From the Director…

I have enjoyed meeting many of you in the last few weeks and look forward to getting to know each of you.

I am very excited to offer many opportunities to enrich your personal and academic experience at Valencia. This year’s Honor theme is leadership. I am in the process of interviewing many students who have expressed an interest in leadership roles within our Honors Program.

Calendar of Honors Events/Deadlines:

• October 12 - Deadline for Peru applications.

• October 13 - Honors Leadership Retreat Ropes Course.
• October 23 – Priority Registration for Honors students begins at 8 am.
• October 26 - Honors Night at the Museum with Professor George Brooks
• October 30 – Decision Day for UCF
• October 31 – NCHC Conference, Denver CO. (8 students selected!)
• October 26-28 & November 1-4 Valencia Character Company presents “Little Shop of Horrors” East Campus PAC
• November 7 – Honors Speaker Series- Prince Cedza D’Lamini – Global Leadership – East PAC 7:00 pm

REMINDER:  For the “new” 2007 Presidential Scholarship recipients, you must take one Honors class every term (excluding summer) in order to retain your scholarship.

Check your Atlas E-Mail!

All Honors correspondence will be sent to your Atlas account!

Early Registration for Spring Term

Register for at least 1 Honors Class this Spring!

Honors early registration for the spring term, 2006/2007 will begin on October 23.  A letter with registration instructions and honors course listings has been e-mailed.  Remember, you can register for all courses, not just Honors’ courses.  If you would like to preview the Honors’ courses for Term 2, you can do so through the Valencia website at valenciacc.edu – credit class schedule – spring 2007 - and put a check in the ‘show only honors classes’ box. If you have any questions, please call B in the Honors Program Office at (407) 582-1729.

DirectConnect to UCF is a proactive initiative that provides Valencia Community College students guaranteed admission to UCF upon successful completion of the AA or AS degree.  This is consistent with university policy, and does not guarantee admission to limited and restricted access programs.

To register as a DirectConnect student, just visit the Answer Center and complete a Change of Major Form.  On the form check the box that indicates your intention to transfer to UCF upon completion of your Associate’s degree.

As a DirectConnect to UCF student, you will then have access to academic advising, transition workshops, financial aid advising, and special admissions processing.

There are many workshops scheduled throughout the fall 2007 semester at the West and Osceola campuses that will give you the knowledge and skills necessary to make the transition to UCF. 

The UCF Academic Advisor is available on the West Campus (Bldg. 1, Room 130) on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and at the Osceola Campus (Bldg. 3-319) on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  If you would like to make an appointment, please call (407) 582-5500.

Please be advised that it is essential that your University application be completely filled out with the appropriate information.  Any unanswered questions may delay the processing of your application and the possibility of missing the application deadline to your university program when applicable.  A number of limited or restricted access programs at the university require a separate application for admissions, which has its own deadline.

The 2007 Honors Speaker Series

Topic: Global Leadership

Cedza D’Lamini

Humanitarian and Youth Activist

Honors Program Distinguished Speaker 2007

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

East Campus PAC

7:00 pm

All Honors students, friends, and family are invited to listen to the vision of Prince Cedza D’Lamini, the grandson of HM King SobhuzaII of Swaziland and Nelson Mandela. At a very young age, Prince D’Lamini has used his vision of creating a unified global order by establishing global networks of young leaders who can work collectively to address current problems, such as HIV?AIDS, poverty and hunger, and illiteracy. There will be a reception immediately following Prince D’Lamini’s speech. Please mark your calendars and look for your personal invitation in the mail. Check out his website to learn more.

http://www.cedzadlamini.com/index.html

Honors 2008 Spring Break Trip Announced

IT’S PERU!

This year’s Honors’ Spring Break trip to Peru will be spectacular!  Here are just a few of the sights we will see:  In Lima we will stroll through the main street, squares, and enjoy the beautiful monuments. Other sightseeing spots are the Cathedral where Pizarro’s tomb lays, the museum of religious art and the residential districts of San Isidro, and Miraflores. Our tour will continue as we enjoy a wonderful view of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.  Next, we will travel to Cusco to experience an excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, shop for local handicrafts, and visit the fortress where we will learn how the Incas sculpted stone. A day tour of Machu Picchu, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, will be one of the many highlights of the trip. Bring your hiking boots and prepare yourself for one of the most breathtaking sites of your life. After our visit to Machu Picchu, we will visit the archaeological park of Sacayhuaman, (the pronunciation sounds like “Sexy Woman”), Temple of the Sun, and much more.

The adventure is filled with many more amazing activities. The deadline for applications is October 12th.  Please check you Atlas e-mail for your flyer, itinerary, and Interest to Travel application. Call our office if you have any questions. You do not want to miss this one!

        Machu Picchu

Admissions Graduation Application Deadlines for 2007-2008

Note: If you are graduating in December 2007, please contact the Honors’ Program Office very soon for an Honors’ graduation application. If you have any questions, please call us at (407) 582-1729.

Leadership Activity

Ropes Course Update

For those of you who signed up to go on the Leadership Retreat to the Ropes Course on October 13th, you should have received a packet of information in the mail from B. You must return that completed packet to us no later than October 5th to reserve your spot for the retreat. All of the details about the activity, including pick-up times at both East and West Campuses and lunch information will be provided in the packet as well.

Congratulations to the 8 students selected to go to the NCHC Conference in Denver on October 31st:

• Diana Flores – Osceola
• Claudette Gonzalez – Osceola
• Janet Gavidia – East
• Dan Dinelli – East
• Alejandro Trimarchi – West
• Laylah Copertino – West
• Rochelle Mott – West
• Atalie Ashley-Gordon - West

Honors Program Offices

Honors Resource Centers

Many of you are taking advantage of the wonderful facilities that are on both East and West Campuses. Unfortunately a few individuals are taking advantage in a different way. We have had some things stolen and our brand new furniture damaged. The HRC  use is a privilege for Honors students, if you see anything that looks suspicious, please contact the Honors office immediately.

There are two Honors Resource Centers for Honors students’ use:

West Campus – Bldg 6-201B

Please see the Honors Program office in Bldg 3-136 for security entrance code. A new code will be on the door soon!

East Campus – Bldg 4-

Both centers have computers, printers and study area.  Please feel free to utilize these facilities at your convenience.  Note:  Don’t forget to sign in.

Counselor’s Corner

Submitted by Laura Thomas

It is strongly recommended that you contact your Honors advisor at your campus for a developmental advising session.  During this session(s) an educational plan can be put together that will facilitate a seamless transition to an upper division school or to the career of your choice.