2005-2006 ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES [excerpt from UHP Annual Report]

The 2005-2006 Auditorium Chamber Music Series was again co-sponsored by the University Honors Program.  Participation by program members, who may attend free of charge, surpassed last year and was solid, based on the following number of vouchers distributed for each performance: Rose Ensemble–59 vouchers; Chamber Orchestra Kremlin–48; Peabody Trio–42; Masters of Persian Music–26.

Free admission to the popular ASUI Vandal Entertainment Indie Film Series and Commons & Union Foreign Films for the fall and spring semesters was enjoyed by students in the program.  Passes to the ASUI Vandal Entertainment Indie Film Series were issued to 364 students and 202 students received passes to the Commons & Union Foreign Films.  Offerings for these two series, comprised of approximately 20 films each semester, included “Corporation,” “March of the Penguins, ” “Moolaadé,” “The World,” and “Syriana.”  The Honors Student Advisory Board again hosted ice cream socials prior to several of the fall and spring films, giving students in the program an opportunity to socialize and enjoy free ice cream, cookies and hot chocolate before the movies.

In early September program members were invited to attend the annual ice cream social and scavenger hunt.  Several teams headed out across campus in search of distinctive, unusual items from various settings, returning to enjoy ice cream being served in the Rotunda of the Idaho Commons.  About fifty participants, including faculty and staff, ate ice cream sundaes, drank root beer floats, and were provided the opportunity to discuss various topics and become better acquainted with other students and faculty.

This year the annual cultural enrichment trip occurred in mid-October and had as its destination Seattle, Washington.  Dr. Flores, Dr. Warner, and 17 students traveled by van to Seattle.  Upon arrival the travelers checked into the Hampton Inn near Seattle Center.  Highlights of the trip included attendance on Friday evening at the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s performance of “The King Stag” (where several students sat on stage) and a tour of the Seattle Art Gallery on Saturday to enjoy various works of art, including a special exhibition of Tiffany glass.   Participants were given free time and were able to explore the city, travel to various points of interest, including the Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, and a glass works, and to sample some of the many restaurant offerings in the city before returning to Moscow.

In October the UHP once again invited Dr. Margrit von Braun, Associate Dean of the College of Graduate Studies to give a presentation to honors students on preparing for and applying to graduate school.  Approximately 15 students attended the session, and students’ responses indicate that they found the information and advice to be very productive. 

The UHP, with the Honors Student Advisory Board acting as hosts, held a December Open House, serving holiday decorated cookies and hot chocolate.  Members of the program were invited to stop by throughout the day for refreshments and casual conversation with each other, board members, program staff, and honors faculty.  The event was a large success, with HSAB members expressing a desire to make it an annual one. 

Other activities to which members of the program were invited included lectures, readings, and performances on campus, and in late April the annual Spring Picnic and HSAB elections, hosted by HSAB at Ghormley Park.  Also in April, during the volunteer activities of Campus Day, students in the honors Core 154 section joined their professor, Dick Wilson, and President Tim White, to work to build a new path in the Shattuck Arboretum’s Liberty Grove, with President White relating the story of the trees planted in memory of student soldiers who died in World War I.  In May, UHP students, faculty, and staff were invited to a pancake breakfast hosted by the residents of the LLC Scholars House.