Spring Break 2020 City-As-Text Career and Cultural Study: Destination -- Washington, D.C
For spring break 2020, March 7th -11th, 10 members of the W. Franklin Evans Honors College engaged in a city-as-text experience in Washington, D.C. “City-as-Text” is a common academic engagement activity among honors communities,” explained Karen E. Countz, Coordinator of the Honors College. “The purpose of city-as-text is to provide opportunities for students to learn, provide service, and engage in civic and community leadership projects outside of the classroom,” added Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Honors Scholars participated in the following activities during the Washington D.C. City-as-Text Career and Cultural experience: tours of the National Museum of African American History & Culture, the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, the National Mall and Memorial Parks, Capitol Hill, and the United States Library of Congress. The Scholars also engaged in daily oral and written journal reflections about the impact of the experiences.
Honors College and Presidential Scholar, Denzel Walls, junior Business Administration major shared, “It was such a wonderful experience. We got a chance to experience many of our national treasures that most people only get to see on television. There was so much about our history, past and future that we discussed during the experience.”
A special highlight of the experience was the facilitation of a Master Class by Mr. Anthony "TJ" Jackson, Aerospace Engineer with John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Additionally, students met international students from South Africa and discussed college life in the United States. “Our City-as-Text experience in Washington, D.C. was a dynamic, exciting and wonderful way of learning,” stated Dawn Freeman, Honors College Scholar and SCICU Researcher, senior Biology major.
Honors College Representatives Attend Benedict College's Annual Honors Program Induction
On February 25, 2020, Honors Scholars, administrators and staff attended the Annual Honors Induction Ceremony at Benedict College, Columbia, S.C. Honors Director, Dr. Gwenda Greene and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Janeen P. Witty, recognized the Voorhees College attendees for their collegiality and institutional partnership. Voorhees College expects to expand its collegial presence and exchange with local and regional honors programs. Additionally, Voorhees expects to participate for the fourth consecutive year in the National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP) sponsored by Fisk University, November 11-14, 2020 in Nashville, TN.
Honors College's Campus Community reading, movie, and dinner event of Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy
Monday, January 20, 2020. To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment and ultimate sacrifice for social justice in America and around the world, members of the
Voorhees College W. Franklin Evans Honors College, read the memoir and viewed the critically acclaimed blockbuster movie, “Just Mercy” as a King’s Day activity.
The film viewing took place after honors students and honors council members engaged in the common reading of “Just Mercy: The Story of Justice and Redemption Justice and
Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson.
The memoir describes the enduring racism and legal and political obstruction, Stevenson and Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) faced as he takes on what will become the case of his lifetime
by defending Walter McMillan, an African-American sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year -old White girl.
The Honors College Master Class Series .jpg)
Beginning in January 2020, the Master Class Series, produced exclusively for Honors College Scholars, has provided members the opportunity to hear and learn about the career path, dreams, aspirations, inspirations, challenges, failures, and successes of the Master Class facilitator in a small group setting. Master Class is interactive and synergistic by design. To date, the Master Class facilitators include Dr. W. Franklin Evans, 9th President and CEO of Voorhees College, Mr. Mike Colter, actor, widely known for his portrayal of the Marvel Comics superhero, Luke Cage, and Mr. Anthony "TJ" Jackson, Aerospace Engineer with John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.