Honors Program

Fairmont State University’s Honors Program hosted its annual Quiz Bowl on Saturday, October 19. Ten teams from West Virginia high schools competed for first place, including East Fairmont High School, Parkersburg High School, George Washington High School, Woodrow Wilson High School, Charleston Catholic High School, Liberty High School, Williamstown High School, and Nitro High School.

Fairmont State University’s Dr. J Robert Baker, senior level professor of English, was invited to present a lecture to faculty and students at the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in Yangling, China.

Baker’s presentation entitled “Loneliness, Incomprehensibility, and Rage in Annie Dunne,” focused Sebastian Barry’s 2002 novel. Baker argued that Barry is emblematic of the rich and vigorous writing being done by Irish authors today. 

The Creative Sustainability Council and Honors Program at Fairmont State University are working together to make string out of plastic bags to crochet into sleeping mats for homeless shelters. 

Angelica Starcovic, president of the Honors Program, said they hosted an event from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23 in the lobby of Prichard. 

Forty-two Fairmont State students participated in the annual Honors Field Day in Washington, D.C. on September 8, according to Kelsy Eaton, president of the Honors Association.

Three Honors history students presented their original research at the regional Phi Alpha Theta conference, according to Dr. Robin K. Payne, Assistant Professor of History.

Garrett C. McCurdy, a senior from Marlinton, WV, read his paper, "Evaluating the Benefits of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the National and Social Landscape of the 1930s." A Social Studies Education major, McCurdy is student teaching this spring at Bridgeport High School.

Twelve Honors students and English majors spent spring break in Athens as part of a study tour, according to Dr. Matthew Hokom, who led the trip.

The students spent the first eight weeks of the term, learning about the rich history and cultural importance of Athens in a course taught by Dr. Hokom.  They investigated the achievements of classical Greece, as well as modern authors, contemporary politics, and Greek cuisine.