Above: Dean Brian Railsback meets with approximately 130 new Honors College students at the Spring 2008 Orientation on January 14. Most members of the audience were students who made a 3.50 GPA or above in their first term at WCU, or transfer students with at least a 3.50 GPA from their former institution.

Recipients of Honors Medallions for special service accept congratulations from (far left) Erin Ponder, president of the Honors College student board, and (far right) Brian Railsback, dean of the college. The recipients are (from left) Susan Clarke Smith, Mark Whitehead, Kathy Whitehead, Michelle Gurley Ekstrom and John W. Bardo.

Above: Recipients of Honors Medallions for special service accept congratulations from (far left) Erin Ponder, president of the Honors College student board, and (far right) Brian Railsback, dean of the college. The recipients are (from left) Susan Clarke Smith, Mark Whitehead, Kathy Whitehead, Michelle Gurley Ekstrom and John W. Bardo. The event took place Oct. 5.

TWENTY-ONE DECEMBER HONORS GRADUATES CELEBRATED AT REYNOLDS HALL
December 6, 2007
The 21 Honors graduates for the December 15 commencement were celebrated by the dean, Honors staff, Honors Board members, and Honors students in Reynolds Hall. After a “Fire and Ice” feast (borrowed from the Robert Frost poem, but in this case in reference to chili and a sundae bar), Dean Railsback presented candidates with Honors Medallions. Some candidates were not able to attend, including former Honors Board members Max Long, who was completing his studies in China, and Megan Barbero, who was in Greensboro for a job interview. Some 200 Honors students attended.

REYNOLDS KITCHEN OPENS
November 15, 2007
Thanks to the Department of Residential Living, the first community kitchen in Reynolds Hall was opened. The first meal, prepared by Dean Railsback and Associate Dean Steve Carlisle, was cleaned out in a record 15 minutes by over 100 hungry Honors students.

HONORS STUDENTS HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR LIBRARY
November 10, 2007
For the fourth year in a row, The Honors College co-sponsored The Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair in Sylva, North Carolina. Working with the staff of City Lights Bookstore and members of the Friends of the Jackson County Main Library, Honors students helped raise $5,000 for the new Jackson County Main Library project.  Honors Forum students assisted some 60 regional authors at the Fair, and they also produced the Fair programs, posters, and T-shirts.  

Browse the links below for recent WCU news and events of interest to current and prospective Honors students and their families.