about your individualized plan or how to get yours today, we are here! Please don’t hesitate to reach out! We would love to meet with you! Remember, you are not alone!
Here's to a great year!
Dr. Meagan
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| HCSA: HONORS COLLEGE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
by: Cameron Roach
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Looking back at Fall Semester, HCSA had 3 events that students enjoyed. Our first event was a Pumpkin Painting/Carving contest around Halloween. Students sent in pumpkins that were put on display in the Honors College office, and then students came and voted for their favorites! About 7 or 8 students submitted pumpkins and around 150 votes were cast. The 3 most voted for received OU Swag Bags.
We also had a Card Making for Seniors event the week before Thanksgiving. Our board got together with arts and crafts to make cards for a local retirement home.
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| FUTURE LEADER DOG (FLD) CLUB UPDATES
by: Mackenzie Nichols
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Our Two FLD dogs who graduated from the program and were assigned to clients! (Left Mackenzie with puppy, Benelli) and (Right, our first grad, raised by Sheri Rourke, TIG)
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The Future Leader Dog Club at Oakland University has left quite the impact this last year! Since the founding of the club in 2019, Oakland University students and staff have successfully raised over 11 puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind.
This club has numerous puppies passing multiple levels of guide dog training and going on to lead heroic careers, guiding those who are visually impaired. This year we would love to celebrate the accomplishments of our OU Future Leader Dog puppy raisers .. .Read about our Awesome Puppy Raisers and Future FLD plans...
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| GRIZZLIES GIVE by: Joshua Thomas
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Grizzlies Give is a mission based club that delivers our impact on campus and throughout the metro-detroit area. We kicked off the semester by volunteering with Reroot Pontaic and aided in the environmental cleanup of our surrounding community.
We continued in October with a leaf raking event that benefited the seniors in our Rochester community that needed our help! We partnered with Careline Health Group, and non-profit Fleece & Thank You to create blankets for hospice and pediatric patients in our local hospitals during the month of November.
In the latter parts of the fall semester, we wrapped up the semester of Grizzlies Give with a virtual event of making holiday cards for children in the pediatrics unit of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. Read about our amazing team and more....
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SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES / THE HONORS COLLEGE
Kate Nye wins silver medal at Tokyo Olympics
Oakland University student Kate Nye powered her
way to the podium on Sunday, winning a silver medal in the women’s 76-kilogram/156 pound weightlifting event at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 22-year-old lifted a total of 549 pounds, between
a 245-pound snatch and a 304-pound clean-and-
jerk, to achieve the best U.S. Olympic weightlifting finish since 2000. The total and clean-and-jerk were personal bests for Nye, who has cemented her status as a world class weightlifter despite entering the sport just five years ago.
“It feels surreal,” Nye said after the event. “I’ll definitely savor this moment. I’m just so happy. I’m going to celebrate this because it’s a huge win for me.” .... THE REST OF THE STORY
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OU honors three undergraduate students with top awards
On April 14, the Oakland University Board of Trustees recognized three undergraduate students for distinguishing themselves as outstanding scholars and leaders on campus and in the community.
HC Grad: Matilda R. Wilson Award: Angelica Noel Alexopoulos
Alexopoulos entered Oakland University as a student from the Utica Academy for International Studies in Sterling Heights, Mich. to pursue a major in Biomedical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences and was a member of The Honors College at OU. She has demonstrated academic excellence by maintaining a 4.0 grade point average; achieving Dean's List honors for each of her semesters at OU; being awarded the Honors College Merit Scholarship; and receiving the Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award. ...THE REST OF THE STORY
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Oakland Biology Graduate Talks Career in Stem Cell Research
Oakland University Honors College, Biology graduate and current University of Michigan researcher, Paul Kozlowski talks about his path into a career in stem cell research, how his family history of medical issues sparked his interest in regenerative sciences, and what advice he has for young students exploring careers in S.T.E.M. WATCH ON YOUTUBE
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HC Celebrates record number of graduates
May 18, 2021: The College reached 164 graduates this academic year, the largest yearly crop of graduates in its history, and the highest academically achieving. Eighty-three graduated as Presidential Scholars, demonstrating academic excellence and community engagement at the highest level throughout their time at OU.
“Oakland University students constantly amaze me,” said Dr. Graeme Harper, dean of The Honors College. “The fact that so many are graduating at this level this year is testament to the achievements of all our OU students.”
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HC Welcomes Another Stellar Group of Students to Campus
Sept. 23, 2022: This fall’s incoming class totals 573 students, including 487 First Time in Any College (FTIAC) students and 86 transfer students. Over half of these students achieved a GPA above a 3.9, and 176 of them are arriving at OU with a GPA above 4.0. The highest individual GPA of the group is an outstanding 4.53.
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OU President's $1 M Gift for Schlorships Cultivates next Generation of Leaders
Oakland University will receive a $1 million gift to support scholarships for academically exceptional high school graduates. The gift, made by Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, will be administered by OU’s Honors College with the goal of fostering scholarly work and leadership skills of the next generation of community, civic and business leaders. ....THE REST OF THE STORY
FIRST TWO RECIPIENTS: High school seniors Joel Butler and Ayah Neiroukh are the first recipients of the Pescovitz Presidential Scholarship ....THE REST OF THE STORY
THIRD RECIPIENT: At Lowell High School, senior Will Compton is involved in everything from chamber orchestra, to varsity football, to Model UN, to the National Honor Society. ...THE REST OF THE STORY
FINAL 2022 RECIPIENT: Grace Bruck, a graduate of Eisenhower High School and an incoming OU freshman, is the fourth recipient of the Pescovitz Presidential Scholarship. ...THE REST OF THE STORY
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