Hi, and welcome (or welcome back) to the WVU Honors College! I’m Zach Gouzd, and I’ll be your Honors Community Ambassador for the 2007-2008 academic year. It is my pleasure to be in this position, to serve you for the upcoming months – they’ll surely be some of the most memorable of your college career.

As our own upperclassmen can attest, college is about much more than hitting the books. It is part of the responsibility of the Community Ambassador to make sure this proves true. That is, organizing out-of-the-classroom opportunities is a big part of my job. Cultural and social activities, as well as service opportunities play a significant role in this way.

While service to the College and to the community at large may at first seem to be the last things on the mind of an incoming freshman, I know that many incoming Honors students already have presented very impressive applications to the College. Your academic achievements notwithstanding, I am continually impressed by the quality of students entering the WVU Honors College. Service has clearly been an important part of your lives; I hope this can continue for you in the future.

Why serve the community or the College at all? Barring any philosophical discussion is impossible; duty, responsibility, and character are all philosophical notions which lie at the heart of any motivation to service. You all clearly possess the attributes necessary to become successful citizens and contributors to society at large in the very near future.

And, now that I’ve appealed to your better nature, down to business. Nothing in the Honors College is accomplished without a significant investment in time and energy from you, the students who’ll make everything we do possible this year. We may be motivated by duty at times, but we’re certainly motivated by fun at other times, and by opportunity at still others. A case in point is the Honors Ball, held annually in the springtime as a social event for Honors students new and old. I will need all the help I can get to make this evening of fine dining, dancing, and revelry as much a success this year as it has been in the past.

So, the message today is simple. Watch your inboxes and stay involved! Below you will find some tools for helping you in getting started. This link will give you the opportunity to hear our opening message from the Dean. (Hopefully, many of you know about his Dangerous Ideas already.)

http://www.itunes.wvu.edu/
(This will open iTunes on your computer; from there, click the link that’s labeled “Honors College.”)

For my part, I hope I have given you a brief glimpse of what the Honors College has to offer. Check back here often; news is never far from your fingertips, and opportunities may present themselves in unexpected ways. I wish you the best of luck this semester; please feel free to contact me with questions at the address below.

-Zachary A. Gouzd
Zach.Gouzd@mail.wvu.edu