FALL 1998
Volume 42, Number
1
IN THIS ISSUE
Exploring
Careers Beyond Medicine
Geology
in
Puerto Rico
Human
Rights
A
Conversation with the President
New
Honors Director
A
Time for Questions
On
the Iowa Web
Major
Topics...
Parent
Times Briefs
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For Alice Fulton, the weeks since July 1, when she became
the director of the University Honors Program, have been marked
by discoveries and what she calls "my gosh" moments.
Fulton, a professor of biochemistry, has worked with honors students
in her department and as a former faculty adviser to Women in
Science and Engineering (WISE), so she knew that she'd be working
with good students in her new position. The "my gosh"
moments came when she learned about all the details about the
programs that The University of Iowa offers to them.
"There's a surprising variety of things going on here,"
she says, sitting at her new desk in Shambaugh House Honors Center,
a large Victorian home that houses the program. "We have
a Cultural Program, for example, which enables students to get
free tickets to some programs at Hancher Auditorium. We have
the Rhodes Dunlop Scholarships, funded by an endowment within
the honors program.
"We have a research practicum, too, in which a student,
from freshman year on, may walk through the door and ask to work
on research with any professor in the University. That's a real
opportunity for a motivated student. Since the student earns
academic credit instead of money, theoretically we could serve
all of our honors students, as long as the match between student
and professor is agreeable to both. It's a wonderful way for
students to progress to honors research in their majors."
Fulton says she's impressed by the "wonderful diversity
of students" who are involved in honors activities. With
2,700 students in different majors and with different interests,
she says, you can't design a "one-size-fits-all" program
for them.
"Perhaps a small liberal arts college could have a single
set of honors courses that everyone takes, but that wouldn't
work here. I see my role in encouraging students to take the
opportunities that are open to them, and to open more opportunities
for research and learning."
Among her dreams are group independent projects, in which students
could get together to accomplish an academic goal. "You
could have wonderful outcomes," she says, "whether
it's a theatrical performance, or building a web page that everyone
could use, or writing a paper."
Similarly, she'd like to see service learning projects, with
students doing volunteer work in areas of study that are important
to them. Groups could do these, too, she notes. "I want
students to be full of initiative and responsibility, to burn
with the desire to share and to serve," she says.
For now, though, she's preparing for the fall semester, both
in honors and in her academic pursuits. Since the honors position
is half-time, she'll continue to teach in the Department of Biochemistry
on a reduced schedule. That's good news for students. Fulton
received a College of Medicine teaching award in 1990, which
enabled her to give a two-week lecture series to students at
Nankai University in China.
The program is getting ready for its welcome picnic for all entering
honors students, scheduled for September 23. This year, for the
first time, a reception for Opportunity at Iowa Scholars will
offer a special welcome to students of color and first-generation
college students.
Another first this fall is that two floors of Daum Residence
Hall will be given to honors students, so they'll have a chance
to live and study together.
Fulton says when she was interviewing for her new job, "the
interviewers described the students in the program and I realized
what an extreme responsibility this is. These students will become
the doctors, lawyers, CEOs, business owners, and leaders in their
communities. How we serve them now will affect the health of
whole communities in the future. That was definitely a 'my gosh'
moment!"
By Anne Tanner
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