The

CollegeDavidson

Staying connected with friends and alumni of DHC

SEPTEMBER 2009

Honors

By Hannah Greene

The schoolbooks are packed away, the hectic rush of graduation weekend has passed, and my most pressing concern is planning a road trip with my best friend. It’s hard to believe I was studying for finals and writing papers

just a few short weeks ago. This downtime has given me a chance to reflect upon my experiences as a Davidson Honors College student over the last four years at UM. When I walked into the first classes of my college career, I had prepared myself for the worst-case scenario: rigid deadlines, unapproachable professors, more papers than I would ever have time to write, and exams only the most sensitive theoretical mind could pass (there must be some Hollywood movie to blame for these unfounded fears). Yet I couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Sure, I had my share of late-night writing and studying sessions that first year, but what I remember most was learning about opportunities students have to engage in service, study abroad, and independent research, especially through the Honors College. I first took advantage of these opportunities when I decided to study abroad. A few days after my 20th birthday, I said adieu to my family and friends and boarded a plane to Aberystwyth, Wales. I enrolled in classes in the Museum and Gallery Studies department, where I learned about the architecture of Welsh chapels, the prints of Rembrandt, Dürer, Goya and Hogarth, as well as how to conserve oil paintings and manage collections. I met people who had experiences vastly different from my own and grew intrigued by

their stories. One friend had spent his gap year traveling around East Africa. I found the idea of traveling there myself creeping up more and more: reading Green Hills of Africa, watching Out of Africa, and incessantly doodling giraffes in the margins of notebooks. I

remember sitting in my room late one night, reading through the DHC weekly newsletter, when I came across a call for applicants to a student group called the Global Grizzlies – a group of DHC students who were planning a service trip to East Africa. The coincidence was uncanny! I applied as soon as I returned, kept my fingers crossed during the interview, and literally leapt for joy when I got the call saying I’d been selected as a member. The newly selected group dove into the serious process of fundraising for an international service trip. As we navigated the treacherous waters of non-profit funding, we got to know one another pretty well. Before I met the two students who founded the group, I can honestly say I would never have dreamed of setting such a lofty goal. Because of their fierce determination, the varied strengths of the group members, support from family members and the community, and guidance from the DHC, the trip was a great success. Traveling with the Global Grizzlies to Buluba, Uganda, was the most life-changing of all my experiences as a student. Some of my most memorable time during the Uganda trip was spent at the Iganga Babies’ Home. Jenny Hunt, Sadie Linford, and I were the first of our group to spend time at the babies’ home, and we had no idea what to expect. Over dinner that first night, the sisters handed us a schedule, made sure our bellies were (very) full, and helped us get settled.

We got up with the sun at six the next morning. Our bleary eyes were no match for the excited, high-pitched voices we could

From Goya to Giraffes: Reflections on the DHC

“ The people we met in Uganda were truly extraordinary, and I will always remember their kindness, warmth, and dedication to the well-being of others.

Hannah Greene at Iganga Babies’ Home. All the kids had gathered at the edge of the schoolyard to watch a repair truck working next door. It was definitely the big event of the morning. continued on page 2

Dean’s Column It has been a very fruitful year for the Davidson Honors College. With effective collaboration by faculty and staff members across the entire campus, we have greatly expanded the Honors curriculum and created exciting new opportunities for internships and study abroad. Thanks to the sustained support of our alumni and friends, the DHC continues to offer outstanding learning opportunities to our students, both within and beyond the classroom. A new Service Learning course designation was approved by the Faculty Senate and implemented in autumn semester 2008. With effective leadership by the Office for Civic Engagement (OCE), over 30 Service Learning designated courses were offered in academic year 2008-09. In response to a proposal compiled by OCE, UM was awarded the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement classification in December 2008, providing national recognition of UM’s strong institutional commitment to community service. This summer, three DHC students participated in a new D.C.-to-London Internship Program organized by the Washington Center for Internships. With generous scholarship support from the National Collegiate Honors Council, the UM Excellence Fund, and the UM Provost’s Office, these students immersed themselves in the rich cultural life of London while also attending an academic seminar and working as interns in a professional setting. Kendra Clark interned with Transport for London, Kate Olp worked in the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, and Kila Walser worked for CNIguard, an international security firm. After completing her London internship, Kila Walser embarked upon a full year of study abroad at the University of Toulouse, France, with combined funding support from the Dailey Study Abroad Scholarship and the Childers Memorial Presidential Leadership Scholarship. Three DHC students worked as full-time interns this summer in Washington, D.C. Anne Sherwood worked for the nonprofit Progressive Majority, Victoria Zimmer interned with the College of International Security Affairs, and Thecla Prentiss-Backhouse served in the office of U.S. Senator Jon Tester. Prentiss-Backhouse, a sophomore majoring in political science with a minor in French, was selected as the 2009 J. Stanley Kimmitt Public Service Internship recipient. This award provided a stipend to support

her living expenses and her enrollment in an academic seminar that she attended through the Washington Center for Internships.

As these examples clearly indicate, privately funded scholarships, internships, and study abroad programs provide life-altering experiences to students who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Both inside and outside the classroom, Honors students

benefit every day from the generosity of our donors. We in the DHC are truly grateful for your support.

James McKusick

hear from the dormitory next door. As the aunties prepared breakfast, dressed the children, and cleaned the rooms, we had our breakfast with the sisters. After that the day was in full swing – classes, teatime, playtime, lunch, nap time, and bath time. The three of us found out pretty quickly that we were most valuable as untiring playmates to the dozens of students and residents of the babies’ home. This exercise challenged our creativity, too. We tried making bubbles, playing tag and ring-around-the-rosie, and inventing new games without the use of a lingua franca. Our time spent at the babies’ home may have been brief, but we did learn some valuable lessons about service work. Time is best spent living in the present. Giving all your energy and kindness to the people who are graciously hosting you is the best way to thank them for their hospitality. The people we met in Uganda were truly extraordinary, and I will always remember their kindness, warmth, and dedication to the well-being of others. I’m very proud to be a graduate of an Honors College that wholeheartedly supports its students’ goals and helps see them to fruition. I wish the best of luck to the current students and recent graduates of the DHC and look forward to hearing about all your extraordinary achievements!

Hannah Greene helps Robert walk. Robert was a two-year-old at the babies’ home who had cerebral palsy. The sisters wanted us to spend lots of time helping him to walk since he was behind schedule.

Hannah Greene graduated as a University Scholar from UM with a B.A. in Anthropology-Linguistics and a minor in Art History/Criticism. While at UM, she was awarded the Presidential Leadership Scholarship and a DHC study abroad scholarship. She plans to continue learning about Salish languages as a graduate student at the University of British Columbia this fall, with the long-term goal of becoming a professor.

In a Maasai village outside the Mara. These kids seemed pretty accustomed to tourists. They immediately posed for a picture with us after they sang us a few songs.

By Vickie Mikelsons, DHC Director of Development

Save the Date: Homecoming 2011An all-class reunion of Davidson Honors College and UM Honors Program alumni will take place on Friday of Homecoming 2011

in celebration of the 20th and 30th anniversaries respectively of the College and the Program. Additionally, 2011 will mark the 15th anniversary of the Davidson Honors College building, which was completed in 1996. While the UM Alumni Association has yet to release the exact date, Homecoming 2011 will occur between mid-September and mid-October. All DHC and Honors Program alumni, current and former faculty, deans, and friends are encouraged to hold this time frame open and plan to join the festivities.

A reunion planning meeting will take place at Homecoming 2009 in the DHC on Friday, October 9 at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Alumni and friends are welcome to attend and assist in planning the 2011 event.

Recent DHC Graduate Learned by ExampleAlthough John Mattelin only recently graduated as a University Scholar in Business from The University of Montana (May 2008), he learned from his grandparents arguably one of life’s most important lessons: to give back. Mattelin established the Mattelin-Weeks Scholarship in the Davidson Honors College as a tribute to them and as a way of passing forward some of the opportunity he enjoyed as an Honors student at UM. He committed $1,000 a year for a minimum of four years.

The recipient must be a graduate of a Montana high school, have a rural background, and be enrolled in the Davidson Honors College. Mattelin chose to leave eligibility open to any major. The scholarship will be non-renewable and given on the basis of a strong academic history and a consistent record of volunteerism. The first recipient is Robin Gustafson from Pony, Montana.

Mattelin’s maternal grandparents, Earl and Marylou Weeks, owned and operated the Culbertson Implement John Deere Dealership while his paternal grandparents, Robert and Ruth Mattelin, farmed the family homestead west of Culbertson, along the Missouri River. Both Earl and Robert died. However, grandmothers Marylou and Ruth remain in Culbertson and stay active in their churches and volunteering at the local museum. All four grandparents felt strongly about giving back to the community and helping a neighbor. They practiced what they believed and made a conscious effort to pass these values on to their grandchildren.

Mattelin fondly recalls his time on campus and in the DHC. He received a University Honors Scholarship that helped him through school. He lived in the Honors residence hall, participated in a semester abroad to study in Amsterdam, and completed a senior capstone project, all of which made for a great college experience. Through this scholarship, he hopes to make it possible for others to attend UM so that they might enjoy the same kinds of opportunities as he encountered.

New Honors Courses Offered – Thanks to DHC Advisory Board and Others An urgent appeal for Honors instructional support received a swift

and generous response from the Davidson Honors College Advisory Board. In early fall 2008, when Board Chairman Charlie Oliver explained the critical need to raise funds so that more Honors courses could be offered, the Board members lost no time in helping to solve the problem. Not only did they contribute the majority of the targeted sum of $20,000 in record time, but they also helped to surpass the amount requested.

When Oliver explained that fewer than half of the students who enroll in the Honors College actually persist in the program and complete the DHC academic requirements, he emphasized that more Honors courses were needed in a variety of disciplines to enable the students to graduate as University Scholars. A survey conducted in 2007 by four seniors in the School of Business Administration confirmed this finding and provided the basis and momentum for raising funds to support instructional needs.

Members of the DHC Advisory Board who supported this initiative include: Jim Barthelmess (Spokane, WA), Ann Boone (Missoula, MT), Nancy Davidson (Great Falls, MT), Paul Eichwald (Missoula, MT), Tom Hayes (Great Falls, MT), Dean Hellinger (Shelby, MT), Margaret Kingsland (Missoula, MT), Linda Knoblock (Helena, MT), Richard Krumm (Monterey, CA), Carol McElwain (Columbia Falls, MT), Charlie Oliver (Hamilton, MT), Wayne Rebich (Everett, WA), Kitte Robins (Missoula, MT), Mickey Sogard (Bigfork, MT), Maxine Van de Wetering (former member - Pittsford, NY), Joe Whittinghill (Seattle, WA), and Jim Wylder (Great Falls, MT).

In addition to the Advisory Board, assistance came from a handful of others. Gretchen Berg (Seattle, WA), Laura Brehm (Missoula, MT), Frank Clapp (Walnut Creek, CA), and Ric Thomas (Missoula, MT) all made generous contributions.

Thanks in large part to the generosity of the above-mentioned donors, the following new Honors courses were offered in academic year 2008-09:

ART 495.90 Visual Art & Communication in Central Europe/HonorsBIOL 395.80 Determinants of Health: A Global Perspective/HonorsCHEM 195.80 Twinkies Deconstructed/HonorsENEX 200.80 Advanced Composition/HonorsFOR 295.80 Global Climate Change: Science & Society/HonorsHC 295.80 Peer Writing Tutor PreparationHC 395.81 Global Health, Development, and CultureHC 395.80 Health Professions Preparation and OverviewIS 257.80 Business Law/HonorsMCLG 170.80 Myth Seminar/HonorsMCLG 309.80 Reading the City: Rome/HonorsMCLG 395.90 UM Students in Rome/HonorsMUS 436.80 History of Opera/HonorsMUS 436.80 Women in Music/HonorsPSC 466.80 Nonprofit Admin/Public Service/HonorsPSC 467.80 Advanced Nonprofit Management/HonorsPSC 493.90 Presidential Inauguration Seminar/HonorsSOC 110.90 Principles of Sociology/HonorsSOC 395.80 Prophets and Empire/HonorsSPAN 202.80 Intermediate Spanish II/Honors

We are grateful to all of the donors to the Davidson Honors College! Your support has enabled the college to offer a greatly enhanced Honors curriculum to our talented students of all majors.

Alumni News

By Micah Everson

Studying the Classics in Montana often seems like an unnecessarily frustrating pursuit. Caesar and his successors never stood at the headwaters of the Missouri and proclaimed “Veni, vidi, vici,” and thus the Big Sky Country does not have much of a reputation for turning up lost Roman texts and artifacts. Classics students have to take their Latin and Greek wherever they can get them. I still get a kick out of walking past Lux et Veritas on the University's seal every time I cross the Oval. Fortunately, sixteen other UM students and I had the opportunity to spend this past January in Italy along with our wonderful and tireless leader, Professor Linda Gillison. We came from a range of studies at UM: Business, Chemistry, English, History, Classics, Journalism, Pharmacy, Psychology, Art, Theater and others. We were all prepared to appreciate the history, literature, and culture of Italy through our weekly readings and discussions the previous fall. Once there, with frequent breaks for pizza, pasta feasts, and gelato-eating contests, we explored the cities of Milan, Florence, and Rome, following Professor Gillison through countless galleries, museums, ruins, and cathedrals. We were finally getting to see the very places we had been imagining. Seeing by itself was one thing, but realizing that we were retracing the steps of so many who had been there before us was incredible. It was no chore to look for Latin there, with Senatus populusque Romanus emblazoned everywhere, on t-shirts and caps, street signs and sewer drains. Being there meant something, although that meaning is hard to define. At home in Montana we could read and discuss the stories, the art, and the history. We analyzed, interpreted, and

claimed to understand, but a great distance still separated us from all of it, in both time and location. The separation in time certainly remained, but while we were there, each one of us had

moments when we realized, This is it! This is the place! For me it was the Roman Forum. For others it was The Birth of Venus, the Sistine Chapel,

The Last Supper, or one of the many other unforgettable symbols of Italy's rich history. Of course, the trip was not entirely focused on the past. Rome is the Eternal City, after all, and Italy is full of juxtapositions between its past and present. We walked easily between galleries showcasing medieval art and shopping districts selling the latest in fashion and technology. In Milan we witnessed a full piazza of protesters demonstrating against Israel's military in Gaza. Armed soldiers

patrolled the streets in Rome, as Prime Minister Berlusconi tried to curtail the city's rising crime rate. We practically tripped over McDonald's and ATMs around every corner. American pop music blasted from Stadio Olimpico's speakers during a soccer match. Everything in Italy, the oldest history and the latest culture, came together in a sensory overload of sights, tastes, sounds, textures, and smells. A truly unforgettable experience.

Micah Everson is a senior in the DHC studying Classics and History, planning to graduate in 2010 and pursue a career in either education or professional sight-seeing.

Montana’s “Innocents Abroad”

“ Seeing by itself was one thing, but realizing that we were retracing the steps of so many who had been there before us was incredible.

– Micah Everson

By Vera Jones

Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada. (Translation: Give him alms, woman, because there is no misfortune so pitiful as being blind in Granada.) These are the most famous lines of the Mexican

poet Francisco de Icaza, and they serve as an unofficial motto for Granada, a city in Andalusia, Spain, whose beauty and elaborate history never cease to lure and mesmerize its visitors. When I arrived and

searched through dark and winding streets for my hostel, I was completely unprepared for the magnificent city I would wake up to the next morning. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend six months studying at the Universidad de Granada. The courses I took in Hispanic literature and linguistics have enriched my education immensely; however, the majority of my personal growth and learning occurred outside the classroom. Nearly every week, a Spanish friend and I met for Spanish-English language and culture exchanges. We would sit for hours in a café, sipping our chocolaty paladines while discussing everything from popular music, traditional food, and idioms to the economy, politics, and racism. The differences between our cultures were fascinating and often staggering, but our similarities were even more astounding.

The Confluence of Cultures: Six Unforgettable Months in Granada

Private patios open to the public during the Competition of the Patios every May in Córdoba, Spain. Pictured from left to right: Cris Baptista, Sandrine Adelaide, Vera Jones, Miriam Baechle, Nora Benbrahim.

Micah Everson with a bust of Octavian

By Brenda Day

Students in a University of Montana School of Business Administration class learned about philanthropy firsthand this spring when they awarded $10,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations. The class, called Leadership and Motivation, focuses on leadership and management skills, and engages in community-based service learning with local nonprofits. A new element of the class last semester focused on philanthropy through the Learning By Giving program. With a generous grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation, students learned about the importance and the practice of philanthropy by disbursing grants to Missoula-area nonprofits serving needs related to youth, education or health. The students issued a request for proposals in March and received 63 submissions from local nonprofits requesting a total of $128,000 in funding to support a variety of programs and

services. With only $10,000 to award, the students implemented a rigorous in-class review and scoring process to determine which projects to fund. In the end, seven Missoula nonprofit organizations received funding. The organizations include the RiteCare Language and Hearing Clinic, 1st Way Pregnancy Support Center, Partnership for Children, Missoula Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, the Flagship Program, Missoula Food Bank, and the Missoula Family YMCA. Grant awards ranged from $821 to $2,500. The Learning By Giving program is sponsored by the Sunshine Lady Foundation and offers campuses nationwide the opportunity

to integrate curriculum focused on philanthropy. Doris Buffet, sister of Warren Buffet, is the benefactor of the foundation. She spoke to UM students via teleconference in April to share her perspectives on giving and philanthropy. School of Business Administration Professor Bambi Douma and Andrea Vernon, director of UM’s Office for Civic

Engagement, wrote the proposal to bring the Learning By Giving grant to UM. Douma and Vernon said they were excited about incorporating a new element to the Leadership and Motivation course this semester. “The students’ level of engagement with this project was remarkable,” Vernon said. “They

learned firsthand about the critical needs our community faces related to youth, education and health, and they took their role as philanthropists very seriously.” The response and interest level of local nonprofits was equally impressive, with 63 organizations submitting proposals for funds. A special ceremony was held on campus during finals week in which the students recognized the winning organizations and celebrated community engagement.

Office for Civic Engagement staff participate in the United Way Day of Caring at Garden City Harvest. Left to right: Rohanna Erin, Colleen Kane, Marian Palaia, Andrea Vernon

UM Students Learn Through Hands-On $10K Giving Program

Spanish is not the only culture I encountered in Granada. Nearly every time I went for a walk through the historic city center, I heard conversations in Arabic, Chinese, French, British English, Wolof (a language of Senegal), Italian, Dutch and German. I studied with likeminded students from all over the world, shared an apartment with three Brazilian girls who taught me how to cook a hearty fesuada (a traditional Brazilian stew), commemorated the Czech holiday of the Burning of the Witches, discussed discrimination with a young Moroccan lady who lives in France, ate a homemade German marble cake for my birthday, and sang French children’s songs during a road trip through Andalusia. This confluence of culture exemplifies Spain’s dynamic history. A crossroads of some of the world’s most important cultures, this land and people carry the trace of prehistoric Celtiberian

civilizations, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Jewish peoples, Moors, and Christians. These ancient civilizations have left lasting impressions, just as I am forever changed by the cherished memories and learning experiences I have shared with my companions.

Vera Jones is a senior pursuing a major in Spanish and a minor in English. She is especially interested in the ways in which history and culture shape language and literature. She aspires to teach Spanish and Latin American literature at the university level.

The Confluence of Cultures: Six Unforgettable Months in Granada

A view of the Alhambra (left), the Cathedral and the city of Granada from the hills of the Sacromonte, the Roma (gypsy) quarter.

“ The students’ level of engagement with this project was remarkable.”

– Andrea Vernon, director of UM’s

Office for Civic Engagement,

By Cassandra Abel

The Global Grizzlies, a University of Montana student group, traveled to Buluba, Uganda, in summer 2008 to provide humanitarian service work abroad. Ten students from diverse backgrounds came together to work in St. Francis Leprosy Hospital, St. Mary Kevin Orphanage, Iganga Babies’ Home, rural village medical outreach programs, and mobile dental clinics. Recovering from the culture shock of returning home turned out to be a greater adjustment than spending a few months in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Upon returning home, I was bombarded with the question “What touched you the most about your experience?” Even with a year of reflection, an article or paper fails and even a book would fail to convey the experience in its entirety. Imagine riding on the back of a rusty old bicycle on a washed out, bumpy gravel road several miles to the hospital while in labor! Our first drive to St. Francis Leprosy Hospital in Buluba took us past a poor woman whose husband was frantically pedaling toward the hospital in the dust. Our first observation of a rural hospital was of buzzing flies, runny noses, oozing sores, complaining children, and painful whimpering. Depressing is the last word I would use to describe our experience, however; one word depicts the overwhelming feeling that flooded my emotions: humbling. I am not sure if it was the adorable children of St. Mary Kevin Orphanage or the vibrant women of the AIDS support group giggling hysterically at the mzungus (“white people”) who obviously had no dance skills who made me realize that even the neediest or most unfortunate people dance, sing, laugh, and radiate happiness, kindness, and joy. I vividly remember slipping on flip-flops while scrubbing up to go into surgery, listening for a fetal heartbeat while performing checkups on pregnant women in a rural village, making prosthetic limbs for leprosy patients, comforting screaming children whose abscessed teeth have been extracted, rubbing a woman’s back to soothe and encourage her during labor, teaching orphans a new song, restoring a community center, teaching dental hygiene and handing out toothbrushes to hundreds of school children, treating mosquito nets with permethrin to donate to orphanages, distributing vitamins and de-wormers to children, and simply giggling until my stomach ached with children at Iganga Babies’ Home. I was humbled. The modest material, monetary, and educational donations we were able to provide improved the lives of countless hospital patients and employees, orphans, and to the greatest extent, ourselves. The Global Grizzlies can only hope that our positive influence reaches beyond the material donations we were able to contribute and inspires others to help. Cassandra Abel is a Presidential Leadership Scholar from Hobson, Montana. She is a pre-medical student majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Global Grizzlies Service Trip to

AfricaCassandra Abel holding Moses, an orphan at Iganga Babies’ Home, during bath time.

Cassandra Abel and Charles, an orphan at Iganga Babies’ Home.

A group of schoolchildren in Buluba, Uganda, eager for the Global Grizzlies’ dental hygiene presentation and free toothbrushes.

By Laure Pengelly Drake, DHC Director of External Scholarships and Advising

All incoming freshmen and some transfer students in the Davidson Honors College take a one-credit seminar called HC 120, Introduction to Honors. The main purpose of the course is to provide Honors students with a common first-semester experience. In each section, topics vary from wilderness to film, the focus from finding one’s self as an individual to finding one’s role in a community. Some, like The Art/Science Connection, are interdisciplinary. All serve to introduce or “lead inside” the college, university, and Missoula communities within a supportive setting. Because our students come from high schools that vary widely in academic challenge, one of the purposes of the course is to pull everyone to the level of academic skill necessary for success in college. The introductory seminar is part of a larger national movement in colleges and universities to enhance the success rates and therefore the retention rates of college students. UM shows commitment to retention and success through such programs as Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs), which generally keep a small group of students together for three courses and a seminar to build skills and community while exploring common interests. Throughout the country, Honors programs have developed courses such as the introductory seminar and the FIGs to provide learning communities with engaged, supportive professors. For the Introduction to Honors course, Dean McKusick has engaged generous, responsive instructors who develop critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking skills, as well as habits and

skills for ethical reflection. The course is also designed to develop a sense of community and introduce students to the cultural options in Missoula and surrounding communities through cultural and community service activities. In addition to meeting this broad range of expectations, these stalwart instructors earn their generous honorarium – gratitude – by teaching the First-Year Reading Experience book. Our instructors teach a different book each year. Since fall 2005 when I began working in this program, DHC students have read Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling, Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, Taliban by Ahmed Rashid, and – upcoming – The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer.

One of the highlights of my four years’ experience with the course has been my students’ oral presentations. Many of the individual performances have been brilliant and memorable, but the pleasure the groups take in conspiring together can infect the whole class with enthusiasm for a shared academic venture. One year a group of

students summed up in a lovely ballad, which they performed with verve and talent, the theories of democracy we had read during the semester. Another year all of my students performed their final exam together by bringing each of the assigned authors together as sparring guests on their version of The Jerry Springer Show. You haven’t lived till you have witnessed a live debate between Thucydides and James Madison regarding state and community. Apparently, in real life, Ralph Waldo Emerson is incapable of speaking without aphorisms, and George Orwell has an unseemly devotion to contention. A few guests from Pakistan arrived to explain our theories in a larger world context and serve us three cups of tea to help us understand the importance of social grace and order in sustaining a community. Such students, who embrace the challenge of individual skill development while working together toward common goals, succeed in creating a community of learning.

DHC’s Introduction to Honors Program

External Advisory Board• James Barthelmess, Spokane, WA• Ann Boone, Missoula, MT• Louise Caras, Missoula, MT• Nancy Davidson, Great Falls, MT• Paul Eichwald, Missoula, MT• Bruce Hardy, Missoula, MT• Tom Hayes, Great Falls, MT• Dean Hellinger, Shelby, MT• Jennifer Isern, Washington, DC• Steve Johnson, Missoula, MT• Margaret Kingsland, Missoula, MT• Linda Knoblock, Helena, MT• Richard Krumm, Monterey, CA• Carol McElwain, Columbia Falls, MT• Bill Mercer, Billings, MT• Ann Monaghan, New York, NY• Charlie Oliver, Hamilton, MT (Chair)• Wayne Rebich, Everett, WA• Kitte Robins, Missoula, MT• Kathleen Roth, Missoula, MT• Mickey Sogard, Polson, MT• Joe Whittinghill, Seattle, WA• Jim Wylder, Great Falls, MT

Faculty Advisory Board• Fred Allendorf, Regents Professor,

Division of Biological Sciences• Albert Borgmann, Regents Professor,

Philosophy• Jerry Evans, Professor, Information Systems

and Technology• Ashby Kinch, Associate Professor, English• Diana Lurie, Professor, Biomedical and

Pharmaceutical Sciences• Jakki Mohr, Regents Professor, Management

and Marketing• James Randall, Assistant Professor, Music• Dan Spencer, Associate Professor,

Environmental Studies• Carol Van Valkenburg, Professor and Chair,

Print Journalism• Bill Woessner, Regents Professor,

Geosciences

Student Advisory Council• Megan Auker Becker, Applegate, OR• Mariah Childs, Condon MT• Michael Cole, Colorado Springs, CO• Victoria de Onis, Bozeman, MT• Erin King, Kennewick, WA• Jamie Rogers, New Canaan, CT• Amy Smith, Missoula, MT• Danni Thom, Stanford, MT• Rafael Villarreal-Calderon, Missoula, MT• Ashleen Williams, Snohomish, WA

DHC Staff• James McKusick, Dean• Vickie Mikelsons, Director of Development• Laure Pengelly Drake, Director of

External Scholarships and Advising• Andrea Vernon, Director, Office for Civic Engagement• Karen Kaley, Assistant to the Dean• Andi Armstrong, Administrative Associate

This newsletter is published annually for the alumni and friends of the DHC.Designed by: Shauna Murphy Printed by: Printing & Graphic Services

“ The main purpose of the course is to provide Honors students with a common first-semester experience.

Davidson Honors College (MHCA01)The University of MontanaMissoula, MT 59812

NONPROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDMISSOULA, MTPERMIT # 100

Your gifts to the Davidson Honors College make an enormous difference for our students, programming, and facilities. During the period from May 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009, we offered 20 new Honors courses; provided new scholarships, internships, undergraduate research and study abroad experiences; and funded expenses for travel and lodging related to volunteer projects and the Forensics Team – all thanks to you!

DHC donors from May 1, 2009,to June 30, 2009

Ableworks ConstructionJock and Catherine AndersonAttorneys Liability Protection SocietyAxmen Discount CenterBarnes and NobleJames BarthelmessBathing Beauties & BeadsRoger and Phebe BatyPaul and Gina BeardKristian BecknerGretchen BergBetty’s DevineHayley BlackburnBook ExchangeThomas and Ann BooneMaura BrantleyLarry and Laura BrehmRalph and Martha BurchenalButterfly HerbsFrank ClappJames and Jacqueline CleereColdwater CreekSusan CournoyerD.A. Davidson Matching Gift ProgramRichard and Alice Dailey

Deloitte FoundationGregory and Kimberly DowlingPaul and Linda EichwaldGale and Susan EversonExxonMobil FoundationFact & FictionRussell and Marlene FeistKristi FrankBartley and Shelley FreeseJerry FriesKathleen GraumanGreat Harvest Bread CompanyByron and Dot GreeneJordan and Hilary HandyBart HansonAaron HartingThomas and Donde HayesDean and Patricia HellingerScott and Stefani HicswaJennifer IsernChris JeffresMargaret Jensen Alice JonesBrian and Irene JoosMargaret KingslandLinda KnoblockKPMG FoundationRoberta Krall

Richard KrummLa Bella VitaDan LaurenFrank LaurenceJamie LawrenceLinford Built Construction, LLCAlexis LiveseyTiffany MaddenL. Bruce MadsenGeoff MariettaJohn MattelinTravis McAdamTom and Carol McElwainAnn McKinney Estate James and Paige McKusickMeadowsweet HerbsMichael Baker CorporationMicrosoft CorporationDick and Myrna MintyalaJeffrey and Heather NehringCharlie and Charlotte OliverPeak Health & Wellness CenterKent Perelman and Mary ShafferPetsmartPlum Creek FoundationWayne and Wendy RebichLeigh RobertusPatrick and Kitte Robins

Carl Rostad and Nancy LuthGeorge and Kathleen RothRovero’s Ace HardwareDonald and Joanne SeeseSelvedge StudioSara SmithJeffrey and Mickey SogardKeith StrongSwan Woods, L.L.C.The Green LightShirlee ThiebesBill and Janet ThomasHannah TriphahnJohn and Maxine Van de WeteringJoshua VanekRobert VaughnWaldenbooksMichael and Kristy WeightE. W. Weinrich Charitable TrustWells Fargo Bank, N.A.Joseph Whittinghill and Blake TakamuraWomen’s ClubMike WoodsWorld Games of MontanaJames and Frances WylderMike and Rosemary Youderlan

Kudos to our DHC Donors

Have a new job? Just moved? Have a new email address? Want to communicate with old friends?Drop us a line and/or picture at dhc@umontana.edu

Or mail updates to: Attn: Honors Newsletter • Davidson Honors College • The University of Montana • Missoula, MT 59812

Upcoming EventsHonors ConvocationTuesday, September 8 at 7:00 pmLocation: University Center Theater

HomecomingFriday, October 9 – Saturday, October 10

Advisory Board MeetingFriday, October 16

Family WeekendFriday, October 30 –Saturday, October 31