Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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Honors Program Offers Wider Horizons Formerly the home of Stenographic Services, this vacant area will eventually be remodeled as a lounge for honors students. Honors Students Association officers: Standing from the left: Wayne Henry, University Honors Committee delegate; Randy Stephens, president; Ray Riley, vice-president. Seated: Susan Cummins, secretary-treasurer. Exceptional students at MSU did not have to waste their talents in low- er division classes that did not chal- lenge their abilities, or be satisfied with a degree curriculum designed for the average C student, thanks to the University Honors Program. The program offered honors sections of lower division courses and special upper division seminars for students with a 3.0 GPA or above. Limited to fifteen students, class- es allowed greater participation at a level not experienced in an ordinary class, according to honors director Dr. Joseph R. Riley. This is mainly a program of self- fulfillment, Dr. Riley said. We are not especially practically oriented. He emphasized t he freedom of stu- dents to choose their courses and design programs best suited to fit their needs. Students really have a voice in these things, as far as choosing topics of study. 12 Academics

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Graduation Symbolizes Academic Culmination Graduation marked the culmina- tion of students ' academic require- ments at Memphis State University. Tri-annually over 1000 received degrees offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, the Herff School of Engineering, the School Michelle Baerand Susan Breymaier celebrate the long awaited day. of Law and the Graduate School. MSU undergraduate students had to complete 132 semester hours and fulfill requirements of their respective majors. Over 21,000 students enrolled at Memphis State University last year. Of that number only one- third will receive their degrees. Academics 11

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Dr. Richard Remnek ' s comparative politics class typifies the small size and intimate nature of honors classes. Dr. Joseph R. Riley, Director of the University Honors Program. Marjorie McCaul and Bob Christensen consult Mrs. Madelon Evans, Secretary of the Interdisciplinary Programs, about the Honors Program curriculum. Junior political science major Randy Stephens enrolled in the pro- gram because, it gives me a better chance to explore in-depth areas outside the regular classroom stud- ies, and gives me more extensive preparation for a career involving my major. In addition to courses designed for honors credit, students had the option of contract ing with instructors to receive honors credit for general courses. Susan Cummins, junior political science major, received honors credit for her freshman and sophomore Spanish courses by reading Spanish short stories and novels and doing etymological re- search. The hallmark of the honors pro- gram was the flexibility it allowed students in planning their curricu- lum. Emphasis was placed on stu- dent initiative and innovation. Ac- cording to Dr. Riley, Our objective is not to be nit-picking, but to pro- vide students with a greater oppor- tunity to learn. Academics 13