PresRelease

On Saturday afternoon (May 3) I participated in the Honors Medals Ceremony in the Rome Ballroom, where our graduating Honors students and University Scholars received medals recognizing their achievements. The students then wear those medals at their commencement ceremony. Graduating as a University Scholar is the highest academic honor the University bestows upon undergraduate students.

These students engaged in rigorous programs of study, culminating in the completion of a thesis or scholarly project. Working closely with faculty advisors, they undertook learning opportunities far beyond the typical plan of study, and produced a significant scholarly and creative project, such as a work of art or a research thesis.

An important part of the ceremony was recognition of Professor Steven Wisensale, of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, as the Honors Council Faculty Member of the Year. Selected by the Honors students themselves, Professor Wisensale is distinguished for his exemplary work in providing an exceptional educational experience for Honors students.

Honors Council President Samantha Sherwood praised Professor Wisensale in her introduction at the ceremony:

It is evident that he truly loves what he is doing. As we prepare to leave our undergraduate careers behind and embark on new endeavors, I would like to reflect on Professor Wisensale’s own thoughts on what students should get out of their experience here in Storrs.

He believes that one of the most important things we can achieve in college is to learn that work and fun can become one, and faculty can teach this by simply serving as role models in the classroom where they display a passion for teaching and learning. In response to a question about his thoughts on being a professor, Dr. Wisensale, in his characteristically simple way, just stated, “Can there be a better job on planet earth than this one?”

Hopefully all of us can strive to achieve that kind of attitude toward our professions as we go out into this world.

Samantha Sherwood

I want to wish all our students, on all our campuses, good luck on their final exams as we close our 2008 Spring Semester. For some of you, these will be your last exams at UConn; for others, your first.

When I took my GREs to apply to graduate school, I thought to myself as they were passing out the test booklets, “Ahhh, this is the last fill-in-the-dots test I will ever take in my life.” I was wrong of course. There were more dots to fill down the road, and many more tests of a very different sort. Preparing for and taking tests is an ongoing reality of our modern life. Learning how to prepare, and how to perform under pressure, is an important skill that will prove as valuable as the subject matter of this semester’s exams. Some tests will represent goals to be reached or boundaries to be overcome; others will come upon you suddenly and unexpectedly. Some will be trivial or in hindsight seem not worth the effort; others will be life-changing.

I want to thank all of you for being a part of our UConn community this year. I applaud your dedication and your aspirations. And I wish you the very best for this summer, and beyond.

Thanks for a good laugh from Kris Hannah and Steve Winchell. My car’s still in the shop.

I was at our annual UConn Club banquet on April 23, to celebrate our successful athletic seasons and to recognize our outstanding scholar athletes, coaches, and others who help support all of our teams and facilities. It was the Club’s 55th annual banquet. That afternoon, the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams and football squad visited the Connecticut State Capitol for the annual “Husky Day” activities. They met with Governor M. Jodi Rell and then were saluted by both houses of the General Assembly. In the photos above, left to right, Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma, myself, Governor Rell, Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway, myself, Mark Shenkman, Bill Mignault, Jeff again, and a group picture of Jeff and me with all of our first-, second-, and third-team All America student- athletes. Mark Shenkman received the A.J. Pappanikou Outstanding Contribution Award, and Bill Mignault, longtime Ledyard High School football coach and former Husky player, received the Red O’Neill Award.

You can see more pictures on the Athletics Department’s web pages: here and here.

Dr. David Kenny, Professor of Psychology, and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, has been elected to membership in the highly prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He will be officially inducted into membership in October, 2008.

Kenny’s research centers on methods of studying social psychology. His specialty is studying couples, groups, and families. His most cited works are statistical and quantitative in nature, and concern the process of mediation. He has also done substantial research in the area of “person perception,” on what factors lead people to agree or disagree in their perception of another person, and on what factors lead to accuracy of perceptions.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by James Bowdoin, John Adams, and John Hancock. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs. The Academy describes its “unique strength … in the distinguished leadership of its 4,000 Fellows and 600 Foreign Honorary Members and the wide range of expertise they bring to its multidisciplinary analyses of compelling contemporary issues. The Academy is probably best known to the public through its quarterly journal, Dædalus, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading intellectual journals.”