Thiel College professor and honors director leads discussion on admissions practices

Posted November 10, 2021 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College Professor of History and Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D. led a round-table discussion on honors admissions practices at the 56th annual conference held by the National Collegiate Honors Council at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort near Orlando, Fla. on Oct. 27-31.

The conference highlights student and faculty research presentations from across the nation while providing training and development for honors program administrators and staff. The conference theme, “Reimagining Honors: Past, Present, Future,” examines the ways the global pandemic has caused us to reimagine how we do teaching, learning and community building within education, higher education, and honors education. How do we take the lessons learned from this time, personally, professionally and for our honors programs and colleges, to imagine a future we could not have envisioned just a few years ago?

Nowinski presented on “New Challenges and Opportunities in Admissions” with Rebecca Muich, Ph.D. Assistant Dean and Julie Boyer, Honors Advisor and Admissions Coordinator at Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

“The pandemic upended many of our admissions systems and practices. I wanted to share how Thiel and the Dietrich Honors Institute have adapted to find promising students ready to take on the challenge and rewards of honors education.”

The national submission process for the NCHC annual conference is highly selective, with hundreds of students and faculty submitting proposals each year.

“A presentation at the NCHC conference provides each individual with a unique opportunity to showcase the work being done in honors across the globe. However, each presenter also impacts the culture of the network, providing other honors colleagues a chance to discuss the topic, exploring collaborations, research, and innovation,” said Mary Beth Rathe, NCHC Executive Director.

While in Florida, Nowinski had the opportunity to network with other honors students and faculty from across the country, celebrate the unique community created by honors education, and take advantage of the unique surroundings provided by the Walt Disney World Resort location.

The National Collegiate Honors Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and enhance the community of educational institutions, professionals and students who participate in collegiate honors education around the world. NCHC members total nearly 800 institutions from the United States and around the world. Professional and organizational affiliate memberships are also available.