Honors College Associate Director Robert A. Emmons Jr.’s documentary film Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza has been playing to audiences throughout New Jersey this past year. Screenings have included:

  • Mt. Holly Library, NJ June 28, 2008.
  • Wharton State Park , Batsto Auditorium, June 21, 2008.
  • New Jersey State History Fair, May 3, 2008.
  • Garden State Film Festival, April 4-6, 2008. Winner: Best Homegrown Documentary Feature
  • New Jersey Historical Society, Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement Smithsonian Exhibition January 7, 2008.

The officers for the Honors Student Organization and the Honors Advisory Board have been elected for the 2008-2009 academic year. Congratulations to those elected; we look forward to a fruitful year. Your new officers are:

The Honors Student Organization

President:
Jim Terway ‘09
Vice President:
Tom James ‘10
Secretary:
Jayne Zubris ‘10

Treasurer:
Chrissy Vogt ‘11
GAO Rep:
Dan McArdle ‘09

The Honors Advisory Board

Ruby Bhattacharya ‘11
Dave Kramer ‘11
Cory Labbree ‘11

Emmons Teaches Documentary Film Master Classes at NCHC National Conference in Denver ’07 and will again in San Antonio ‘08.

Nickerson, Petersen, Emmons

Every year the administration and delegates from the Honors College attend and participate in the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. As part of the 2007 conference in Denver, Robert Emmons taught a Master Class titled: “Digital Documentary and Social Explorations." Emmons presented jointly with Southern Utah University's Matt Nickerson and Todd Petersen. This October, Emmons will again teach a master course in documentary filmmaking titled: “Documentary Film and Service Learning."

“The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is the professional association of undergraduate Honors programs and colleges; Honors directors and deans; and Honors faculty, staff, and students, NCHC provides support for institutions and

HAB and HSO members at NCHC in Denver

individuals developing, implementing, and expanding Honors education through curriculum development, program assessment, teaching innovation, national and international study opportunities, internships, service and leadership development, and mentored research.

At its annual fall conference and throughout the year, NCHC provides access to a network of Honors expertise, including consultants with extensive experience in all elements of Honors teaching, learning, and administration." NCHCHonors.org

 


 Honors College Alumni Association

Maria and Rachana
Kharriyah, Dolores, and Brandon
Rachana, Paola, and Tyler
Dean Rosoff and Amy

The 2007-2008 academic year brought exciting developments to both our current students and our alumni. Our staff and students often refer to the Honors College as a family. In recognizing the importance of staying connected with family, we sought to unify our alumni by founding the Honors College Alumni Association in Fall 2007. The goal of the organization is to plan and promote Honors College alumni activities, thus fostering lasting relationships between graduates and their alma mater. The HCAA board members convened in the Fall to flesh out the organization’s role and to brainstorm event ideas, which led to the first ever Honors College alumni mixer at The Victor’s Pub in Camden in February 2008. The event was a success, bringing together twenty-eight honors college alumni ranging from the class of 2003 to the class of 2007.

Rebecca and Vanessa
Matt, Mary Clare, Steve, Catie, Craig
Maria and Randy
Joseph and friend.

In addition to the new organization, Alumni Relations has recognized Honors College alumni’s participation at campus-wide events and their dedication to Rutgers. This acknowledgment granted the Honors College a reception at Reunion on the River 2008, which took place on Saturday, May 17th. This reception commemorated the 10th Anniversary of the Honors College, as well as celebrated all new Millennium graduates of Rutgers Camden. Dubbed the Honors College Coffee House Hour, this event was held in Starbucks in the Campus Center and featured live jazz, photos, and of course samples of Starbucks fare.
The Honors College at Reunion 2008

The HCAA is also working with Alumni Relations to become one of the first officially sanctioned Honors organizations at Rutgers University. Not only would sanctioning greatly benefit the Honors College, but it would also lend University-wide alumni support, The HCAA's programming could grow greatly from this new source. We will update you upon the Honors College Almuni Association's official chartering.

The board is reconvening for the 2008-2009 academic year and plans to organize many fun activities for the Fall and Spring. If you would like to hear about these events, please fill out the Information Update Form posted on the Honors College website so we have your accurate email and mailing address.

Maria Mullin '07
I am currently entering my second year as a Spanish teacher at Deptford High School. In addition to taking on an honors course, I will be the advisor for this year's Project Graduation. Everything is coming along wonderfully. I miss everyone from the Honors Lounge including Bobby and Dr. Woll. Good luck to all of the new-comers! 


Traci Arnold ‘08
I've been working for the most part. I joined the Rutgers Alumni Crew Team about a week after graduation, and have continued rowing with them, about 4-5 days a week. We've had 3 regattas so far, and have fared pretty well, getting better each race. I recently went on a 9 day Caribbean vacation, staying at Curacao and Tobago (of Trinidad and Tobago), had a really great time. It was very peaceful. Now that I am back I am looking forward to more work and rowing for Rutgers Alumni. I'll also be one of the assistant coaches for the Moorestown High School Rowing Team, which will be a few days a week.

Vanessa Cantarella ‘05
I have been with Takeda Pharma for about a year and live in Marlton, NJ.


Stu Ross ‘07
This year I was accepted to Loma Linda Medical School out in California , which is about an hour drive east from Los Angeles. I moved out to CA in July and began my "ward experience" in August. Classes officially began on the 25th. I’m not sure what specialty I want to get into yet, but I’m still really excited to be out in medical school in California.

Curtis Williams ‘07
I am currently working on a Master degree at NYU in the John W. Draper Interdisciplinary Master's Program in Humanities and Social Thought. I will be finishing this upcoming May. I also am working on applying to Ph.D. programs in History.


Josh ’07 and Rachel Wood ‘08
Rachel and I were married on May 30, 2008 at St Peter's RC Church in Merchantville NJ.

Rachel is currently looking for a job as a teacher in the Indiana County (PA) and is hoping to substitute if she cannot get a permanent teaching job. I am in my second and final year for my Master's Degree in Physics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. My thesis will be on theoretical modeling of semiconductor devices. I hope to go on to get my PhD in Physics. We currently are living in Indiana PA, no children yet but are planning to have several.

Jamie Boulden ‘08
This past summer was amazing: I traveled Western Europe for a month and visited 10 different countries. While in Rome, I was accepted to University at Buffalo School of Medicine. Once I came back to the U.S., I moved to Buffalo, NY and am now continuing my education as a first year medical student.


Rachel Scarlatta ‘08
Currently I'm in my second year of law school at Rutgers Camden. This past summer I worked as a law clerk at the law offices of Melli, Guerin, and Wall in Paramus, New Jersey. This fall I'm excited to be participating in the Moot Court Competition at the law school, working as a research assistant for a professor, and serving as the Junior Varsity cheerleading coach at Highland Regional High School in Blackwood , New Jersey for the second year.


Maria Garris ‘07
I am still working at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and I've gotten involved with a group that does Revolutionary War reenacting. It's been so much fun! I've been in all of the events so far this year, and we're planning on going to Virginia for a big event in October. Reenacting has also gotten me very interested in learning about 18th century American/British history, so I've been reading everything I can get my hands on!


Amy Sampson ‘05
I received my Masters in City and Regional Planning from the E.J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers in New Brunswick in May. I then went on a tour of Eastern Europe and visited Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest in June. I am currently employed as a Planning Analyst with GroupMelvinDesign in Woodbury, NJ.


Tyler Richendollar ‘06
I finished Teach for America (TFA), earned my Master of Education from Chestnut Hill College, and joined Leaders for Educational Equality (LEE). I'm spending lots of time volunteering and helping with the RUC Alumni Association. I also plan on traveling often in the next year.


Josh and Jayme Volz ‘08
I am currently working for TDI Design. TDI Design is a yacht interior design firm which has been the exclusive interior design firm for Viking Yachts for the past 34 years. Every interior of every Viking Yacht (ranging from '43 to '82) to come off the line over that time span has been designed by us. We are making an effort to expand our company from exclusively working with new Vikings to working with all different yacht makes; refurbishing and refitting their interiors. That is the department I am heading up. So, I attend many meetings at different marinas all over NJ and MD, and manage the projects by working with our designers and production house. My official title is Regional Sales Manager. Jayme is working as an RN at Virtua Hospital in Berlin. She works on the Medical-Surgical floor and is doing a great job. She really enjoys her work and is excelling at her position!


Nathan Jusko ‘08
Following graduation I was accepted into the Lockheed Martin Finance Leadership Development Program where I will participate in a series of conferences, workshops and classes as well as engage in three, one-year rotations within the company. I work out of Cherry Hill, so my day-to-day scenery hasn't changed much, but within the first two months of the program I have already participated in classes/conferences in Washington D.C. as well as a week long Leadership Development Conference down in Virginia. It has already been a rewarding experience and can attest to the fact that having the ability to put down "Honors College Graduate" on my resume definitely helped increasing my chances of getting this awesome career.

Phil Osborne ‘07
I just finished my first year of the Ph.D. program in philosophy at Purdue University. I'm a T.A. for an Introductory Philosophy of Religion class this semester; religion is usually a topic close to people's hearts, so perhaps this will be an opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of philosophy to ordinary life. With any luck, I should be able to finish the program within 3-4 more years. The only conceivable downside is that once I earn my degree I'll have to endure countless "Dr. Phil" jokes.


Jesse Stankiewicz ‘08
I am currently working at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as a nurse. I went on a cross country road trip the month of June and visited Glacier National Park in Montana. It is a beautiful place to hike.


Nathan Hitchen ‘07
After graduation I moved to Colorado Springs to participate in the fellowship program of the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society, and Law, a rigorous, semester long postgraduate academic fellowship for Christians interested in public affairs. After completing the academic component, John Jay fellows are placed in various state, federal, and international internships, and I landed an internship with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC. From January to May I worked at EPPC with one of their scholars and with former Sen. Rick Santorum. I then spent my summer interning with the Heritage Foundation, working with one of their analysts on nuclear energy policy. My research on the topic will be used eventually to help inform both presidential campaigns on nuclear energy (only McCain has been receptive to moving forward on nuclear, though Obama's people might look at it too). This September, I began earning my terminal M.A. degree from the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies ( SAIS ) in international relations, though I'm concentrating in Middle East Studies and Economics. It's a two year program, and I might spend next summer somewhere in the Middle East to refine my Arabic language practice.

Mat Wright ‘07
I have been super busy the past year at Temple University working on my MFA in Directing at their School of Communications and Theater, where I'm studying on a University Fellowship. Last year, I assistant directed and played piano on “Into the Woods” in the fall, and in the spring I directed “The Madness of Lady Bright” by Lanford Wilson, and “Thoroughly Modern Millie” at the Ritz Theatre in South Jersey. I was honored last fall with a Barrymore Award for Musical Direction on Mum Puppettheatre's production of “The Fantasticks!” This September I will be working in NYC as Assistant Director on a new off-Broadway musical called Twilight in Manchego, which is having its world-premiere in the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). It's being directed by Broadway veteran Billy Porter, and stars Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper as well as my best friend, Adam Halpin, who also graduated from Rutgers and just made his Broadway debut this spring in Glory Days!

At the moment, I'm deep in pre-production for Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House,” which is my project for the fall at Temple. I'm adapting it for a contemporary audience and hopefully making a production of that will show Ibsen for the incredible poet, humanist, and thinker he was. Temple has been wonderful. I think of my time at Rutgers very often. I spent many semesters writing and talking about the works of Albert Camus with Dr. Horowitz and linguistics with Dr. Epstein (which still influence my work) and making theatre pieces with Paul Bernstein, not to mention my work on musical theatre with Martin Dillon which has proved invaluable. He taught me everything I know about accompanying and gave me my first job as a music director.


Lynn Fischer ‘01
I'm working as an associate at Dann Dorfman Herrell and Skillman, a law firm specializing in Intellectual Property in Center City Philadelphia. I recently earned my M.S. this spring from Rutgers-Camden in Biology.

Adam Kibola ‘05
I just started my second year at Dartmouth Medical School. I am working toward a career in surgery with a particular focus on international health.


Mike ’05 and Gina Sachetti ’06
Gina and I were married on November 10, 2007 at St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Marlton, NJ, which is where we currently live.


Atnre ’06 and Tatiana Alleyne
I got married to Tatiana Poladko last August at Rutgers Gardens in New Brunswick. I met Tatiana where we worked at the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs on campus in 2005. We were also in the Masters of Public Administration program together and served as President (Tatiana) and Vice President (me) of the Public Administration Student Association until we graduated in 2007. I'm now going into my second year of doctoral studies at University of Delaware in their Department of Political Science and International Relations. I'm researching place branding and public diplomacy and working with Professor David Wilson, whom I worked with previously as an intern at the Gallup Organization. Also, I was recently appointed to the Camden Empowerment Zone Corporation Board. I moved to Camden with Tatiana in August when we got married and was looking for opportunities to get involved with community empowerment. CEZC provided a prime opportunity.


Gabe Horneff
I am doing really well. Loving medical school now that I am in the clinics and actually getting hands on. I still have a strong interest in orthopaedics and I am actually thinking about taking a year out and doing research in peds ortho at CHOP. Overall, medical school has been great... always striving to do better. I will finish up my core rotations in December and then I will be on an easier schedule and studying for my boards. I appreciate all you and Robert have done for me.

Heather Hilt
I recently graduated from Rutgers again with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I passed my boards in July and started working at Virtua in Mount Holly. I work on the Med-Surge Oncology floor. When I am not at the hospital, I work for the Camden Riversharks as the Merchandise Manager. In my free time, I try to travel.

Andy Zazzera
I started working as a generalist for an animation studio in North Jersey about 3 weeks before graduation, and have been there since. I started on two 30-seconds spots for Sesame Street, which aired about a month ago. They were created almost entirely by me and another Rutgers grad, Eric Thivierge. Between us we did about 95% of the work on the spots.

Paola Antenucci
Since my graduation from Rutgers-Camden last year I have had a very exciting year. The summer after graduating I was able to spend six weeks studying Spanish at the University of Salamanca in Spain. During the fall of 2007 I completed the Teacher Preparation Program at Rutgers-Camden and became certified to teach Spanish and Elementary Education. Three days after completing my student teaching, I started my first full-time teaching position as a Spanish teacher at Monongahela Middle School. This position gave me a wealth of teaching experience. This fall I will put that knowledge to good use as I begin a new school year, this time teaching Spanish I and IV at Deptford High School. This past July I traveled to Alaska to visit friends. In the time that I spent there I was able to see amazing landscapes, go salmon and halibut fishing, take photos of moose by the side of the road, and just relax. I can’t wait to see what this year brings.

The Bookshelf is an annual recap of Honors College faculty publications, lectures, and research.

Dr. Janet Golden, History

Dr. Tyler Hoffman, English
  • "Reenacting American Civil War Poetry" in /Teaching Nineteenth-Century American Poetry/ (MLA Options for Teaching Series, 2007), pp. 67-81.
  • "Representing AIDS: Thom Gunn and the Modalities of Verse" in Multiformalisms (Word Press, 2008).
  • Editor of Mickle Street Review as well as author of original scholarship in the latest issue, available at http://micklestreet.rutgers.edu

Dr. Andrew Lees, History

Dr. Charlotte Markey, Psychology
  • Garcia, L. & Markey, C. N. (2007). Matching in sexual experience for married, cohabiting, and dating couples. Journal of Sex Research, 44, 250-255.
  • Markey, C. N., Gomel , J. N., & Markey, P. M. (2008). Romantic relationships and eating regulation: An investigation of partners' attempts to control each others' eating behaviors. Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 422-432.
  • Markey, P. M., & Markey, C. N.  (2008, in press).  Complementarity.  In H. Reis & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Relationships, Thousand Oaks , CA: Sage Publications.
  • Marmorstein, N.R., Iacono, W.G., Markey, C. N.  (2008, in press). Parental Psychopathology and Migraine Headaches Among Adolescent Girls. Cephalalgia.

Dr. Nancy Rosoff, Associate Dean, Camden College of Arts and Sciences
  • "You are the finest, squarest girl I know: Sport, Character, and Redemption in American Schoolgirl Novels" Presented at the Women’s History Network Annual Conference, in Glasgow, Scotland, in September.
  • "Collecting Marjorie Dean: An American Schoolgirl Series" Presented at the Women’s History Network Annual Conference, in Winchester, England.

Dr. Allen Woll, History & Director of Honors College
  • "The Color Purple" for a Cambridge University Press publication, Barton Palmer, ed. 20th Century American Fiction on Screen.
  • Update for Black Musical Theater: From Coontown to Dreamgirls for Louisiana State University Press in progress.




On April 29, 2008 Rutgers-Camden took a day to recognize the scholarly research and academic achievement of its undergraduate students by encouraging them to display and discuss their research at the annual CURCA, A Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. The students participating in CURCA represent sixteen disciplines and worked with twenty-eight faculty members. The Honors College made up an impressive portion of the presenters: seven out of twenty-two tables held the research of our students. Here is a brief overview of the exciting research conducted by our outstanding Honors students.

Two-time CURCA veteran Grace Keene presented her work in Religion and Philosophy entitled “Progressive Revelation” under the tutelage of Dr. John Wall. Keene says that progressive revelation is the idea that all revelation comes from one God. Her thesis is that progressive revelation exists in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Keene argues that these religions are all one because they come from the same God.

Biology major Anton Triner presented his project with Dr. William Saidel entitled “Aspect of the retina of Pantodon buchholzi.” Using the transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, Triner is analyzing facets of the retina of Pantodon buchholzi. He says that the big picture is an understanding of retinomotor movement in the retina relative to which quadrant is observed. He is the recipient of both the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Grant and the Biology Undergraduate Research Scholarship.

Danielle Counts presents
Melissa Friedberg and Ben Panter, artists
Mike McClain explains as Emmons eats

Psychology major Danielle Counts conducted research with Dr. Daniel Hart and presented her work “Agency and Communion in Relation to Marriage” at the 2008 CURCA. Counts’ research involved coding autobiographical interviews for themes of agency and communion using the coding system established by Dan P. McAdams. Once questions were analyzed, Counts hypothesized that people high in communion would be more likely to remain in unhappy marriages compared to people high in agency.

Honors College Biology/Psychology double major Theresa Campanella worked on a group project with Erica King and Brett Weister entitled “Feelings, Thoughts, Behaviors, and Goals in Particular Emotions.” The group was mentored by Dr. Ira Roseman and the principal aim of this research is to determine whether particular states hypothesized to be different positive, negative, or neutral-valence emotions can be distinguished from each other using a questionnaire about recalled and current emotion experiences.

Honors College senior and Honors Advisory Board President Mike McClain presented research conducted under Dr. Gabor Toth entitled “Transcriptions, Transliterations, and Translations: The Processes of Deciphering Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs.” McClain used the recent advancement in the grammatical understanding of hieroglyphs by Egyptologists and linguists to translate hieroglyphs in order to gain a better understanding of Ancient Egyptian life, culture, and religion. His research involved translating through various historical texts, famous Egyptian stories, and propaganda stelae.

Melissa Friedberg, art major and recipient of the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Grant, presented her project “Painting Beyond the Frames.” Conducted under Professor Margery Amdur, Friedburg used the canvas “to loosen the painting from the bounds of the canvas” by painting human figures on unstretched canvas, cutting them out, starching them and then hanging them. Friedburg says that because the figures will not have a background, they will be within the viewing space of the observer, and come into the real world, rather than rest in the world of the painting. Additionally, these works will discuss universal topics, thus presenting the subject so that it enters the space of the viewer, rather than remaining within a frame or standard format, proving that painting still can interact in today’s world.

Another skilled art major and recipient of the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Grant Ben Panter presented his work entitled “Sculptural Photography.” His project focused on one large scale, conceptual photographic work. Panter’s work meets that challenge that all photographers have in representing a 3D subject on a 2D surface. In his project he took a 2D photograph and pushed it back into 3D space by hanging and overlapping the photographs of a tree image on wood panels hung by wire. When viewed directly from the front, the image of the tree is seen. This hanging treatment renders the whole work very mobile, so any moving air will cause the panels to move, representing the qualities of a tree.



Honors seminars are small, discussion based, special topics courses designed to challenge and excite our students. As an Honors College student at Rutgers-Camden, you will work with professors who are among the leading experts in their fields. In our seminars you will receive more extensive and personal attention than is possible in most college courses. Students often meet in an informal setting where ideas are discussed around the table in a comfortable classroom.

Once again the Honors College had the extraordinary opportunity to offer innovative and provocative seminars to our students. This year’s offerings were as eclectic as ever and ranged throughout the diverse areas of study on campus.

Honors seminars offered in the Fall 2007 included Reflections on Godel, Escher, Bach; Language, Power, And Politics; Health And Society; Propaganda: What it Is , Why it Matters; and U.S. Immigration Policy.

Professor Rosoff with her Heroes and Heartbreak: Sports in American Popular Culture attending a Rutgers Women's Basketball game.

Spring 2008 seminars included Passing in American Literature and Film; The Making of Modern Europe, 1750-2000; Race and Ethnicity in the Americas: A Comparative History; Heroes and Heartbreak: Sports in American Popular Culture; Information, Mathematics and the Real World; Minds and Bodies; Approaches to Leadership; and Ancient Egypt.

Continuing with our pledge to academic experiences within and outside the classrooms, our seminars visited the Mutter Museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Baseball As America exhibit at the National Constitution Center, a Rutgers Women’s Basketball game where students witnessed Coach Stringer’s 800th win, and Egypt!

We’re very excited and pleased to announce the 2008-2009 seminars.

Fall 2008: Children and Violence; "Make it New" Or How 20th-Century Literature and Art Broke the Mold; American Biography; Revolutions and Reform in 20 th Century China; Is the Universe Elegant?; Democracy and Dictatorship in the Movies; Psychology of Leadership; Psychology and Marketing; Or They Will Destroy Us! (Writing for Science Fiction Radio Theater).

There is exciting news for our Spring 2009 seminars. We are entering into a partnership with the School of Business wherein seminars can receive credit for business elective for those students enrolled in the School of Business. Seminars include: Kid Stuff: American Literature for and About Children; British Popular Culture: Past and Present; The Value of Information: Probabilistic Reasoning, Inference and Information; 20th Century Music and Society; The Death Penalty, Abortion, Censorship, Meaning of Art, Affirmative Action, And The Existence of God; Approaches to Leadership; Time and Technology: Examining Today’s 24-7 World; The Informed Critic: Film Review Writing; Two to Tango: Cultural Aspects of the River Plate Region; Literature of South Africa; and soon to be announced seminars in French and Psychology.




As Honors College students, we already know you are ambitious, hard-working, intelligent scholars; however, Rutgers University gives you a few more ways to prove your mettle and beef up your already impressive resume. Keep your eye on these Honors societies.

Athenaeum
Athenaeum, the official Honors Society of the university, was founded in 1952 to encourage and recognize academic excellence on the Rutgers University-Camden campus. Athenaeum’s namesake reflects learning: the ancient Greeks called their temples of Athena (the goddess of wisdom) Athenaeum. The schools of literature, oratory and philosophy were also referred to as Athenaeum. Candidates for membership must be in their junior or senior year at Rutgers-Camden. Juniors must have a minimum GPA of 3.7 and have completed at least 80 credits at Rutgers-Camden. Seniors must have a minimum of a 3.5 and 60 credits earned at Rutgers-Camden. If you have achieved either of these criteria, you will be notified in the Spring of your invitation into the Honors Society. For more information please contact Robert Emmons.

Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious liberal arts honorary society in the United States. According to their website, Phi Beta Kappa “stands for freedom of inquiry and expression, disciplinary rigor, breadth of intellectual perspective, the cultivation of skills of deliberation and ethical reflection, the pursuit of wisdom, and the application of the fruits of scholarship and research in practical life.” The organization was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and the Alpha chapter in the state of New Jersey was established at Rutgers College in 1869. Each spring term, Phi Beta Kappa invites to membership in the society outstanding juniors and seniors who are liberal arts majors.

All liberal arts majors must have an outstanding academic record (a GPA of 3.5 if seniors, 3.8 if juniors) and

2008 PBK Inductees with Dean Palis

have taken a year of foreign language at the intermediate level. Generally, in addition to high academic standing, students must have completed a significant number of credits at Rutgers (the numbers vary depending on academic status and whether one has transferred), have demonstrated success broadly across the liberal arts, have taken a foreign language at least through the intermediate level, and be enrolled in a curriculum that is not predominantly professional training.

For further information on Phi Beta Kappa can be found by visiting their website, or by contacting Dr. Allen Woll.


Tom James in Peru

Each year in the Fall term, the Honors College hosts a lunch to inform students of the value of a study abroad experience. Please keep an eye on your email inboxes for the date this fall!

There are many oportunities for Rutgers-Camden students to study abroad. Students can participate in the more traditional study abroad experience through the University, wherein, they attend a foreign college for a semester, academic year, or summer term. To read about the Rutgers University Study Abroad Program visit their site: Rutgers Study Abroad. As their website states: "Studying abroad changes your perspective and gives you new insight to how the world looks to other people and cultures. So, come on, with our more than 40 programs in 20 countries, take that leap and turn your world upside down!"

Also, Rutgers-Camden offers a supplemental study abroad experience through our International Studies Program.

Amy Sampson in Budapest
Atnre Alleyne in London
Chrissy Vogt in Egypt

About the Program:

International Studies at Rutgers in Camden is a unique program, an alternative or supplement to the traditional year or semester abroad sponsored by many American universities. Our emphasis is on integrating brief periods of travel with regularly-offered courses in our university curriculum here in Camden. Each year, usually during the Spring term, the program sponsors between five and ten courses, working with academic departments and individual faculty members to extend the work of the classroom into a first-hand experience of cultural life outside the United States.

Faculty members accompany their students on these study tours, and travel may take place during Winterim, over Spring break, or after classes end in May. The program is ideal for students who want some exposure to foreign cultures but for whom an extended period abroad may not be feasible. Most courses are undergraduate, though graduate credit is available in some departments. Travel expenses are in addition to tuition.

International Studies courses have travelled to China, Japan, Mongolia, France, Israel, Ireland, Holland, Russia, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, Italy, Poland and many other places around the globe.The Honors College offers many of its seminars as International Studies courses. Past seminar trips have included: "Ancient Egypt", "Archaic Greece", "What Historians Do" with a trip to London. This Spring the Honors College will host seminars that will travel to England and South America.

It is no overstatement that a study abroad experience can change a students life. So consider the possiblities and get involved!

The phrase that every first-year college student fears (besides "term bill") is "summer reading". In the summer of 2007 all incoming freshmen were required to read Joanne Harris’s Chocolat. This was the beginning of a semester-long sojourn into the text, context, composition, and adaptation of the novel. Students discussed the novel and wrote papers in their English Composition courses in preparation for several events in the Fall, including a Chocolate Festival, a private audience with the screenwriter, Robert Nelson Jacobs, and a discussion with author Joanne Harris.

The Chocolate Festival was held in October ’07 in the Multipurpose Room where individual tables held student projects pertaining to the novel and accompanying homemade chocolate desserts. Observers could wander from table-to-table observing student research while catching a sugar buzz. Honors College freshman Jesse Ito, chef at family-owned Japanese restaurant Fuji, brought in chocolate crème brulee. As seen by the crowd in the picture, he stole the show with his presentation and dessert. It was indeed a gluttonous day.

Jesse Ito makes chocolate crème brulee
Robert Nelson Jacobs talks with students
Joanne Harris with Dr. Blackford

In November, Honors College students were privileged to meet and interact with Robert Nelson Jacobs, the screenwriter of Chocolat in a private luncheon. The film starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, and Alfred Molina was nominated for eight Oscars including Best Writing and Best Picture in 2000. Jacobs was very friendly, fielding the students’ many questions on writing, adapting, and the film industry.

Several months later on April 25th the author Joanne Harris made an appearance in the Honors College before giving her university-wide talk. Harris was promoting the release of The Girl with No Shadow, the sequel to Chocolat. Harris was kind enough to make a stop in Camden on her U.S. tour. Associate Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program Holly Blackford was able to secure a visit from the best-selling author after much persistence and communication with Harris’ agent.

Dr. Blackford chose Chocolat as the summer reading because, like the plot of the novel, she was looking to build a community among first-year students. This past year’s events surrounding Chocolat offered students many opportunities for social and intellectual growth.

Honors College Nursing students celebrate graduating

On April 24, 2008 the Honors College continued with its tradition of honoring the accomplishments of our high achieving seniors at the annual Senior Night of Honors at Café Aldo Lamberti in Cherry Hill. Twenty-four of our best students came out with their family members to indulge in an evening of fine dining, good company, and short, but sweet speeches by Dr. Allen Woll, Robert Emmons,

Robert, Jeff, and Dean Rosoff

Dean Nancy Rosoff, and the Class of 2008’s own Mike McClain. Out of the twenty-four students, an impressive five students were Nursing majors, representing the largest major present at the event and promising a bright future for health care in the local area. Besides celebrating our seniors’ academic success, we also take pleasure in highlighting their participation in many diverse and exciting extracurricular activities. Holding officer positions in student organizations, international studies trips to Greece and Turkey, Egypt, Ireland, and Japan, and honors in athletics are only a few examples of the range of projects pursued by our excellent scholars.

We in the Honors College congratulate our Class of 2008 and wish you continued success in your personal and professional goals!



HAB Announcements:
1. Trip: Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center - Sept. 25th
2. Show: Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Rossini's "The Italian Girl in Algiers" w/Alumni Association - Nov. 19th
3. Show: Talk Cinema at the Showcase at the Ritz with the Alumni Association - Dec. 7th
4. Trip: Riversharks game - Date TBA
5. Ethnic Dinners - Dates TBA
6. Movie Night(s) - Dates TBA
7. Trip: Philadelphia Museum of Art - Dates TBA

For more information please email the HAB.

HSO Announcements: