Advisory Board Update
Members of the Honors College advisory board have long served as ambassadors for the College, supporting the Honors mission by taking leadership roles in fundraising and connecting the Honors College with the Houston business and civic communities. This year, the advisory board wanted to play an even more active role in the College and increase its interaction with students, faculty, and staff. On October 1, members embraced this ambition with an advisory board retreat.
Attended by 14 board members and hosted in the Honors College Commons, the retreat
featured lively round-table discussion and breakout sessions, as well as special performances
by students of the College. 鈥淗onors has a great group of very talented and ambitious
students,鈥� said advisory board president Steven Hecht (鈥�98, Accounting). 鈥淭he retreat was an excellent opportunity to learn more about
them.鈥� One achievement of the retreat was the creation of working committees, formed
on the basis of current funding priorities and member interest.
The Lencian committee, headed by board member Jeff Dodd (鈥�76, Political Science), aims to perpetuate the legacy of Ross Lence through the annual Lence Master Teacher Residency and ongoing student scholarship support.
The One Thousand Years of Honors committee, headed by board members Vince Foster and Benadetto Bosco, supports the new One Thousand Years of Honors scholarship fund. As described in 础谤别迟茅鈥檚 spring 2011 issue, this fund aims to provide $1000 scholarships to 1000 students over the next 10 years鈥攖hereby supporting a thousand years of Honors education.
The Great Conversation committee, led by honorary event chair Jane Cizik (鈥�83, Spanish), event co-chair and board member Connie Simmons Taylor (鈥�91, English), and board members Craig Enochs (鈥�94, Psychology) and Karen Webster (鈥�95, Management), supports the College鈥檚 most important fundraiser. Funds generated by The Great Conversation provide essential student scholarship assistance and special support to Honors faculty and programs.
Advisory board member Trey Wilkinson (鈥�94, Marketing) heads the College Ambassador committee, whose mission is to assist the College in the recruitment of future students and spread the word about the Honors College in the business community.
Martin Cominsky (鈥�80, Journalism) leads the Bylaws and Nominating committee, whose goal is to revise advisory board bylaws and investigate, cultivate, and nominate new members. As these committees grow, the board hopes they will be filled with a mix of both board members and other members of the Honors College community, creating a cohesive group of enthusiastic individuals striving to perpetuate the mission of the Honors College.
Hecht praised members of the board for their commitment and desire to work on behalf of the College: 鈥淭he advisory board has been such a strong supporter of Honors and its goals. I am proud to be associated with such a caring and supportive group. I believe these new committees will enhance the board鈥檚 effectiveness and allow us to maximize its contribution in the years ahead.鈥�
For more information about the advisory board, the committees, or how you can participate, please contact Beth Kungel Borck at 713.743.3220 or bkborck@uh.edu.