University Honors Student Association
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at UW Oshkosh!
The University Honors Student Association (UHSA) creates an environment for Honors College as well as other UW Oshkosh students to thrive intellectually and socially through co-curricular activities designed to form well-rounded individuals in the program, the University, and the surrounding community. As a network of peers, the UHSA holds meetings, participates in the administration of The Honors College, plans social and cultural activities, and takes part in community service opportunities. Popular UHSA events include our fall “welcome” for incoming freshmen, biannual Pizza with Professors get-togethers, and volunteer and fundraising activities to support organizations near and far (these have included the Fox Valley Polar Plunge, Heifer International, Oshkosh Area Humane Society, stuffed animal collections and book drives for area hospitals, Shamrock Shuffle, and more).
Keep watch for email announcements from Megan LaFond, this year’s President!
The UHSA is a great way to become involved in student life at UW Oshkosh, and all Honors College students are encouraged to join!
You’re welcome to attend an upcoming meeting or event or to contact any of the Executive Board members (listed below) or Liz Taylor (taylore@uwosh.edu), UHSA’s advisor, for details.
Follow the UHSA on Facebook!
Also look for announcements on The Honors College’s Facebook page as well as on Instagram!
UHSA Meetings and Events
Email announcements and reminders for UHSA and Honors College events will be sent well beforehand. All Honors students are invited, and any other students and friends are welcome to participate.
~Spring 2024~
☘💚☘🥤Take a break with the UHSA on Wednesday, March 13, between 4:00 and 5:00 in Oviatt House for FREE root beer floats and shamrock cookies! As always, all are welcome!
Spring Pizza with Professors Event: The UHSA welcomes everyone on Wednesday, February 28, at 5:00pm in Reeve 306 for Pizza with Professors. Their guest is Dr. Barton Pritzl, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who is teaching a new version of the Honors Seminar (HNRS 175: Mysteries of the Universe) this semester. Everyone is eager to hear from Dr. Pritzl and to learn about his fascinating discipline, the focus of his work, and more! This event is free and all are welcome!
~ Fall 2023 ~
The next University Honors Student Association meeting will be Thursday, November 2, at 4:00 in Oviatt House. All are welcome to attend.
Monday, October 24, through Wednesday, October 26: UHSA will host its annual chocolate-covered pretzel fundraiser in the Polk Library Lobby 3PM to 5PM!
Pizza with Professors, featuring Laura Carnahan, will take place on Wednesday, October 18, at 5:30pm in Reeve 227A. The University Honors Student Association welcomes members of the Honors community plus all friends and family to join us for FREE pizza, for good conversation, and to get to know Professor Carnahan whose specialties include atmospheric science and air pollution. She teaches HNRS 175Q: Natural Hazards and, beginning this spring, will offer an Honors Lab section of GEOGRAPHY 121: Weather and Climate.
Please join us for our first meeting of the new school year, which will be held on Thursday, September 7, at 4:00 in Oviatt House.
Betty Carlin
Wednesday, September 20, from 4:00 to 5:00: Dogs and Ice Cream Social
It’s Week 3 already, and everyone is busy. The UHSA hopes you will take a break and stop by Oviatt House, where we will be serving FREE ice cream floats. Explore the building, chat with Honors friends and staff, and relax outdoors with Betty and Bruce on the spacious lawn. All are welcome!
Thursday, October 5: We hope you can attend our next next meeting, which will begin at 4:00 in Oviatt House.
Stay tuned for more UHSA events and announcements . . . .
UHSA Executive Board Members 2023-2024
| President | Megan LaFond | lafonm54@uwosh.edu |
| Vice President | Joshua Drog | drogjo95@uwosh.edu |
| Secretary | Dominik Dempsey | dempseydo66@uwosh.edu |
| UHSA Advisor | Liz Taylor | taylore@uwosh.edu |
Interested in serving on the UHSA’s Executive Board?
Participating in a student organization is a great way to get more involved in campus life, improve leadership skills, and gain practical experience while you’re enrolled in college. UHSA Executive Board members organize events for their peers and service activities for the community. They also provide a direct link from Honors students to The Honors College administration: They offer Honors faculty, staff, and Council members a vital perspective, and their ideas and suggestions contribute significantly to the success of the College.
Previously held UHSA events and gatherings:
~ Spring 2023 ~
Pizza with Professors!🍕!
Our guest this term will be Dr. Abayo Animashaun, Assistant Professor in the Department of English.
All are welcome (including your friends and family) to this FREE gathering, beginning at 4:30 on Thursday, March 16, in Reeve 220.
Our next meeting took place on Thursday, March 2, at 3:30 in Oviatt House.
Our first meeting of the new semester was held on Thursday, February 2, at 3:30PM in Oviatt House.
Please attend any of our meetings or contact an Executive Board member (our information is listed below) if you are interested in becoming a part of UHSA!
~ Fall 2022 ~
Tuesday, September 13: First meeting of the semester in Oviatt House at 4:30 PM. Whether you would like to join the UHSA or are new to The Honors College and want information about our organization, all are welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend the first meeting but would still like to join, please email Olivia Nedza at nedzao68@uwosh.edu so you can be added to our roster.
Thursday, September 22: Honors Convocation This year’s annual gathering of the Honors community will feature announcements from Dean Carlin and the UHSA as well as a keynote from our guest speaker (Courtney Bauder, Director of the Social Justice program). This signature Honors event will be held in Reeve Memorial Union 227BC and will begin at 5PM.
Wednesday, September 28: UHSA Welcome Event Join us for our annual Ice Cream Social in Scott Hall beginning at 4:30🍦
Thursday, October 6: Pizza with Honors Alumni🍕 in Reeve Memorial Union 212 beginning at 5PM: Meet Honors Alum Dr. Anne Herlache, BS in Psychology and minor in History (2009) and MS in Experimental Psychology (2011), who will discuss her academic and professional journey from Winneconne to Ames, Iowa, to Washington, DC, where she works as a psychologist and leads a team at the Partnership and Innovation Lab in the research division at the Internal Revenue Service.
~ 2020 ~
Dr. Heike Alberts, Professor of Geography, is this semester’s Pizza with Professors guest on Tuesday, February 25, in Reeve 221 at 4:00. Pizza is FREE!
~ 2019 ~
Stress Relief on Thursday, April 25, at 5:00 on the Oviatt House lawn. There is no better therapy than hanging out with your Honors friends and meeting their pets (Betty, Murray, and Zoe)!
Annual Teddy Bear Drive – We’ll continue collecting new stuffed animals in the Honors Student Lounge through Friday, April 19. All donations will be delivered to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where they will be kept on hand for children receiving medical treatment.
The Honors Squad will hit the road on Saturday, March 16, for the Shamrock Shuffle!
Professor of Biology Dr. Shelly Michalski, is this semester’s Pizza with Professors guest! Tuesday, March 5, in Reeve 212 at 5:00. Pizza is FREE!
~ 2017 ~
Friday, October 6: Honors Alum Adam Nothem (Biology major and Chemistry minor, Spring 2011) is returning to campus to give a presentation to the Honors community at 2:00 in Sage 2215 after serving all over Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer the last few years.