COGITOCOGITO

ColloquiumRecap

CSUSB 50 YEARS

A Season ofChange

California State University, San Bernardino University Honors Program

ISSUE 1.1 / Fall 2015

Honors @ CAEconomic Summit

New StudentsNew Leaders

New SpaceNew Vision

Editorial Staff:Madison Bock

Jacey BallewegKaitlynn Albers

Neira Diaz

Dear Readers,

Cogito takes its name from René Descartes' famous philosophicalstatement, "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore, I am). The Latin verbcogito, meaning "I think," asserts a statement of intellectual capacity, butit might equally be heard as the tentative hypothesizing or the phraseintroducing an opinion. We invoke all three by slapping Descartes' firstword on our cover. We are excited to issue a newsletter to inform you of the happenings ofthe University Honors Program at California State University, SanBernardino. The Fall 2015 issue will detail the change that has occurred inthe Honors Program. This includes a change in administration and a changeof location. We will also discuss what our students have been involved inthis year, and what the program is working on. You will have the chanceto see what some of our students are doing inside and outside of ourcommunity. We are excited to share the change and transformation ofthe program with you, and we are excited for you to follow theadvancements of the Honors Program as we produce newslettersquarterly.

CONTENTSCONTENTS2 With Gratitude 3 Look Who's in Charge

4 A New Den for the HonorsCoyotes

6 Colloquium

9 A Step Outside 11 Mixing It Up

13 A Little Taste of the Big World 15 A Chat with the Bosses

19 Students in the Spotlight 21 Introducing . . .

A thank-you to Carol Damgen andBarbara Herrera.

This year's University Honors StudentCabinet was installed last spring.

Cogito peeks inside the new honors’study space.

Colloquium has a new look--and anew focus.

Honors students attend the 2015California Economic Summit.

The Cabinet hosts a Fall Major Mixerfor Honors students.

A recap of the experiences honorsstudents had at HACU in Miami.

Cogito sits down with the newHonors Director and CabinetPresident.

Two students have been standoutthis fall.

Cogito gets to know new staff DavidMarshall and Andrew Castillo.

ISSUE 1.1 / FALL 2015

With Gratitude More than five years ago, theatre arts professor CarolDamgen was invited by then faculty director Allen Buttto become a part of the University Honors Program.Unsure where she would fit, she dove in and quicklybecame a beloved mentor to the program's students.When Dr. Butt abruptly left, there was no one to takeover. Professor Damgen stepped up. "I embraced thestudents with my whole heart and soul and gave theprogram everything I had," she says, and wishes "nothingbut the best for the UHP and all of the cohorts who areblessed enough towalk through its walls." ProfessorDamgen continues to serve the Honors Program as oneof its prized teachers. Students in the program will missher greatly and want her to know that she changed them"for good."

For the past four years, Barbara Herrera served theUniversity Honors Program as the administrativesupport coordinator. Ms. Herrera assisted the HonorsDirector with tasks such as helping organize the honorsclasses, but she did so much more for students. Notonly does she supervise student mentors, she createsnew opportunities and organizes field trips forstudents. Mrs. Herrera became an important sourceof support and ecourgement for many students in theHonors Program. As of now she continues to work withseveral Honors students who serve as mentors forlower classmen. Her hard work and dedication is greatlyappreciated by many students and will continue to bea member of the Honors Program by heart.

Carol Damgen

Barbara Herrera

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University Honors Cabinet

President Vice President

Mary Elizabeth Pimentel Bucayu

Jocelyn Cannon Justin Camarena

Upper Class Reps:

Caleb Mings Susan Proakatok

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Secretary

Dema KlaibGrecia Troche

Treasurer Historian Underclass Rep

Savannah Whitehead

2015-2016

A New DENFor The Honors

The Honors Program has a new locationthis year! After years in Pfau Library,CSUSB’s University Honors Programrecently moved across campus toUniversity Hall. Leaving a small study roomand smaller computer lab behind, theprogram’s new space provides studentswith four computer stations and a largerspace where students can studytogether, hold meetings, and unwindafter exams. Math problems are oftenfound on the glass board, essays are

typed, and textbooks are often theobjects of careful scrutiny. Now located in University Hall 362, thehonors space is ever-changing. Honorsstudents have worked together to makeit a comfortable spot to study and get toknow each other. The end of the fallquarter even saw a “Stocking Wall” forwhich students decorated paperstockings. In the coming months, theprogram will utilize the large-screen

COYOTES

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I absolutely love the Honorsroom! It's a great space forcollaboration among theHonors students andprovides a quiet space forstudying.

- Freshman Mellissa Patton

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monitor to host a video-talk with juniorGraciella Troche, who is studying inGermany this year. The new space also provides office spacefor the program director, David W.Marshall, and the administrative supportcoordinator, Andrew Castillo. In pastyears, the offices were separated fromthe students’ study spaces, which givesthe new Honors Space a more unified feel,one that has been important forcontinuing to build a strong sense ofcommunity. “I’ve been impressed with how the Honorsstudents use the space,” says Marshall.“The room is never empty. Some studentsare there as early as 8:00 finishing uphomework. Tuesdays have been busyafternoons, with juniors hanging outbefore their writing class, comparingessays. I’ve enjoyed working in the spaceand the accessibility it has given me to the students.”

" I g o t w a r m e du p b y t h eb o n d i n g o ff e l l o wf r e s h m a n ,m e e t i n g t h eu p p e rc l a s s m e n . I tw a s a n i c et i m e o f f f r o mr e g u l a rc l a s s e s "

The clock strikes two and like magic the outside world fades away.Phones are muted, drama forgotten, and more than sixty bright,young minds are refocused onto their community. Arguably thebiggest change for the Honors Program, its weekly Colloquiumshifted focus to a coordinated plan of attack against the numerousintertwined problems facing the San Bernardino and Riversidecounties. For roughly a decade, The University Honors Program Colloquiumhas introduced freshmen and sophomores to consider and reflecton the three key goals of the program: academic excellence,community engagement in a diverse society, and personal growth.The primary means of doing so was through a series of invitedspeakers, typically faculty members from the university’s ownranks. Dr. Marshall decided to take a sharp turn away from thismodel. “In talking to a number of students about Colloquium, it seemedthat they began to find it repetitive,” Marshall said. “They remarkedthat they didn’t get much out of it and looked forward to becomingjuniors, when they would no longer be required to attend. That toldme we needed to do something different.” Marshall began to draw on recent workshops he had attendedabout using “wicked problems” as teaching tools that encourage

COLLOQ

IUM

Uphoto courtesy of CSUSB

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community—is ripe with wicked problems:“The Inland Empire, which is CSUSB’sservice area, has drawn a great deal ofattention for its problems. Theuniversity’s Honors Program drawstogether bright minds under the bannerof three goals, one of which is communityengagement. If these students exemplifyacademic excellence, I wondered ifpersonal growth might come fromapplying those smarts to working on theIE’s challenges.” Throughout the beginning of the quarter,Colloquium focused on introducingstudents to the challenges facing SanBernardino and Riverside Counties. Guestspeakers Kathryn Ervin and Paul Granillorelated their own experiences trying totackle the wicked problem in order to givestudents an idea of what to do. Bothpresenters stressed the importance of

community involvement and awarenessin solving the IE’s problems. An artist and CSUSB theatre art'sprofessor, Ervin stressed the importanceof celebrating and preserving art in theInland Empire when she visited the HonorsProgram in October. Ervin focused herpresentation on cultural assets in theInland Empire and on encouragingstudents to help identify those assets, notonly to increase their own personalawareness of what is in their immediatearea, but also to map the assets on ArcGISin order to increase communityawareness of culturally significant art intheir area. As Ervin explained, culturalassets can become a draw for people,returning them to San Bernardino, whichhas seen a steady decline of its downtownarea. Cultural assets can then beeconomic drivers that help rejuvenate the

students to apply their learning to real-world issues. Marshall explained that“wicked problems” are problems that arenetworked and impossible to untangle.Improving public education, for example,seems to have simple solutions—increased funding for schools—but inpractice, increased funding has limitedimpact, because student success is alsotied to family support, which is, in turn,tied to family employment situations,which is tied to a host of other factors.Fixing one factor does not necessarily fixthe problem, and it might actually createproblems elsewhere in the system.Marshall notes that the Inland Empire—like any community—

photo courtest of KCVRNews

wicked problem[wik-id prob-luh m]

noun1. a problem comprised of many intricate and overlapping components

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assets can be economic drivers that helprejuvenate the community’s fortunes. Moved by the issues impacting his homecounty, Inland Empire EconomicPartnership's president and CEO PaulGranillo spoke to the Honors Programabout the many challenges affecting theInland Empire. For many students,Granillo's speech was the first time theyheard about the gravity of the situation indetail. Captivating the honors studentswith his dynamic retelling of his own riseto success, Granillo inspired the entireprogram to research now in order topotentially solve the problems. Inresponse to Granillo's speech, sophomoreRafael Sanchez commented, "I truly feelthat I am being exposed to things that aregreater than myself, and that I will be ableto make a difference in someone's life."Sanchez's statement echoes that of manyother students who felt that Colloquiumcontinuously gave them access to people,experiences, and viewpoints that theypreviously never even knew existed. After listening, the honors students chosea component of the problem they feltconnected to and split off to research oneof five subtopics: ecology, economy,health, social identity, or education. Oncethey met with their teams, the studentsrealized that the problems were still toolarge to resolve. As a result, studentsbroke off even further and individuallyresearched a specific problem within theirsubtopic. Toiling for weeks over reports,statistics, and articles, the honorsstudents were eager to present theirfindings to their peers. Ranging from the impending influx ofSyrian refugees to the strikingly low highschool graduation rate to the lack ofdoctors in the Inland Empire, students

presented and answered questionsbefore the end of the quarter. FreshmanSabrina Wiesmann explained, "There area lot more problems than I thought therewere in San Bernardino. It is great to feelthat we might be able to make a differencehere." Inspired by the past quarter, thehonors students intend to researchpossible solutions throughout theupcoming winter quarter in the hopes ofimplementing some of those solutionsduring the spring. Revived with a sense of purpose, freshmanCarlos Reyes shared, "I think Colloquiumwas really helpful this quarter in thedifferent things we did, whether listeningto speakers or coming up with ways to helpthe county. It let us not only research theproblems, but also come up with ways inwhich we, as students, could potentiallyhelp." Other students share the sentiment.Sophomore Madison Bock related that"Colloquium gave me a sense of purpose.When I walked into Pfau 293 every Friday,I was reminded that I am part of somethingbigger than myself. I am part of the InlandEmpire and therefore I am responsible tohelp find a solution to the problemsplaguing our community." That is the effect Dr. Marshall hoped thenew shape of Colloquium would have onstudents. “On campus, in that classroom,the goal is simple, encourage the studentsto learn in ways that help them see theusefulness of their knowledge. But there’sa larger goal here,” Marshall said, “andthat’s to challenge students to recognizethe potential they have to becomecommunity leaders—and to do so soonerthan they might have thought possible.”

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The California Economic Summit's goal isto gather people together to talk aboutCalifornia's biggest problems. This year,over 400 people came to the Inland Empireto discuss and focus on regional,sustainable growth. Three majorchallenges were discussed: water,workforce, and housing. The CaliforniaEconomic Summit website states: "Summitparticipants developed actionable planson how California can address itsinfrastructure, housing, and workforceneeds over the next 10 years, in order tomeet the 'Million Challenges' of one millionmore skilled workers, one million morehomes and one million more acre-feet ofwater each year." This year, our honorsstudents were invited to take part of thesummit and we were asked to include ourthoughts on the challenges thatCalifornia faces.

Towards the middle of the summit, theparticipants were invited to sit togetherand discuss the problems that mostinvolve us as individuals. Amber Olsenwent to a group that focused on how wecan provide one million more skilledworkers. When it came time to presenther group's work in front of the entireroom, she took a leap of faith and becamethe spokesperson for the group. JoseMedina, state assemblyman of the 61stdistrict, was impressed by Olsen'spresentation and spoke about it in frontof the assembly.

A Step Outside

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Here is what Amber Olsen had to say aboutthe economic summit: "Talking in front of all of those leadersfelt awesome and terrifying at the sametime. At the time, I truly felt unqualified tospeak, but afterwards people came upto me and told me what a great job I did-I even got quoted by the StateAssemblyman Jose Medina! I learnednever to underestimate myself even in aroom full of people who seem a lot moreimportant than I-- which is something Ithink every student should remember. "The best part about going to theCalifornia Economic Summit was havingthe opportunity to be exposed to a hugenumber of inspiring people all working ona variety of different projects to helpimprove California. It was a huge learning

experience. "I hope that people will use the knowledgethey gained at the California EconomicSummit to do whatever they can tocontinue the three goals of the Summit. "One of the most important things Ithought I learned at the summit is that theway we do business is changing.Technology is having a huge impact on theeconomy which is going to force manybusinesses out of the traditional ways ofthinking which is going to require manyinnovative solutions."

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Preceding page: JustinCamarena, Amber Olson, Dr.Marshall, CSUSB President TomasMorales, Grecia Troche, KaitlynnAlbers, and Cherish SarmientoLeft: Amber Olson, JustinCamarena, Cherish Sarmiento,Grecia Troche, and KaitlynnAlbers with CSU ChancellorTimothy White. Above: CherishSarmiento, Amber Olson, andRoberta Salgado with Dr. Marshall

The nursing and pre-nursing students, led byDema Klaib and Neira Diaz,discussed why they chose togo into their major. It wasone of the larger groups atthe mixer; these studentswere able to takeadvantage of thenetworking opporutnities.They found potentialmentors they can turn to foradvice and guidance for thefuture.

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Mixing It Up During Colloquium on October 30, thehonors cabinet hosted a "Fall Major Mixer."Honors’ Cabinet President Grecia Trochedescribed the mixer as a chance to"introduce honors students to each otherand the different majors to each other."Students were encouraged to bring foodand costumes as the mixer was scheduledfor the day before Halloween. There wasa lot of unexpected excitement prior tothe special meeting of Colloquium tocelebrate the fall season. The honorsstudents anxiously anticipated the daywhen they could really meet theupperclassmen as well as get to know theirpeers without the stress and confinedquarters of the classroom.

Highlights of the mixer included a costumecontest, a potluck, and birthdaycelebrations. Dressed up as their favoritesuperheroes, childhood TV icons, andvideo game characters, the honorsstudents worked the room as they wereintroduced to the upperclassmen for the

first time. Bonding over elaboratecostumes and delicious food, the mixersucceeded in breaking down the classbarrier between the students. By the endof the afternoon, the walls werecompletely shattered as underclassmenand upperclassmen alike joined in to sing“Happy Birthday” loudly and out of tune tothe students with October birthdays.

Not just purely social, the honors studentsspent a good portion of the afternoonbroken off into small subgroups based ontheir majors. Troche explained that thesmall groups "shed light on the do's anddon'ts of their majors, shared importantcontacts, and acted as a mentor for theunderclassmen in their major.”Underclassmen were given time to simplyask questions, network with students ofevery grade level in their major, and learnabout the college experience from theupperclassmen who stepped up to leadeach small group. Sophomore MadisonBock shared, “I was pleasantly surprised

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surprised by the Fall Major Mixer. I havea relatively obscure major so I was placedwith the Liberal Studies students. I learnedso much from the upperclassman in mygroup, she answered all my questions andfound ways to get me in touch withstudents who were in my same major. Myfavorite part of the mixer is that wheneverI walk into the honors study space now, Isee all the faces I met at the Fall MajorMixer and still talk and hang out with thosepeople I met back in October.” As Troche summed up, the Fall Major Mixerultimately "initiated a cohesivenessbetween the classes and established a

unity" between the entire Honors Program,something that the Honors Program hadnot seen until this year. The mixer set thetone and pace for the entire school yearas positive and united, placing the honorsstudents in a position to have a successful,organized, and unified school year.Freshman Jacey Balleweg commented, "Itwas a good experience to get togetherwith our majors, because it allowed us torecognize the upperclassmen who hadalready succeeded in their separateprograms so we know who to get help fromin the future."

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Above: The Colloquium class with theupperclassmen who led the mixer. Right: One ofthe smaller groups participating at the mixer, theliberal studies students, led by SavannahWhitehead, welcomed two floaters into theircircle and included them in their conversationsabout the college experience, study tips, andfuture career aspirations.

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Junior, Neira Diaz looks at the pictures ofher trip to Miami Beach and reflects:"Attending HACU was truly a once in alifetime opportunity for me,” she says. “Iam really glad I took the initiative to applyfor such an incredible and life-changingexperience.” Several Honors students joined more than30 CSUSB students in this cross-country tripto the annual conference of The HispanicAssociation of Colleges and Universities(HACU) in Miami during October. With over470 member institutions, HACU representscolleges and universities that serve morethan two-thirds of the nation’s Hispanicstudents—despite representing only 10%of all institutions of higher educationnation-wide. The 29th annual conferencetook the theme “Championing HispanicHigher Education Success: Empowering

Students, Enhancing Collaboration.” In total, four students from CSUSB’s HonorsProgram attended the October 10-12conference at the historic FontainebleauMiami Beach. Joining Neira Diaz were fellowHonors students Jocelyn Cannon, MaryElizabeth Bucayu , and Dean Saravia. At theconference, these students and theirpeers listened to plenary addresses oninternational work and had the chance toattend a town hall meeting focused on theDREAM Act. HACU is extremely unique because it has aStudent Track which is a series of sessionsand workshops that focus on career development for student delegates at theconference. According to CSUSB Presidentand HACU Governing Board

A Little Taste of a Big World

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Chair Tomas D. Morales, HACU’s collegeand career fair featured “workshops oncollege readiness and career preparationfor students and their families.” CSUSBstudents were able to talk to employersone-on-one to seek special opportunitiessuch as internships and careers. Manystudents who have attended thisconference in the past have been givenon-the-spot interviews, paid internships,and have even been given job offers forafter graduation. Among this year's sponsors and potentialemployers were government agenciessuch as the Environmental ProtectionAgency, the Central Intelligence Agency,the U.S. Department of Agriculture and theU.S. Geological Survey. Private firms suchas Deloitte, Google, Chik-fil-A, MorganStanley, Southwest Airlines, the US Army,and Coast Guard offered crucialinformation for students that wereinterested. CSUSB sends numerous students to the

conference each year for this potentiallylife-changing experience to network withother students, administrators, andemployers from across the country. HACUalumni have noticed the positive impactthis conference creates on theirprofessional career. As Neira puts it, “Thenetworking workshops helped me developprofessional skills that many students lack.The highlight of my experience wasinteracting with the CIA and learning thedifferent types of careers they have tooffer me.” Aside from the conference experience,HACU gave CSUSB students an opportunityfor travel. As Jocelyn Cannon put it, “Goingto HACU was one of the best parts of mycollege experience. We were able to travelto another state, network withprofessionals and peers, and attendmultiple workshops. I would definitelyencourage others to apply to this amazingprogram.”

Miami Beach's Fountainebleau Hotel provided a historical setting for the HACU conference. Designedby architect Morris Lapidus, the hotel opened in 1954 and was ranked ninety-third in the AmericanInstitute of Architects's list for America's Favorite Architecture. The hotel is situated in the heart ofMillionaire's Row and has been featured in films such as "Goldfinger", "The Bellboy", and "Scarface".

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Among the significant changes for theUniversity Honors Program have been itschanges in leadership. Last spring, Dr.William Vanderburgh, dean ofUndergraduate Studies, named David W.Marshall as new faculty director (readmore about this on page 20). Dr. Marshallassumed the position on August 1 andimmediately began working with newlyelected Honors Student Cabinet PresidentGrecia Troche ('18). On a chilly Decembermorning, Cogito sat down with Grecia andDr. Marshall to discuss their views on theHonors Program.

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Cogito: Thank you for taking time to talkwith us. We know you're both busy. So,you're both new to your roles. With newroles come new challenges. What havebeen your biggest challenges so far? Grecia: That's a good question. I thinkbefore, if something didn’t go the way wewanted, it was the norm to give up on it.To just walk away from it at the firstattempt. I think the most difficult thing aspresident has been encouraging andassuring the cabinet that even if it doesn’tgo our way, there are still other things wecan do. We can be resilient. Encouragingthe cabinet to have that type of resiliency,and to not fall back when things go wrong,can be kind of challenging. Dr. Marshall: For me, the biggestchallenge has been trying to give thestudents in the Honors Program a clearsense that this is a program that isinvested. I don't think they have had thatkind of assurance in a while. Carol[Damgen] did a superb job with keeping

the Honors Program strong after Dr. Buttleft, but administrative support wasn'talways there. Dr. Morales and Dr.Vanderburgh are changing that. Mychallenge is to help the students feel that.But that will take time. Trust is earned, notgiven, so my challenge is giving themreasons to trust me that the changes thatwe are beginning to make are in theinterest of the program and students. Andat the same time, it is challenging to try tomake sure that there are opportunitiesfor the honors students that perhaps theydidn’t have before. Honors has neverreally had a budget--another thing we'retrying to change, but in tough budgetarytimes. I've started to list challenges,though, haven't I? Cogito: It sounds like you're motivated bya desire to give the students in Honors thebest experience they can have. Would yousay that is what motivated you to take onthese challenges?

A Chat with the BossesAn Interview with the Director and the President

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Dr. Marshall: Yes. Definitely. Cogito: (to Grecia) What made you wantto become president? Grecia: I think the program was in needof stronger leadership. I have experiencefrom high school; I was in ASB and theaterfor years. I have been a witness toeffective leadership and I think I havedeveloped those skills. I saw the programin need of that skill set, in need of havinga leader that not only cares about theprogram and wants to see it grow, butalso a leader who is willing to sacrifice forit, because when you’re taking a programand you’re trying to turn it into somethingnew or you’re trying to better it, it reallydoes take a lot from the leadership. It’sgoing to be a lot of sacrifice. And oftentimes you don’t see the payoff right away.I think for somebody that doesn’t comefrom a background of repairingprograms I guess you could say, becausethat was how it was at my high school, isthat sometimes it’s tiring to not see apositive outcome right away. But I thinkunderstanding that, you’re plantingseeds that you’re trusting, and you havehope that it’s going to blossom intosomething greater. You have to havepatience. I think that’s what the programneeded. That’s kind of why I did it, becauseI think that’s something that I can do. Cogito: What does the cabinet do for theprogram? Grecia: It depends. For example, at thebeginning of the year, we talked aboutwhat we wanted to do, what our goalswere, and what we are going to worktowards. And then, for example for themeeting after the Fall Mixer, we talkedabout what went right, what went wrong,what we could improve upon, what we

liked, and what we want to continue. Weasked students for feedback, and we justdiscussed things that would benefit theprogram, and maybe things that shouldbe left behind or things that should getaltered. We also discuss potential tripideas, and our main goal, which is to createand encourage community andcohesiveness between students within thehonors program. Also, how we can makethe honors space a place that people wantto gather or join. Cogito: What are the cabinet's plans forthe future of the program? Grecia: I think our number one goal wasto improve. I don’t really want say anythingis set in stone because every time we meet,something comes up, or there are thingswe have to work around, so I don’t wantto put that pressure on ourselves. I thinkas long as we are improving from wherewe were last year, in the sense of havingthat cohesiveness between the classes,like not letting the juniors and seniors justdrop off and dip out of the program. Butalso, welcoming the freshmen and havingthem mix with the sophomores. I just thinkour overall goal is improve and grow. Cogito: How are you and the cabinet goingto try to connect the upperclassmen withthe lowerclassmen? Grecia: One of our attempts was the FallMajor Mixer, which I think was positive, sowe are going to work on that. We are goingto build on that. That was like our test run,so I think having more events like thatwould tie everyone in together. We arealso looking into having a leadershipretreat or field trip where we invite thepeople from all grade levels and we will

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have different activities that encouragethem to interact. I think we should bereaching out to the juniors and seniorsbecause when something new came up,we would only tell the lower classmen, butnow we are working on getting the wordout to all of the classes. Even if they aretired of receiving several honors emails,the opportunity is presented to them tointeract with us. Cogito: What is your vision for the HonorsProgram? Grecia: I will paint you a picture of what Ithink the program will be like and whatwould satisfy me. I would love to see thatat any given time we could walk in and youhave people from every class, forexample freshmen, sophomores, juniors,and seniors and you have this type ofcommunity between them. There alsowouldn’t exist a time when someone walksin and doesn't know anyone in the room.

Cogito: How about you, Dr. Marshall? Doyou have a vision for the program? Dr. Marshall: My vision for the HonorsProgram is similar to Grecia’s. The HonorsProgram is an intellectual community thatis invested in intellectual pursuits butdoesn’t let those exist inside a vacuum.Rather, it turns those pursuits back out onthe community in order to try and make adifference--to benefit the community.Without that it becomes a self-congratulatory and insulated kind ofprogram. As far what the program lookslike in regards to curriculum, I am not sureI have a clear vision. I think that’ssomething we need to look at and thinkabout for the next 18 months. And we will.At least that’s what I would say that thispoint. Cogito: Special thanks to Dr. David Marshalland Grecia Troche.

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Students in the

Spotlight

What classes are you taking while you’restudying in Germany? The classes I am taking this semester areGerman language courses. I am taking agrammar course, development ofGerman words, interculturalcommunication, a media course and aspeaking course. I am enrolled in thesespecific classes in order to begin andcomplete my German minor. Where have you traveled and what haveyou done? The first six weeks I had the opportunityto live with a German host family in a smallvillage called Horb. During my stay I wasenrolled in an intensive German languagecourse. On the weekends, thecoordinators took us to different cities onSaturdays. A few of those cities includeLudwigsburg, Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Ulm,Constance and Freiburg. I have alsovisited Zurich, Thun and Bern,Switzerland. However, very shortly I will be

traveling with my sister, boyfriend andfriend to London, Amsterdam andBrussels, which I am beyond excited for! Describe your experience during theattacks on Paris and explain how you thinkEurope has responded. I think all the attacks that happened in Pariswere eye opening as well as frightening.When things happen around the world theydon’t affect you as much because one isso far away. However, living in aneighboring country made it feelincredibly more frightening. All the attacksthat happened throughout Europe gaveme a more global understanding of newsand reminded me how important it is to beglobally aware. I think that Europe as awhole has taken more precaution in termsof security. However, I don’t believe thatthey are letting terror infiltrate their livesor let it negatively impact their way ofliving; I think that’s something quiteimportant to maintain.

Graciela TrocheGraciela Troche

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As our only Honors student currentlystudying abroad, Cogito asked Gracieabout her experience in Germany thus

far.

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Caleb MingsCaleb MingsHonors student Caleb Mings is amultitalented student and individual. Inaddition to being a graphic design major,a President's Academic ExcellenceScholarship recipient, a volunteerdrumline coach at his local high school,and an Honors Program student, he's also

Have you been aware of the migrant crisisthere? How has it been covered? I have been aware of the crisis since thefleeing began. Here in Tübingen, it seemsas if many students have opened up theirdorm rooms to host refugees. I think thatis quite amazing! In this city they are allwelcomed with warm arms; as well as themost of the cities throughout Germany. How has German higher educationdiffered from higher education here inthe U.S.? The German higher education systemdiffers from the one in the U.S. in manyways. For example, in many Germanuniversities, one major test is taken at theend of the semester. Not much homeworkis given throughout the duration of theclass as well. I believe it is also more of a“teach yourself” method of highereducation. The times you attend class also

differs; Germans only go to class once aweek for about 2-3 hours, something Idefinitely appreciate! Do you have any advice for other studentswho want to study abroad? I think the most important advice I havefor students wanting to study abroad isactually do it. No matter how stressful it isto get to where you want to go, just do it!Even if it is only for a quarter or semester,it is definitely worth all the hard work. It’san experience that many people want andhave to be willing to get. It has been oneof the most amazing experiences of mylife thus far. It was worth all the late nightsand stressful moments. I could not behappier with my decision. I can guaranteethat anyone who decides to go abroad willdefinitely not regret it. Best decision I havemade, and it could be yours too!

a member of the SoCal Sand DragAssociation (SCSDA). He has recently wontwo consecutive races, the annual "Racin'for a Cure" in October, and "The SeasonFinal," which was the last race of the year.It is obvious that Caleb works hard ineverything he does, is a fantastic student,but always makes sure to leave time forfun. We are very proud of Caleb and allthat he does in his classes and in hiscommunity.

On August 1, Dr. David W. Marshallassumed the directorship for theprogram from Carol Damgen. Dr. Marshall brings a broad experienceto UHP. After graduating from College ofthe Holy Cross with a BA in English, Dr.Marshall spent a short time as a highschool English teacher before venturingto England, where he earned an MA inMedieval Studies from the University ofYork, with a specialty in Anglo-Saxonlanguage, literature and culture. He thencompleted a Ph.D. in English, with minorsin Medieval Studies and English &Germanic Philology at Indiana University.In 2007, Dr. Marshall joined the EnglishDepartment at CSUSB. His published research examines the waysin which medieval texts are reused in late20th- and 21st-century popular culture. Heis the editor of Mass Market Medieval, anessay collection on the topic, and isconducting research for a book on usesof the epic poem Beowulf in pop culture. Since 2010, Dr. Marshall has been involvedin higher education reform effortsnationally, leading projects with state,regional, and national organizations. Hehas published on the uses of learningoutcomes in aligning higher educationsystems and structures and iscoauthoring a book on the subject, dueout in early 2017 from Stylus Press. Dr. Marshall has been involved in multiplecurriculum-design projects, including a

revision of the first-year writing programat Indiana University, development of ashort-term study abroad program inLondon for CSUSB, and course designprojects including pilot efforts onintroductory literature courses andCSUSB's freshman seminar. In November, the University HonorsProgram welcomed Mr. Andrew Castillo asits new administrative supportcoordinator. Mr. Castillo is a product ofCSUSB, having earned his BA in English in2005. After spending time as a high schoolEnglish teacher, he returned to CSUSB tocomplete his MA in English Compositionand worked as an administrative supportcoordinator for the English Department. Mr. Castillo's master's research examinedthe ways in which digital technologies leadto distinctive rhetorical strategies thatcan be used to inform the instruction ofstudents in college-level writing classes.Since completing his MA, he has begunteaching courses in first-year writing.

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Introducing . . .Introducing . . .David W. Marshall, PhD, Program Director

Mr. Andrew Castillo, Administrative Support Coordinator

Academic Excellence Community Engagement in a Diverse Society

Personal Growth

University Honors Program

ADMISSION TO CSUSB'S HONORS PROGRAMFor information on the University Honors Program, visit

http://undergradstudies.csusb.edu/honors/

The CSUSB University Honors Program admits:- Incoming freshman with SAT scores of 1550 &/or ACT scores of 22.5 OR- A GPA of at least 3.5.- Transfer students with an overall GPA of 3.5.- Current CSUSB students with an overall GPA of 3.5.- Faculty-sponsored students with academic potential.

SUPPORTING THE UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAMWhen you make a gift to California State University, San Bernardino, youdecide how and where to make that important difference. However you directyour generosity, you play a critical role in transforming the lives of students,

faculty and the community.

https://advancement.csusb.edu/development

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