Questions about Student Interdisciplinary Research Panels (SIRP) at NCHC in Denver

Friends & Colleagues:

Kate Bruce and I usually receive a number of questions around this time about submission procedures for the Student Interdisciplinary Research Panel strand, which will take place at next fall’s NCHC meeting in Denver. The deadline for proposals is Monday, March 3, so I thought I might cut a few of those questions off at the pass.

Students submitting SIRP proposals follow the same proposal guidelines as everyone else: they use the conference proposal website to enter their personal data and submit a 50-word description and 150-200 word abstract.  The only difference is that SIRP proposers follow up that initial submission with a completed copy of their research paper uploaded by April 8. The selection committee bases its decisions on those completed papers, all of which are read in full.

The SIRP procedures appear here: http://nchchonors.org/annual-conference/proposal-guidelines/#sirp

Samples of SIRP panels from previous conferences appear here: http://nchchonors.org/annual-conference/sample-sirp-panels/

The conference submission portal appears here: https://nchc.confex.com/nchc/2014/cfp.cgi

SIRP submitters will typically receive a decision on their submissions in late April/early May.  Please feel free to forward this note to your students who might enjoy discussing their research in Denver.

Cheers, Richard

Scholars Student Government

Now that Dr. Birgen is back from the National Conference, the next few blog posts will be items of interest to students.  The next one is:

Student Government Reborn

You may not have noticed, but the Scholars Student Council has been pretty ineffective this term.  I do not believe they have met and they certainly haven't planned anything for the Scholars Program.  I attended a presentation by some students who had recreated the Scholars Council at their university, Millikin.

Top Ten Tips

1. Have effective leadership
2. Act with purpose
3. Have structure in leadership
4. Think ahead
5. Never lead blind
6. Delegate responsibilities
7. Have regular meetings
8. Have accountability process
9. Host events
10. Engage members from the first year

They said one of the things they had changed that really helped is to have every person on the Council responsible for one and only one thing, all reporting to the Council President.  Their jobs were:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Public Relations Director
• Programming Director
• Academic Director
• Transition/Recruitment Director

Additionally, they created by-laws for their council which we also don't have.  They placed emphasis on community building and providing serviced to enhance the honors experience.

From their suggestions, I think the two things we can do yet this term is for the council to start meeting and to assign a job to every person on the council.  Your council members this year are Abbigail Mueller (assisting Andra while student teaching), Aditi Patel, Alexia Brewster, Andra Peeler, Benjamin Bogard, Bob King, Ella Newell, Kelsey Miner, Levi Endelman, Zach Schulz (stepping in for Alexia during Wartburg West).  The eight jobs I would propose, but of course are subject to change by the council are:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary/Treasurer
• Service Director
• Public Relations Director
• Programming/Special Events Director
• Academic Director
• Transition/Recruitment Director

Partners in the Parks

Now that Dr. Birgen is back from the National Conference, the next few blog posts will be items of interest to students.  The first is:

Partners in the Park

This is a collaboration between the National Park Service and the National Collegiate Honors Council, of which Wartburg is a member.  Students travel to a National Park for a week and study the location using the techniques of City as Text.  The costs are quite reasonable and the education is priceless.  This year there is a new opportunity to participate the day after Christmas in Florida in the Everglades.

Proposed Projects for 2014
1. Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 2-9)
2. Buffalo National River, AR (May 12-18)
3. Everglades Nat. Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1 2013)
4. Glacier National Park, MT (Aug 11-16)
5. GC-Parashant Nat, Mon, AZ (May 26-31)
6. Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11) 
7. Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10)
8. Shenandoah Nat. Park, VA (May 18-23) 

NCHC National Conference in New Orleans this November

The National Collegiate Honors Council Conference is November 6-10, 2013 in New Orleans.  Since no students have submitted a proposal to give a talk, there is money to take one or two students to this conference.  First choice is given to students who have attended a regional honors conference.  Please contact Dr. Birgen if you are interested.

Partners in the Parks proposed projects for 2013

Partners in the Parks: Outdoor Experiential Education for Students Partners in the Parks is an NCHC outdoor experiential learning program co-sponsored by Southern Utah University and Cedar Breaks National Monument. In 2013 we will be hosting a variety of academic adventures at national parks across the country. These week-long projects include seminars led by university faculty and park rangers as well as exciting recreational opportunities to broaden participants' understanding of the overall value of national parks to our country and its citizens. PITP programs are open to honors faculty and students from all majors and disciplines. If you are interested, send inquiries to honors@suu.edu. Proposed projects for 2013 Grand Canyon-Parashant, AZ (May 27-Jun 1) Great Basin National Park, NV (July 27-Aug 2) Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 4-10) Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10) Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11) Everglades National Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1) More information and online registration can be found on our web site: http://www.partnersintheparks.org What students have said… "I loved being in the backcountry and seeing snow in the desert." Zion National Park "I loved meeting new people and sharing our thoughts and ideas. " Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument "The seminars by rangers and faculty were all well done. The parks are a wonderful and difficult responsibility." Black Canyon of the Gunnison National park Financial Assistance is available for Partners in the Parks. The NCHC Student Stipend award provides $300 towards participation in a 2013 Partners in the Parks project. This funding is provided to help financially challenged students participate in the academic adventures hosted through Partners in the Parks. We encourage honors administrators to promote the stipend awards and encourage qualified candidates to apply. Two stipends will be provided for each of the remaining projects in the 2013 schedule. The online application and more information are available at the PITP website: http://www.partnersintheparks.org.

Partners in the Parks

Partners in the Parks: Outdoor Experiential Education for Students

Partners in the Parks is an NCHC outdoor experiential learning program co-sponsored by Southern Utah University and Cedar Breaks National Monument. In 2013 we will be hosting a variety of academic adventures at national parks across the country. These week-long projects include seminars led by university faculty and park rangers as well as exciting recreational opportunities to broaden participants’ understanding of the overall value of national parks to our country and its citizens. PITP programs are open to honors faculty and students from all majors and disciplines. If you are interested, send inquiries to honors@suu.edu.

Proposed projects for 2013

• Buffalo National River, AR (May 13-19)
• Virgin Islands National Park, VI (May 18-25)
• Grand Canyon-Parashant, AZ (May 27-Jun 1)
• Great Basin National Park, NV (July 27-Aug 2)
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 4-10)
• Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10)
• Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11)
• Everglades National Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1)

More information and online registration can be found on our web site: http://www.partnersintheparks.org

What students have said…

• “I loved being in the backcountry and seeing snow in the desert.” Zion National Park
• “I loved meeting new people and sharing our thoughts and ideas. “ Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
• “The seminars by rangers and faculty were all well done. The parks are a wonderful and difficult responsibility.“ Black Canyon of the Gunnison National park

Financial Assistance is available for Partners in the Parks. The NCHC Student Stipend award provides $300 towards participation in a 2013 Partners in the Parks project. This funding is provided to help financially challenged students participate in the academic adventures hosted through Partners in the Parks. We encourage honors administrators to promote the stipend awards and encourage qualified candidates to apply. Two stipends will be provided for each of the remaining projects in the 2013 schedule. The online application and more information are available at the PITP website: http://www.partnersintheparks.org.

Students interested in traveling to New Orleans

One Week Remains

Only one week remains to submit proposals for the 2013 NCHC Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 6-10, 2013.

NCHC is seeking proposals in the following categories:

• Forum on Diversity
• Forum on Teaching and Learning
• General Sessions
• Faculty Poster Session
• Idea Exchange
• Master Classes
• Roundtable Discussions
• Student Poster Sessions
• Student Interdisciplinary Research Panels
• Student Moderators

Complete details and further information about each of the sessions are available on the proposal guidelines page.

Note: You will be required to log in to the Conference Proposal site prior to submitting a proposal. If you do not have a user name and password, you will need to create a new account. Begin here.

Several NCHC Committees including Research, Science & Mathematics, and International Education among others are interested in organizing sessions at the conference. Those interested in participating in a committee-sponsored session should contact the appropriate committee chair for more information and then submit the presentation proposal in the General Session category.

• All proposals must be submitted on-line no later than Monday, March 4, 2013 at 11:59 PM CST. Proposals received after 11:59 PM CST March 4, 2013, will not be accepted.
• In order to submit a proposal, your institution must be a current 2013 member of NCHC.
• Proposals may be submitted in only ONE category. The same proposal may not be submitted in multiple categories or by different main presenters. Duplicate submissions will be disallowed.
• Participants are limited to two presentations, excluding pre-conference BIH and DIH sessions.
• Presenters of accepted proposals must have paid conference registration fees no later than September 16, 2013.

If you need assistance with the proposal submission process, please contact psouliere2@unl.edu or 402-472-9172. If you have questions about conference proposals, please contact conference chair Jim Ruebel at jruebel@bsu.edu or 765-285-1024.

We look forward to receiving your proposals!