If you are an HC alum, please help us keep in touch with you and update our records by filling out this brief survey.

Congratulations to our recent alums!

Alan Terlep ('94) has accepted a call to serve as pastor of the First Christian Church in Princeton, Ill. He was ordained by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in September.

Mary Wermuth (Honors College Advisory Council) recently retired from the International Academy where she was the Dean of Humanities. Tour directing isnow her hobby and she enjoys working and traveling with bands, orchestras, and choirs throughout the world.

Marcia Wieland ('06) is the new choral and drama director at Eaton Rapids High School.

Elspeth Coats (Galloway '91) was elected as 2006 President of the Rochester Area Jaycees!

Kay Ellen Wilkins ('88) of the Rochester Conservatory of Music will receive a 2006 Musikgarten Exemplary Program Award at the Musikgarten Festival in North Carolina March 3-5, 2006.

Sumeera Younis ('05) is attending the University of Michigan Law School.

Matt MacLeod ('05) is now employedd as a history teacher by Lahser High School.

Nisha Yoyakey ('04) recently became employed by the Utica School District as a kindergarten teacher.

Lauren Schoenstein ('04) and her husband, Ron,announced the birth of their first child, Anja Erin, born on December 9, 2004. Congratulations Lauren and Ron!

Christy Hicks, an HC alumni Saves Lives in Laos

Congratulations to Kristi (Woodward) Hameedi (HC '91) who graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School (MBA '03).

Michelle Kokones Beich (HC ' 93) is a Quality Systems Specialist with RWD Technology on site at Daimler Chrysler.

Allan Rinke (HC ' 97) received his doctorate from Wayne State University School of Medicine in June 2002. He will perform a residency in ophthalmology at the Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit. He would like to thank the staff at Oakland University's Eye Research Institute. His experiences at the ERI influenced his decision to study opthalmology and helped him gain acceptance into the specialty.

Rosemarie Smith (HC ' 86) is proud to announce that her son, Keith Smith, began his freshman year at OU in Fall 2002. Keith is studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in German.

Honors College Alumni

If you would like to become involved in The Honors College Alumni Association, please contact Jude Nixon at (248) 370-4450.

To learn more about The Honors College Alumni Advisory Council, see Honors College Alumni Advisory Council on the HC Faculty and Staff link.

For information about or to join the Oakland University Alumni Association, visit the OU Alumni Web site.

Testimonials

"We expose bright, curious students to exciting, innovative curriculum and our best OU professors. They gain knowledge and creative vision. We gain a vibrant intellectual and social community."

- Jude Nixon
Director, The Honors College of Oakland University

"We'd find ourselves in the middle of these great, intense conversations - exactly the kind of lively, memorable discussions you'd always hope to have when you're in college."

- Lenora Ledwon
Law Professor
St. Thomas University School of Law, Florida

"OU's Honors College sets you apart, forces you to become involved and opens up a lot of opportunities. It teaches you how to think more creatively and accept a broader range of thinking."

- Lani Morgan
Current OU Student

"The Honors College opened my eyes to possibilities that before were only dreams."

- Susan Jezewski Evans
Judicial Law Clerk for Judge George E. Woods

"Just being able to meet and interact with your peers in a scholarly, supportive environment is great."

- Lenora Ledwon
Law Professor
St. Thomas University School of Law, Florida

It's been described as "creative," "intellectually stimulating," "challenging," and "just great fun" - and The Honors College at Oakland University is all of these things. High achievers flourish in this challenging environment that touts intimate class sizes, open forums for creative expression, opportunities to study abroad and colloquiums on the controversial topic of the day.

"The classes are smaller, the challenges are greater and the education you receive is premier," says Susan Jezewski Evans, a judicial law clerk, president of OU's alumni association and a former Honors College student. "What's great about The Honors College is how invested the professors are in your success. And you develop a group of peers that you have for the rest of your career. All the advantages far outweigh the increased challenges of the work."

The added challenges - which keep undergraduate students on their toes and reaching for the pinnacle of excellence - includes a more demanding course load and heightened graduation requirements such as advanced foreign language and concentrated thesis development.

"We developed a fearlessness that allowed us to take on new intellectual challenges - challenges I would never have taken without this support," explains Lenora Ledwon, Law Professor at St. Thomas University School of Law in Florida and OU Honors College alum.

Ledwon also fondly remembers unique courses that "opened her eyes" to interests beyond her own discipline, as well as fun events that buffered the rigorous schedule. The Honors College continues to promote extra activities such as plays, seminars, monthly poetry readings and an annual talent show, which the students coordinate themselves.

"When you think of an honors college, you think of advanced courses in math and science, but OU is really supportive of the arts," explains Honors College student and council representative Lani Morgan. "The college promotes and showcases real creativity and abstract thinking. It's a broad, well rounded program."