Announcements
SPRING 2018 Scholars Event Calendar
(Posted 3/21/2018)
Spring Events 2018
Here are a few updates and reminders for you:
- All Scholars: All scholars are required to earn 1 of the 5 points by attending an event at the Spring Symposium. This year's symposium is April 10-18. Watch for updates from Laura and Emma, the symposium co-chairs.
- Current Scholars LLC Residents: 2 of the 5 points must be earned by attending LLC events. This means that 2 points must be earned from LLC events, 1 point must be earned from Symposium, and 2 points can be earned elsewhere.
- Scholars Studying Abroad: You may earn all 5 points by sending in a submission to The Scholars' Journal. Please send your submissions to Valeria Brukhis, and tell her you are studying abroad.
- All Scholars: The Scholar who earns the most points this semester will get a gift card to the bookstore!
- All Scholars: Don't forget to check out the Aquinas Scholars Study Room (Library - OSF 405) for quiet study or small group work. Ask an employee at the circulation desk to unlock it because we keep the door locked. Make sure you sign in when you use the room because we track the room's use.
On-campus events are worth 1 point; off-campus events are worth 2 points.
All event dates are tentative and subject to change, but we hope that this schedule will aid you in planning out your semester.
If you have any questions, please contact Katie Ray at kathryn.ray@stthomas.edu.
Tutoring at St. Mark's Catholic School
(Posted 11/28/2017)
We hope everyone had a lovely, food-filled Thanksgiving! We're looking for students who have an interest in tutoring middle schoolers at St. Mark's Catholic School! They are in need of some helpers who can work on homework with a couple of students after school. As St. Mark's is a Catholic school, depending on the length and frequency of these tutoring sessions, it is likely that you will need to complete VIRTUS training.
When? Any weekday beginning ASAP, through the end of the semester
Time? At the end of the St. Mark's school day, likely between 2:30-3:30
Where? St. Marks Catholic School, 1983 Dayton Ave, St. Paul
Points? At least 2, with the possibility of earning more points
Please contact Meghan Peterson at mcpeterson@stthomas.edu or Taylor Weeks at week0021@stthomas.edu ASAP if you're interested or have any questions.
Announcing Freshman Representatives
(Posted 10/23/2017)
We are happy to announce that we have two new Freshman Representatives for the Aquinas Honors student board. Congratulations to Maria Baklund and Megan Gamme on being chosen to represent the freshman class!
There were many impressive applications, so thank you to everyone who applied. For those who are still interested in becoming a member of the board, keep an eye out in the spring for election information.
Helping Women Become Entrepreneurs for Good (Pizza with a Prof Topic)
(Posted 9/27/2017)
Thank you to everyone who attended our first Pizza with a Prof event last Thursday! Professor Kay had a great time at the lecture and wanted us to pass on the below information regarding changemaking opportunities on campus.
Helping Women Become Entrepreneurs For Good
Exciting Service Opportunity at St. Mark's Catholic School!
(Posted 9/21/2017)
We have a very exciting service project to announce! St. Mark's Catholic School is looking for UST volunteers to teach mini lessons to their middle school students. These lessons can be about almost anything, as long as you are passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Potential topics might include coding, biology, entrepreneurship, art, chess, sustainability, etc. As St. Mark's is a Catholic school, depending on the length and frequency of these lessons, it is likely that you will need to complete VIRTUS training.
When? Throughout the semester. We are thinking that lessons will occur about 1-2 times a week, for at least two weeks
Time? Likely at the end of the St. Mark's school day
Where? St. Marks Catholic School, 1983 Dayton Ave, St. Paul
Points? At least 2, with the possibility of earning all your points depending on the length and depth of your lessons
We are looking for thorough, engaging, and well planned lessons. This is the first time that we have done a project like this with St. Mark's, so you would play a big part in a very exciting new program! If you have an idea that you think would appeal to a middle school crowd, please reach out via email to Regan Howerton(regan.howerton@stthomas.edu), and please also CC her co-chairs, Meghan Peterson and Taylor Weeks.
Thanks so much - we can't wait to hear some of your ideas!
FALL 2017 Scholars Event Calendar
(Posted 9/19/2017)
All event dates are tentative and subject to change, but we hope that this schedule will aid you in planning out your semester.
As always, formal emails will be sent by the respective Academic, Social, Service, and Symposium chairs notifying you of upcoming events with the confirmed information. You can expect that a few more events will be added towards the end of the semester.
Every scholar must earn five points each semester. Typically, on-campus events are worth 1 point and off-campus events are worth 2 points. The respective chair will notify you about how many points each event is worth. If you lose track of how many points you have earned, you are able to check through Blackboard.
Finally, don't forget that we have a reserved room in the library just for scholars in OSF (Library) 405. Please make sure you sign in when you study in that room so that we can accurately track attendance.
Please feel free to email Katie Ray (kathryn.ray@stthomas.edu) with any questions!
Attention FALL 2017 Study Abroad Scholars!
(Posted 9/14/2017)
We hope you are having a wonderful time abroad! While you're away, we would like to remind you of the Aquinas Scholars point requirement for those abroad:
While studying abroad, you aren't necessarily "exempt" from points, but you are given the opportunity to get all 5 with one submission to the Scholar's Journal. This submission is entirely up to you - it can be a paper you completed for a class, an educational blog post or series of posts, or even a few pictures with educational descriptions. This list certainly does not exhaust the many options. As a program, we think that studying abroad itself is a scholarly act and don't want to burden you with a significant amount of extra work.
Please email your submission to: Valerie Brukhis (bruk0001@stthomas.edu), the publications chair, by Monday December 11th, 2017 by 1 pm CT to receive your 5 points.
Please feel free to email Katie Ray (kathryn.ray@stthomas.edu) with any questions!
Journal Submissions Due Friday
(Posted 9/13/2017)
A reminder to Scholars to send in your publications by this Friday for one (easy) point. Looking for a myriad of modes - poetry, fiction, nonfiction, pensive spewings, academic essays, iPhoneography. The general rule of thumb is this: choose something you're proud of. A competitive program calls for a quality journal. It'll be great to put something together that represents our awesome members. Send your submissions to Valerie Brukhis at bruk0001@stthomas.edu.
2017-2018 Mentor Opportunity
(Posted 5/22/2017)
As we look to the upcoming year, we are excited to recruit next year’s group of mentors to help guide our incoming freshman class.
This is a great opportunity to gain leadership experience, improve resumés and help build a strong sense of community within the Honors Program at UST! Each upperclassmen mentor will be paired with an incoming freshman Aquinas Scholar. Mentees will complete the 5-point system, while mentors are exempt from the 5-point system (please see requirements below).
Below is a link to an application and more information about the mentorship program!
If you are interested in being a mentor, please fill out the survey included in this email.
Application deadline is June 15, 2017.
Applications are rolling and spots will be filled as they come in.
Applicants will be notified by July 1 of acceptance.
What makes a good mentor?
- Active member of Aquinas Scholars
- Good leadership and communication
- Passion for the Honors Program!
Mentorship Program
- Mentors will act as a go-to for mentees
- Mentors and mentees are invited to the Aquinas Scholars Mentorship Dinner
- Mentors and mentees will meet at least twice per semester.
- One Aquinas Scholars event should be attended together each semester.
Point Requirement Substitution
In place of the 5 point system, mentors are required to:
- Attend 1 event with their mentee per semester
- Organize 2 meetings with their mentee per semester (4 total)
- Attend at least 1 Symposium Event
- Complete the Mentor Survey at the end of each semester
- Communicate with Mentorship Coordinator emails.
The mentorship program is currently in an evolutionary phase coming out of this first year of implementation.
Please feel free to email Paige Westra with any questions and suggestions!
New Additions to the Honors Program
(Posted on 1/30/2017)
Study Room in O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library
The Honors Program has been given access to a private study room in the Library for this coming Spring semester! Study room 405 should only be available for Scholar use, and does not require a student ID to enter. This study room has been offered on a trial basis, so if it receives high usage, the offer may be extended into following semesters. Please feel free to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
Follow Aquinas Scholars on Instagram and Facebook
Keep up with Honors Program current events on our social media sites! Be sure to check out our new Instagram account and see who has been featured in our latest Spotlight on Scholars series.
Follow us on Facebook: Aquinas Scholars Program
Follow us on Instagram: @Aquinas_scholarsust
Little Library in Lounge
Need extra reading material? Visit our student lounge in MHC 200 to take advantage of our own library. Borrow a new book or donate an old book!
Games in the Lounge
Take a break from studying and play some fun board games with friends! There is much to choose from on the shelves in the student lounge, MHC 200.
Invitation to Submit to Aisthesis Journal
The University of Minnesota Duluth's University Honors Program is looking for academic and creative work from honors students to be reviewed for publication in this year's Aisthesis Journal. This is a great opportunity for honors students to enter the world of academic publishing. Aisthesis is an academic journal that publishes research conducted by undergraduate honors students. It is published annually online and edited and published by the honors students at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Check out last years publication, the first online edition. We will be sending out more submissions details as they become available.
Aquinas Scholars T-Shirts
Retreat T-shirts are available for scholars to purchase! T-shirts are $8. Stop by Erica Berglund’s office to buy a t-shirt!
Erica’s office is in Aquinas Hall (AQU) office #110.
Erica is available between 9 am and 4 pm.