Daysha Humphrey

Campus Editor

Mississippi University for Women’s Ina E. Gordy Honors College is hosting the 2015 State Honors Conference on Feb. 27-28 in Rent Auditorium.

The conference will feature honors programs from various universities within the state of Mississippi. It provides a chance for faculty and students to present their research to others outside of their universities.

According to Amber Shoffner, the W’s honors college administrative assistant, the conference is open to all of the honors programs in the state.

“It includes community college programs, four-year university programs and private and public schools,” Shoffner said. “Students can come and present research, and directors and deans can come and interact and exchange ideas and talk about the program.”

This is the first time that MUW has hosted the state conference.

“Usually it is hosted by bigger institutions of Southern states, so I think it is really neat that it is coming to our campus for the first time,” Dr. Thomas Velek, director of the Ina E. Gordy Honors College, said.

Velek includes that this is a chance to give students an opportunity to learn more about MUW.

“It is important that we have about half of those 200 students are community college students. This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the honors college, but the college as a whole.”

The W’s honor students are excited about the conference, especially Gabrielle Lestrade, the conference moderator.

“As an honor student, I am most excited about having students who are potentially looking for transfer opportunities from their community colleges to our four-year university, experiencing the hospitality and abundant possibilities of our campus and possibly considering our school to further their academic career,” Lestrade said.

Students from Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi College, EMCC and Pearl River Community College are among those who will be attending the conference.