BILL'S Trip 2023: Zion National Park 

Over winter break, 15 students from the Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College had the opportunity to attend BILL’S (Building Investment in Lifelong Learning & Service) Trip 2023 that took place in Utah at Zion National Park! During their time they served 216 hours in Zion National Park working on multiple service projects with different park rangers. 

During their service they collected several cubic yards of litter off trails such as the Riverside Walk trail & Pa’rus trail in the park. They also worked with Zion Environmental Protection Specialist Park Ranger Dustin Kay helping with recycling of propane canisters and ink cartridges as well as learning how to do bike maintenance for Zion’s Green Fleet helping to make Zion more sustainable. Along with the two previous projects students also helped in cleaning the Zion Nature Center a building used by many throughout the year from park rangers to park guests. Lastly, they helped Zion Invasive Plant Specialist Park Ranger Darrin Gobble clear 2.6 acres or 113,256 square feet of invasive Russian Olive and Tamarisk trees.

Outside of doing service, they learned about the different opportunities and careers in the National Park Service (NPS). Hearing from supervisory Interpretive Park Ranger Charlie Reed on the importance of interpretive rangers and some of the paths that they could take if they wanted to become a park ranger with the National Park Service.

Students discussed the importance of stewardship of stories looking at the indigenous people who had called the area their home long before Zion National Park came to be. Indigenous people have strong ties to many of the national parks in the national park system. Students learned of how oral history which is a big portion of how indigenous history and traditions are passed down is just as important as written history. Along with hearing from Zion Archaeologist Courtney MacKay on the work they are doing with indigenous nations and tribes to be able to tell a more complete story of Zion’s history and being respectful of their culture.

Students learned about the geology of Zion and its ties to both Grand Canyon National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park being a part of the Grand Staircase. They also learned of the Leave-No-Trace principles which are important tenants to follow when not only in national parks but rather whenever you are in nature. The students also read excerpts from the “A Zion Canyon Reader” over industrial tourism of the national parks and the role of automobiles within the parks discussing their thoughts with one another of the impacts these have on how people visit parks. The problems that automobiles have created for the National Park Service and some of the solutions that have been implemented in some of the parks to help with the rising visitors coming to parks year after year.

Lastly outside of their service students took time to learn about servant leadership. They discussed with one another the characteristic that make a servant leader. The characteristics and actions they saw in one another and others who they interacted with throughout the trip that showed servant leadership. The importance of talking about service and the complexities that come with service. Along with how they can bring being a servant leader into their life not only in a professional setting but rather every aspect of their lives.

On-site Volunteer Coordinator

Brenna McBride, Community Volunteer Ambassador, Zion National Park

Faculty Leaders 

Dr. Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, Assistant Dean, Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College
Dr. Kimberly Engber, Dean, Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College
Aaron Valentine, Graduate Assistant, Dorothy & Bill Cohen Honors College

Below is a list each of the student’s name, college, and major

Gabriel Murphy, College of Engineering, Engineering - Undecided
Gannon Hall, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Finance
Alexis Downing, College of Health Professions, Pre-Nursing
Natalie Mora, College of Applied Studies, Elementary Education
Alexia Vence, College of Engineering, Industrial Engineering
Gus Denneler, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Psychology
Connor Rockey, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Geology
Ashley Grega, College of Fine Arts, Theatre Performance
Makenna Roths, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Geology
Chloe Brown, College of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
Bayle Sandy, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Political Science & Economics
Jacey Arnett, College of Health Professions & Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Health Science & Psychology
Emma Whitney, College of Health Professions, Communication Sciences & Disorders
Julia Buie, College of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Emily King, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Criminal Justice & Psychology

Still looking for an Honors course for spring? Try philosophy!

These courses still have seats available. 

PHIL 355 Minds and Machines - Honors 
HYB 2:00pm-3:15pm Fiske Hall 209
Dr. Susan Sterrett susan.sterrett@wichita.edu

General education humanities course. People have constructed machines designed to imitate living creatures in some way long before there were electronic computers. When is a machine’s behavior appropriately called "intelligent?" Must it be capable of using a language? Must a machine be capable of learning in order to be regarded as intelligent? Must it be able to communicate with humans? What criteria are appropriate for judging that an animal's behavior is intelligent; should the same criteria be used for machine intelligence? What lessons about machine intelligence should be taken from debates over recent studies of intelligence in animals with nervous systems very different from humans (e.g., corvids, cephalopods)? Students consider these and other, related questions. Course takes a historical and interdisciplinary approach, drawing on works in philosophy, literature, science and history of science.

PHIL 315H Late Modern Philosophy - Honors (3) 
TCI 9:30-10:45 TR Fiske Hall 209
Dr. Susan Castro susan.castro@wichita.edu

General education humanities course. Studies philosophical thought in the 18th century with selections from philosophers such as Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Adam Smith, Butler, Hutcheson, Wolff and Kant, and movements such as empiricism, rationalism, the Scottish common sense school, and idealism.

Honors Outcomes Pilot and Other Faculty Resources

A group of faculty met throughout academic year 2020-21 to develop an initial set of Honors outcomes and a rubric based on the student-written college charter, AAC&U VALUE rubrics, and feedback from students, faculty, and alumni. We’d like faculty to try to incorporate at least two outcomes total from two different pillars and let us know how they work for your course. At the end of the year, you’ll be invited to give feedback on the outcomes and the extent to which they worked in your course. 

For a faculty resource handbook visit the Resources for Faculty in Honors page on our website. 

Honors-Affiliated Faculty Invited to Faculty Council Meeting Feb 9th 

Please join the Cohen Honors College Faculty Council for a discussion of a new curriculum concept draft. 

Thursday, February 9
3:30 – 4:30pm

https://wichitastate.zoom.us/j/7749066851?pwd=ZjJISjluejFSQkR2YXNSd2RMcmVXZz09

Honors Calender