Forty-eight EKU Honors Program students made presentations at the National Collegiate Honors Council's 36th annual conference in Chicago Oct. 31-Nov. 4.

The Eastern students, accompanied by 19 faculty mentors, were involved in 17 panel presentations. Both the number of students and the number of presentations easily led all other participating schools. The theme for the conference was "Fields of Discovery." The panel discussions included "Neural Nets and the Future of Technology," "Venus and Mars in 2050: The Implications of Gender Differences on the Future," "Covering the Bloody Field: Does the Media Go Too Far?," "Developing Motivation and Reaping Rewards," "The Natural Worlds of Emerson and Dickinson," "Female Genital Mutilation: Custom or Curse?", "The American Dream: A Rich Field for Inquiry," "Discovering Meaning and Message in 1980s U.S. Popular Culture," "Should Descendents of African-American Slaves Receive Reparations?", "Discovering the Impact of Violence on Our Youth," "Charles Darwin and the Problem of Inheritance" and "Casualties of America's War on Drugs," among others.

In addition, the students enjoyed several cultural diversions, including a play, a visit to the Oceanarium and a visit to the special Van Gogh/Gauguin traveling art exhibit.

Eastern's extensive participation in the conference was made possible in part by funds from the Paul S. McBrayer Endowed Scholars Program and a gift from Jane and Charles Boyer, Prospect. The McBrayer scholarship fund was established by former players to recognize the high standards that Coach McBrayer set for his student athletes on and off the basketball court. McBrayer coached at Eastern from 1946 to 1962. Jane Boyer is a member of EKU's Board of Regents and the Boyers are long-time supporters of EKU's Honors Program.

EKU's Honors Program is designed for intellectually promising students who seek a strong grounding in the liberal arts along with their more specialized major. The 28-credit-hour program includes course work in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, with emphasis on effective communication, development of critical thinking skills and integration of knowledge across academic disciplines.

Students with excellent academic backgrounds are invited to apply to the program. National Merit finalists and semifinalists are automatically accepted. In addition, students with high school grade point averages of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale and with at least a score of 26 on the American College Test will be given priority. Other students demonstrating the potential for outstanding academic performance also will be considered.

For more information about the program, contact Dr. Bonnie Gray, director, at 859-622-1403.