Katherine Branscum, an international business senior, hopes to land her first job; junior finance major Remington Rice is looking for a summer internship. Both students are Honors College Fellows.

The clothing du jour?  Suits, crisp shirts, nicely cut jackets and day dresses, and of course – backpacks. Welcome to the Spring 2012 Career Fair, organized by the Walton College of Business and open to students across campus.

In today’s economy, with college graduates having to hustle a bit harder to avoid bunking at home with their parents, post-graduation, it makes sense that more than 600 students updated their resumes, polished their dress shoes and showed up for the Spring 2012 Career Fair. What is surprising is the record number of potential employers – 98 companies and organizations – who sent a representative to the fair.

Companies are always on the lookout for talent, according to Sarah Head, a recruiter for Walmart, which handled some of the longest lines of hopeful students.

“I would say I’ve interviewed, hmm, probably at least 50,” Head said as she thumbed through a thick stack of resumes. “We always look at GPA, extracurricular activities, work experience and other internships, student organization and project involvement. Study abroad we like – any kind of international experience, and different languages.” When asked whether being an honors student helped, she affirmed: “It does, because we know there’s a strong GPA involved with that, and usually extracurricular activities, special classes, and study abroad, as well.”

Remington Rice, a junior Honors College fellow majoring in finance, who wants to go into investment banking, was there looking for a summer internship.

“An internship is very essential for students who want to market themselves to the business world after graduation,” he said. “And this is a way to get my foot in the door with companies like Tyson, Walmart, and Northwestern Mutual. For them to know your name, that’s an advantage,” he added.

Katherine Branscum, a senior international business major with a concentration in supply chain management, was intent on landing her first job. “I’ve literally been here all day,” she said, reeling off a long list of companies with whom she’d visited. “It’s tough, because I’m locationally challenged. My fiance’s in medical school in Little Rock, so I can’t be mobile.”

Senior Alice McMillan, left, an honors marketing major/Spanish minor, chats with Rebel Smith, a graduate recruiter for Walton College.

Alice McMillan, a senior marketing major/Spanish minor, hopes to land a job that will send her abroad, but emphasized that most companies tend to offer those opportunities to more senior employees.

“I’m here because of the stress of not having a job secured – you have to explore all of your options, see what’s out there,” she said. “The ‘you never know’ mentality is what brought me here today.”

The Walton College of Business holds these career fairs once each semester, and students say they do get results.

“I came to the career fair last fall, and they actually do call afterwards,” said Jennifer Roberts, an honors economics major who hopes to land a summer internship. “With summer coming up fast, I plan to make some follow up calls this time,” she added.

Hats off to Walton College for creating an opportunity for students to network, right here on campus.

Here I am riding a camel in Wadi Rum. The design on my hands is henna, and my "hat" is the Jordanian kufiyeh.

International relations major Rachel Calandro has studied Arabic five days a week for two years in preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she is experiencing now: a year of study in Amman, Jordan. She describes the shock of finding words for the most basic requests, the hair-raising art of crossing the street, and some major cultural shifts on clothing and gender relations, below:

How has it been like to live here in Amman, Jordan? Well … Different. Just so different.

The first couple weeks were just complete puzzlement and amazement—and not in a bad way. Coming here after having two years of Intensive Arabic (aka five days a week…), I assumed that I would be able to communicate at least at a decent level with the other students I met who were in the same situation. However, there were two massive flaws in this plan. One, the Arabic we learn in America is the Modern Standard Arabic, and differs from the local Jordanian dialect in several important aspects such as common words and even conjugation. We found that we could not understand anyone who talked to us, which was confusing to say the least. The second big flaw was that our curriculum in America taught us all sorts of useful words like “The UN,” “Office of Admissions,” “chess,” and “army,” but we quickly realized that we did not know how to say the very necessary phrases and words such as “Can I take a shower?,” “The food is delicious,” ”Can I wash my clothes today?,” “sink,” and even “excuse me.” There were SO many phrases we hadn’t been taught. To be fair, the reason they did not teach us those phrases was because they differ from country to country …. Still, it made the first few weeks frustrating. “First few weeks”? Ha. I am still figuring out the different words they use.

However, communicating became much easier as we learned the most commonly used vocabulary here. Spending lots of time with my peer tutor and all of her friends helped a lot. : ) Now I can communicate pretty well. As far as understanding conversations, though, maybe I’ve just gotten used to having people talk around me without understanding it. That used to bother me a lot, but now it doesn’t. I’m going to have sensory overload when I return to the States and can actually understand every snippet of conversation I overhear.

I have gotten used to the rhythm of life here for the most part. I have a long commute to school due to my decision to use public transportation instead of taxis, but it is a nice period of time that I use to think. During breaks between classes, I usually hang out on campus with my Jordanian friends. Sometimes I understand the conversations, and sometimes I don’t. : ) Evenings are usually family and homework time. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t learn something entirely new about how life works here. It would be enough to wear out my brain entirely if I weren’t enjoying it so much.

The Dead Sea at sunset. Beautiful!

As for other thoughts, I have just recently been realizing the depth to which I’m becoming accustomed to the culture here. Now, I know that of course I am not completely “embedded” in the culture, but after three-ish months here, it’s amazing how much the thinking of the culture is impressed on me. I knew this in my head, but one instance in particular this past week made me start thinking about it more.

In my Jordanian dialect class, our teacher sometimes shows us videos and we pick out the words that we know from it. Well, this particular lesson was on clothing. The class sat in horror, shock, and awe as she played a song for us. The words must have been about clothing, but none of us wrote down a single word, because we weren’t paying attention to the words. The premise of the music video was some guy interviewing girls who wanted to be models, and we watched with jaws dropped as girls with bare arms and short skirts pranced in and out of the interview room. At the end, we reacted in outrage.

“What was that?!?!” we asked. “What does that have to do with clothing!?!

Our teacher asked us, “Do you want to watch it again?” (We normally watch the video two or three times.)

“NO!!!!!” we responded emphatically.

She was clearly slightly taken aback. “Why?”

One of the girls in class spoke the words that were in everyone’s minds: “Mish moonaasib!!!” (= “inappropriate!”)

“What??” the teacher asked.

We all responded in agreement with the girl: “Because of the short skirts! The immodest clothing! What was that? Inappropriate! We don’t want to see it again.”

I was so surprised, because this response was coming from a group of students who I knew would have no problem wearing the same type of clothing back in the U.S. But we were all so genuinely upset about the film.

Our teacher tried to redeem the video: “But the song mentions clothing! Listen again.”

So we went through the video again, with the teacher pausing it at every line to point out that the words were talking about skirts and dresses and such.

Class ended before we could get all the way through the video again, and everyone was glad. Everyone’s discussions as we scattered from class focused on #1, shock and amazement that we had to watch it, and #2, amazement at the realization that we found it shocking.

By the way, this would not really have been a bad music video in the U.S. I mean, it had short skirts, but that was the worst thing in it ….

It’s going to be odd going back … I’ve gotten used to so many things that are normal to me now.

A quick pose in Petra near the monastery, in an enclave for a god.

I’ve gotten used to eating pita bread with every meal. So much so that when I made myself eggs the other night (we eat scrambled eggs for supper, not breakfast), they tasted incomplete until I realized I was missing pita bread. So I went to the freezer, got out the pita bread, and heated it over the stove, using a lighter to light the stove, because most stoves here don’t light automatically.

Crossing the busiest roads is an art. All major intersections are roundabouts, and when crossing them on foot, the point is not to cross one leg, then another, then another. No, I cross until halfway into the middle of the roundabout, then wait (standing in the middle of traffic) until a line of cars gives me enough cover to cross. Or I just cross anyways, playing Frogger with the cars. And this is how everyone does it…I’ve learned that a little beep by a car means he’s not going to stop; flashing his lights means he’s going to give way to me.

Thursday evenings are times to sit with extended family in the grandma’s apartment. I enjoy that time.

I’ve gotten used to the kinds of sweets they make here—so different than the sweets in America, but so good.

I’ve grown to love the taste of zait wa-zatar  (oil and thyme) on flatbread (called manna-eesh), and its delicious smell too.

My standard of “chivalry” has changed. Instead of chivalry being something like a guy opening the door for me, it is now things like a guy giving up the front seat of the shared taxi to sit in the back so I won’t have to sit in the back next to guys. Or if I do sit in the back with guys, a chivalrous guy is the one who scoots way over so as to allow a good six inches of space between us (which is quite a sacrifice, since there are three adults sitting in the back of a small car). Or, the chivalrous guy is one who stops and scoots over to a narrower part of the sidewalk, or even onto the street, so we don’t have to walk too close to each other.

I instantly change into pajamas as soon as I get into the house, because no one wears anything but pajamas in the house unless company is over. The thought of not wearing dress clothing to leave the house does not occur to me.

In all my conversations, I unconsciously talk with my hands and use gestures and non-word noises to get my point across. This will be hard to get rid of when I go back.

I know that I shouldn’t be smiling when walking around the city by myself—only if I’m with other girls (although I still often break this rule…). So as soon as I leave the house, I put my serious face on and look down. And I know that that will only discourage the majority of the male population; the others will still honk, yell, catcall, try to talk to me, bump into me, or may even try to touch me.

I realize that part of this is that I had no frame of reference in which to put Jordan before I came, so I knew that I’d have to learn to get used to all these things. But now I’m realizing that I’m going to have to get used to life back home.

And things like seeing legs and arms is going to surprise me.

As will the price of food (You can buy a HUGE meal here for under $6, and most of my meals are under $1.50).

I’m going to miss going to the salon and getting a haircut, blow dry straight, and eyebrow threading all for about $7.50.

I’m going to be surprised to see guys and girls hanging out together.

I’m going to be offended when a guy does not give me wide berth on the sidewalk, or does not squoosh himself into a corner so as not to sit close to me.

I’m going to be disappointed that all the guys don’t stare at me as I walk by (even though it just annoys or tires me now).

I’m going to also be disappointed that all the girls don’t want to instantly be my friend just because I can speak English.

On top of Kerak Castle, looking down. The wind was crazy, and was blowing my hair straight up at times.

But overall, life here is good. So good.

I’ve made so many Jordanian friends with whom I spend all my free time on campus.

I was placed in the most fun host family possible, and they’ve taught me so much about the language and culture. They’ve really been my family away from home—they involve me in the family kung fu fights, they give me chores to do, they laugh with me about my Arabic, they are patient with my sometimes painful progress, they comfort me when my day has been rough, and just in general they have adopted me.

I learn so much every day, and am amazed every day. Not to say life isn’t sometimes hard, but life is hard anywhere. And the adventure of living here is a learning experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

Alumni told us that their research experience gave them an edge in graduate school applications and helped them succeed once they were there. Several commented on the value of having taken on a comprehensive research project, and all of the challenges that entails, as an undergraduate. “Although the thesis experience was a bit trying in ways, it helped me get into graduate school, and also helped me feel prepared for graduate school,” wrote one alumna. Another responder also emphasized the value of sustained effort: “The endless hours of research in my honors experience has given me necessary preparation on professional work ethic, familiarity with evidence-based practice, and viable research techniques.” Several responders noted the value of having published research as a CV builder. Another said, simply: “I learned how to deal with unanswerable questions.”

Responders also emphasized that independent research on the thesis prepared them well for life beyond academe. One alumnus said: “It gives you a taste of what a real-world project might be like in the business world, where you often have to set up and execute with little guidance.” Alumni also emphasized that the one-on-one relationships built with faculty mentors tended to persist, with professors continuing to take an interest in their career long after they left campus.

“Small classes. Good profs.”

Honors classes came in a close second in overall mentions in the survey, and were most frequently mentioned in response to the question, “What did you most value about your honors experience at the University of Arkansas?” Responders emphasized the value of small classes, the intellectual rigor of honors courses, and exceptional teaching by professors who were well established in their careers. One responder “loved … the ability to have authentic conversations with your peers and professors.”

A number of alumni praised the Honors Humanities Program (H2P), both in terms of content and the interdisciplinary community created through sharing four semesters of study. Several singled out Walton College’s Portfolio Management class, with one noting that the relationships built in the course “opened the door to my current career path.” Another responder found the team work requirements of honors courses helpful, post-graduation: “Most of my honors courses had at least one team work project where we had to work with people we didn’t know and maybe even didn’t like. Learning how to work with varied individuals has proven extremely valuable.”

“Having a large amount of support in so many areas”

Another important theme that emerged in the survey responses was the support and community experienced within the Honors College, ranging from the friendships formed by late night study sessions in Pomfret Honors Quarters to the personal attention provided by faculty mentors, honors advisors and Honors College staff. “How can you condense five years of awesome times with the Honors College into this box?!” wrote one responder. “The people made the difference…. I was never a number. I was always an honors student they wanted to see succeed on campus and in life.” Increased opportunities for interaction with honors faculty, particularly faculty mentors, and the high quality of honors teaching and mentoring was mentioned by 27% of those who responded to the question, “What did you most value about your honors experience?” There were numerous shout outs for honors advisors (Jason Blankenship, your ears must be burning), as well as honors staff.

“The freebies! Study abroad money, research grant money, and free candy in Nina’s office”

And yes, the financial support offered by the Honors College did make a difference for many responders, particularly, the grant support that allowed them to study abroad. Alumni noted that grants made it possible to travel to far-flung locales – India, China, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand – that otherwise would have been out of reach. One responder who studied abroad several times credited the Honors College for “the opportunity to examine, explore, and experience cultures across the world.” Many noted that the benefits of study abroad were ongoing: “Having studied abroad gives you a global perspective that is invaluable in the workplace,” said one. Several responders noted that experience in applying for grants proved to be useful later on.

With 41 percent of the responders having received fellowships, it’s not surprising that many responders also mentioned fellowships and scholarships that allowed them to “focus on academics rather than money.” “I graduated without crushing student loan debt,” said one, a common refrain.

“Questioning everything”

Less tangible, but perhaps most important of all, many alumni touched on the overall quality of the education that they received in the Honors College. In response to the question, “What part of your honors experience has proved most beneficial to you since graduation?” a number of alumni mentioned that honors courses honed critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills that have proved useful in the real world. “I think the experience of being challenged in a number of different areas and skill sets was the most beneficial,” one responder wrote. “My job now has little to do with my major in college, but being required to rise to the challenge of honors courses in college prepared me for rising to meet greater expectations at work.”

Some challenges

We were happy to hear about the things that went right, but we also wanted to learn how we could do better. Our alumni shared a number of specific suggestions to make the honors experience better:

More classes. Alumni would like to see more honors courses offered, including more specialized honors classes, such as investment banking and fine arts courses, for honors students interested in pursuing very competitive careers. Several responders also pointed out that honors colloquia tended to be more rewarding than honors sections in regular courses.

More guidance. Alumni also told us that the advising system needs some work. Many pointed out that all advisors on campus need to be better informed about the differences between departmental and four-year honors and the opportunities afforded by the Honors College. “It’d be great if the student advisers had more knowledge about all [of] the research opportunities … available on campus,” one responder noted. Many alumni would like to see more one-on-one advising with honors staff and professors early on in students’ careers and ongoing contact with honors advisors. “I would like Honors students to have the option of maintaining an Honors College advisor for all four years of study,” noted one responder, who added, “Departmental advisors were not helpful in my experience.” A number of responders emphasized that more guidance and information was needed on the honors thesis “from the get-go.”

Improved facilities. Several responders mentioned that the honors lounge in the Administration building was underused; others pointed out the discrepancy in facilities across colleges. While several alumni fondly recalled the community they experienced in Pomfret Honors Quarters, they were less enthusiastic about living conditions there.

More study abroad. A number of responders thought study abroad should be more emphasized, in all colleges, and several suggested that it should be required for all honors students. “I am probably one of the only honors students [who] did not study abroad because I was worried about graduating engineering in four years …. By far my biggest regret in life was not going to study abroad.”

Alumni also would like to see more events and activities to promote community within the Honors College; more networking and career preparation opportunities; more emphasis on service learning and internships; more research opportunities, earlier; more funding for grants and scholarships; and continued development and growth of honors programs in all colleges on campus.

About the Survey

A link to the survey was sent to 911 Honors College alumni; of these, 262 (29 percent) completed the survey. Almost all of the responders, 93 percent, have graduated in the last five years, and 58 percent were women. Reported occupations were all over the map, ranging from work with governmental agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education to entrepreneurial start-ups. 41 percent are pursuing graduate studies.

And the winner is ….

Congratulations to Elizabeth (St. John) Serven, B.A. degree, magna cum laude in journalism, ’07, proud winner of a new iPad2!

Thanks to all of you who took time to share your thoughts with us. Your feedback is very helpful as we move forward with strategic planning for the Honors College. More information on that process will come at a later date!

Missed the survey but have some feedback to share? Please contact us; we’d love to hear from you.

Members of this year's Health Teams Abroad team included (left to right) Jennifer Hatfield, Leanne Compere, Ashley Kiene, Chris Moutos and Trevor Smith.

An honors biological engineering student, Ashley Kiene participated in the Health Teams Abroad program last summer and got a taste of Sweden’s long summer days.

The Health Teams Abroad Program is directed to teach American students with an interest in the medical/ health science field about Sweden’s healthcare system.  After around fifteen lectures, I can say that I know much more than when I left the U.S.  For the class we are taking, we listen to around two or three lectures a day from various doctors or teachers to learn more about the way the Sweden handles healthcare, both the methods of treatment or prevention and the funding and insurance the citizens receive.  We also toured several different hospitals and talked to the professionals that work there.  Interacting with the nurses and doctors was definitely my favorite part of the program.

In all, Sweden has been an amazing experience.  I have learned so much while here that I’ve had to keep a journal just so I can go back and remind myself of what all I have done.  The biggest culture shock for me was the amount of daylight.  I had heard that during the summer Sweden gets just three hours of darkness every 24 hours.  I did not realize how big of a deal this would be until I woke up at 3:30 am with a sudden start somehow knowing that I was late for lecture.  Imagine my confusion when I looked at my clock and saw the actual time.  Briefly, I had even thought that I had slept until 3:30 p.m. (or 15:30 as they would report in Sweden).  After this quick panic attack, I managed to fall back asleep and repeat this process at least three more times before I actually had to wake up.

Jönköping was a small college town much like Fayetteville.  It had a shopping market, movie theater, small, inexpensive restaurants and a plethora of hardworking college students.  Unfortunately, we happened to arrive to Jönköping during most students’ finals week.  My Swedish roommate was usually locked away studying for her final so I did not see her often.  However, there was a group of girls, named the S.U.S.H.I. (which stands for some phrase in Swedish), that were assigned to help out the international students.  Our group actually got to know them pretty well, and we were able to hang out with them quite a bit during our stay.  Befriending these girls was definitely the smartest thing we did on the trip because they showed us “local” spots that we would not have been able to find without their guidance.  They had such a positive effect on our stay in Jönköping that I have kept in contact with them since we have left.

Stockholm is definitely the fun and exciting portion of the trip.  With the help of the faculty, we are constantly on the move.  This time of year, Stockholm becomes a huge tourist attraction so I do not feel that out-of-place.  We have toured the City Hall, the Royal Palace and a number of museums making sure that we get the most out of our experience as possible.  This is where the culture of Sweden really seemed to shine – beautiful buildings, alleyways, cobblestone roads, etc.  I am completely in awe in the romance of the city.

Rendering of the Ozark Hall addition, future home of the Honors College, by Tom Schaller/Robert A.M. Stern Architects and WD&D Architects.

Come help us celebrate the beautiful new home planned for the Honors College! Join us Tuesday, August 30 at 11 a.m., when the Honors College, together with the Graduate School and the Department of Geosciences, will break ground on the renovation and expansion of historic Ozark Hall.

Originally built with Public Works Administration funding in 1940, Ozark Hall forms part of the historic heart of campus. A new, approximately 21,000-square-foot addition to the south end of the building will provide a much-needed signature space for the Honors College, which is currently dispersed in several buildings across campus. Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York City, one of the nation’s leading firms in designing classical and Collegiate Gothic structures, designed the addition in collaboration with Arkansas firm Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson Architects.

Honors students engage in a round of Quidditch.

The Honors College wing comprises two floors that will provide offices for all Honors College staff plus a spacious lounge and study space for honors students. A 275-seat auditorium below will house classes and lectures, while the landscaped courtyard will provide space for outdoor gatherings and the occasional game of hacky sack or Quidditch.

“The architects have designed a space that fits our needs extremely well,” said Honors College Dean Bob McMath. “For the first time, all of our staff will be in one location, creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ for honors students. The beautiful study and lounge spaces will also help to foster community and intellectual exchange among Honors College students, faculty and staff.”

Kikko Haydar, a Bodenhamer Fellow, kinesiology major and member of the Razorback Men’s basketball team, will speak at the groundbreaking, and Dean McMath will be wielding a golden shovel.  Please join us for this historic event!

AP psychology consultant Kay Minter demonstrates how to model the human brain in Play-Doh.

Modeling brains in psychedelic shades of Play-Doh and wading knee-deep into Mullins Creek to measure dissolved oxygen in the water were among the hands-on learning activities presented at the Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) hosted by the Honors College July 25 – 28.

More than 350 middle and high-school teachers from throughout the region and from as far away as London, England and Alexandria, Egypt traveled to campus to participate in four days of in-depth preparation for teaching advanced placement courses that ranged from psychology to environmental science. “That’s a 25% increase in attendance over last year, and speaks to the quality of the conference,” said Maribeth Lynes, assistant dean and director of recruitment for the Honors College, who directs APSI.

The APSI workshop lasts less than one week, but Lynes and various Honors College and Global Campus staff members work year-round to pull it off. The week of the event, it’s all hands on deck, supplemented by a small army of student workers.

Given that the Honors College operates with an extremely lean staff, it’s fair to ask: Why does the college invest this kind of time and effort in a four-day workshop?

“APSI is a powerful tool for recruiting future honors students,” Maribeth Lynes said. “The workshop allows us to showcase our facilities, our faculty and our student successes, and it creates goodwill ambassadors among the teachers who attend.”

Jennifer Fogleman checks the dissolved oxygen in Mullins Creek, one of the hand's-on activities in the environmental science course.

Looking beyond recruitment, the annual workshop has had a major impact on the quality of instruction in Arkansas and beyond. “We are teaching teachers creative ways to help students learn and become excited about learning,” said Carol Gattis, associate dean of the Honors College. “The increase in the number of AP classes in Arkansas the last several years has been touted nationally, and we are part of making that happen.” Indeed, the College Board reports that the percentage of Arkansas high school seniors who took an AP exam increased from 8.6% to 36.6% from 2001 to 2010, placing Arkansas first in the nation in expanding senior participation.

By invigorating teachers and sharing new ideas with them, the four-day workshop has a long-term impact on students and their futures. “Each of these teachers prepare and influence an average of 150 students in their classrooms each year,” Lynes pointed out.

Participating teachers were enthusiastic about the conference. Lesa Ohnstad, a junior high school teacher from Springdale, Ark. who took the pre-AP social studies course, noted: “I don’t know when I’ve received more valuable information. We’re always encouraged by our administrator to ‘take students to a higher level.’ Now, I feel I have the tools to do just that.”

Andrew Walchuk (right) visits the White House with Josh Roselman and Melanie Ciolek.

Last spring senior honors student Andrew Walchuk heard an eyewitness account of covert operations in the Nixon White House just as Obama’s administration was struggling to respond to WikiLeaks’ release of U.S. State department diplomatic cables. Walchuk and 59 other students from around the country were gathered in Washington, D. C. for the Spring Leadership Conference of the Presidential Fellows Program when Egil Krogh spoke.

As head of the “the Plumbers,” a secret team charged with stopping leaks to the press, Krogh approved the burglary of the office of the psychiatrist seeing Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. Krogh later served four and one-half months in prison on conspiracy charges.

“It was interesting hearing from Krogh, and getting the perspective of someone who made large-scale mistakes but clearly learned from them,” Andrew Walchuk recalled, adding that Daniel Ellsberg joined the conversation via Skype. “They were at odds then but now they’re relatively close,” he said. “WikiLeaks was in the news, so we had a really interesting discussion about the balance between secrecy and freedom of information.”

This opportunity to engage in history past and present came thanks to Walchuk’s participation in the Presidential Fellows Program. Sponsored by the Center for the Study of the President and Congress, the program offers students from leading colleges and universities a year-long, up-close opportunity to study the U.S. presidency and public policy. Fellows travel to Washington, D. C. twice a year to attend three-day workshops that feature in-depth discussions with scholars, senior government officials and business leaders; behind-the-scenes tours of the Capitol and White House; and presentations by the fellows. “You meet people from all over, people who are going to provide the military and political leadership of the future,” Walchuk said.

All fellows must produce an original research paper on the presidency, Congress, or a national issue that interests them.  Walchuk, a Bodenhamer fellow who has amassed 220 hours while pursuing majors in international relations/European studies, political science and Spanish with minors in Middle East Studies, Arabic, and economics, chose to focus on the relationship between U.S. promoters of democracy and the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political group in Egypt that offered one of the strongest democratic alternatives to Hosni Mubarak. “I finished my paper the week Egypt began the revolution,” he said, “so my paper ended up not being so pertinent.  But I was very well informed as events took place,” he said with a grin. Walchuk’s paper was one of 20 selected for publication in A Dialogue on Presidential Challenges and Leadership: Papers of the 2010-2011 Presidential Fellows.

Back on campus, Andrew Walchuk shares tips on the Presidential Fellowship program with Matt Seubert.

Matt Seubert, a rising junior Honors College Fellow majoring in international relations and economics, will participate in the Presidential Fellows Program next year.  He hopes to build on his experiences in the University of Arkansas’ interdisciplinary program in Belize, where he led a micro-finance project.

“We worked with a women’s coop,” he recalled.  “We gave them a small loan to help finish a restaurant and catering business. We also gave a loan to a backpackers’ hostel in Dangriga, which helped them buy a security system.”  That experience was very rewarding, but Seubert would like to take aid to the next level by working with Belize’s banks to arrange such loans.

“I’d like to work with the systems they have in place, instead of picking the winners and losers,” he said. “The problem is, the banks there don’t have enough capital accumulation to cover the risks that they take.” Since he’ll be a junior this year, Seubert won’t have his fellows paper due at the same time as his senior honors thesis, as was the case for Walchuk. Nevertheless he plans to follow Walchuk’s advice to start early on the paper, and hopes to use his work as a strong start for his senior honors thesis.

As for Walchuk, this year he’ll take a well-deserved break from papers and exams, but not from the classroom. Thanks to a Fulbright scholarship he’ll be teaching English in a high school in Madrid, Spain, where he already has a contact – another Presidential Fellow who received a Fulbright will be teaching at another high school in Madrid. “It’s just a great group of students that I know have taught me a lot and that I know I will be keeping in touch with,” Walchuk said via email. “From the various military academy students to the Rhodes Scholar I befriended during my time as a fellow, they’re all going to do incredible things.”

Charlotte Bowsher at the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain.

This past spring semester I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. It is a big city with a small town feel and brings its own unique culture to Andalusia (southern Spain). While there, I stayed with a host family in a downtown apartment, took 12 hours of class through ISA – Sevilla, and got to travel to other places in Spain, Europe, and even Africa.

To begin, I highly recommend ISA – Sevilla. The program is very organized from the start: they place you in a Sevillano home with another American roommate also in the program, they place you in classes according to skill level and major, and they organize educational excursions throughout the program. Not to mention the staff are all friendly, outgoing, bilingual (most are multi-lingual), helpful, and experts of their city. My classes were actually in the ISA building as well, which made it easy to talk to and get to know the staff on a personal level. The one flaw they had was helping American students meet Spanish students or other Spanish friends. Their intercambio program is outdated and they need a fresh, younger batch of Spaniards to pair American students with.

Classes in Seville were not challenging in the least. I did learn a lot in my International Marketing class and my European Union class, but my Spanish classes were sub-par and they were in the highest grammar level. I’ve taken harder Spanish classes at U of A. The one thing that I liked about those classes though was that the teachers only spoke Spanish. In fact, they didn’t even know enough English to translate our English words into Spanish equivalents. If we were unfamiliar with a Spanish word, they described it in Spanish. This really forced us to constantly think in Spanish, which was necessary since my host family did not know English and neither did your average Sevillano on the street. I would say that my classes kept me on track with my educational and professional goals, but not all of them made a direct contribution.

I learned the most and believe I accomplished my professional goal of fluency outside of class. I had to talk to my host family in Spanish every day. I had to talk to waiters and shopkeepers and restaurant workers in Spanish nearly every day. I had to speak Spanish out at the tapas bars and at the grocery store. I was told more than once that I was fluent by a native Spanish-speaker even though the word “fluent” is a little scary. I can, however, confidently say I am conversational, but I need to keep practicing it in order to maintain that and to improve. The most interesting thing I learned had to do with my second professional goal of living and working in a Spanish-speaking country someday. I think living in Spain for a semester made me realize just how good we have it in America. I’ll never again take for granted the little things like free water, cheap(er) gas, Walmart, and my independence as a 21-year old. See, 21-year olds in Spain still live with their families; it’s a cultural norm. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Spanish culture and loved living a dual-life for an entire semester, but I honestly don’t think I could ever live and work in a Spanish-speaking country for an extended period of time. I’m glad I came to this conclusion before I accept a job in Costa Rica, not knowing what’s in store for me!

Finally, the trips. As I stated earlier, my program prearranged trips to Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba, and Granada, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. I went on all of these and I would say the common denominator would be the cathedrals. We visited all of them and the ones in Spain were almost all Muslim mosques that had been converted to cathedrals after Spain was conquered by Ferdinand III. I personally chose to visit Paris, because of my love for art and Louis XIV; Rome, also because of my love for art and for my religion Catholicism; and Morocco, because I’ve always wanted to go to Africa and experience a non-Christian culture, and learn a little bit more about the unique Muslim/Spanish relationship. I would say Rome was my favorite place out of everywhere I went. Learning about the ancient Roman history almost made me want to switch from a marketing major to a history major…but not quite.

I’ve known many other people who studied in other cities in Spain, cities that I’ve visited, and Sevilla is the best place to go if you want the perfect combination of a rich Spanish culture combined with a major metropolitan city.