Commonwealth Honors Conference

The purpose of this one-day conference is to gather honors faculty and administrators for a day of learning, networking, and professional development in honors education. Faculty and administrators from all CHP campuses will be invited to submit proposals for presentation of case studies, evidence-based best practice in honors education, and innovative solutions to the challenges facing honors colleges and programs.

Worcester State University
Department of Urban Studies

Fostering Belonging for Honors Student Success in College and Beyond

Timothy Eugene Murphy is an urban anthropologist and Professor of Urban Studies at Worcester State University. His research focuses on belonging, global middle classes, queerness, youth, bohemians, and Brazil. Tim has taught in the Global Studies, Women’s Studies, Ethnic Studies, First-Year Seminar, and Honors programs at Worcester State. He was the recipient of the George I. Alden Excellence in Teaching Award for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences for the 2018-2019 Academic Year and is a faculty advisor of the student organization, LGBTQ+ Alliance. Tim’s National Science Foundation funded research and first book, “Queerly Cosmopolitan: Bohemia and Belonging in a Middle-of-Nowhere Brazilian City,” was published in 2019 by Palgrave and centers on a community of bohemians in a rapidly urbanizing city in Brazil’s poorest region. Tim has also conducted qualitative research and published on educational pathways and belonging among Latino men in urban Massachusetts.

Conference Schedule

8:30 – 9:00 Registration & Breakfast

9:00 – 10:00 Welcome & Keynote Address

10:10 – 11:00 Paper Sessions

• Session A:
  • Honors Student Initiated Organic Chemistry Class Learning Activities to Enhance Class Performance
  • Research as a Matter of Context and Ethics
• Session B:
  • What’s in a Name? And Analysis of Why Students Choose Certain Honors Courses
  • Critical Thinking in an Age of Artificial Intelligence
• Session C:
  • Mentors Matter: Reimagining Equity in Undergraduate Research Opportunities
  • Critical Community Engagement in Honors: Challenges and Strategies for Decolonial Praxis

11:00 – 12:00 Roundtables

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 1:50 Panel/Workshop

• Panel: Centering Racial Equity Before and Beyond Honors Admissions
• Workshop: Humanizing Our Tech-Enhanced Classrooms: Elevating Connection, Care, and Community

2:00 – 2:50 Workshops

• Zine Making: Connecting Art and Academics
• Journals, Not Just for Writing Courses

3:00 – 3:50 Workshops

• Empowering Peer Advisors: A Holistic and Equitable Approach to Undergraduate Student
• Getting them Started Early: Steps in Doing Research in an Introductory Class

3:50 – 4:00 – Wrap-up

Registration

click to register

Registration Fee: $20