Month: November 2011

Honors Program Alumni eNewsletter (Fall 2011)

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A Message from the Director

To our Honors alumni,

Can you believe it has been nearly 50 years since President Babbidge envisioned an Honors Program to educate the best and brightest college students from the state of Connecticut and beyond? A handful of outstanding students joined the freshman class in 1964, and they were followed by thousands. Many of these accomplished alumni have, indeed, fulfilled President Babbidge’s dream.

As director of UConn Honors, I have had the privilege of working with extraordinary students and alumni during the past nine years. It has been a goal of mine to share their stories with you, and generally to keep you up to date with news on how—and what—your Honors Program is doing. Since I arrived in 2002 we have been growing and developing at a breath-taking speed, and there has been little time to step back and talk about our work. Continue reading →

Honors Class Notes (Fall 2011 eNewsletter)

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1960s

Holley (Hewitt) Ulbrich ’63 just published the second edition of her textbook, Public Finance in Theory and Practice, with Routledge Publishing. This is her ninth published book. Holley is Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita of Economics at Clemson University. Billie (Bill) DeWalt ’69 left the University of Pittsburgh as Distinguished Service Professor of Public and International Affairs in 2007 to serve as Founding President and Director of the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Ariz. MIM opened on April 24, 2010, and has been recognized as one of the outstanding museums of the world. Continue reading →

Honors graduate puts problem-solving skills into practice

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By the Honors Program

Outside the window of his classroom was a view of the Mexican border. His students were children growing up too fast in a climate of border violence and poverty. But Jeffrey “Steve” Ferketic ’08 found a way to reach them. Ferketic joined Teach for America, seeking to make a difference in the lives of south Texas students. A biology and political science double major in the Honors Program, Ferketic was inspired by the other teachers in his family. He also knew his UConn education had prepared him for the challenges of this experience. Continue reading →

Recent alumni pay it forward with new giving fund

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By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

A $10,000 gift established a new Honors giving fund this summer. Its donors are three Honors alumni who’ve graduated within the past six years. According to one of the fund’s creators, Nate Eaton ’05, “Our vision for the Young Honors Alumni Fund is to provide a mechanism through which young alumni can give back to the students of the Honors Program so that they may fulfill their own vision of an Honors experience at UConn.” Continue reading →

Young scholars discover potential through Holster grants

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2011 holsters

By Cheryl Cranick, Honors Program

In September, Robert Holster ’68 witnessed the culmination of his generosity: the first Holster Scholar presentations. His $1 million gift, given jointly by his wife Carlotta ’68, funds the Holster Scholar First Year Project, sponsoring Honors student research. But it has a unique qualification: the grants are given to first years.

Holster felt giving back was an “obligation,” crediting UConn Honors as “fundamental to getting me off to a good start,” he said. He was a member of the inaugural Honors class in 1964. Continue reading →