Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions

Honorable Mentions is the official podcast of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University. Hosted by Wade Leonard, listeners will hear interviews with faculty, students, and alumni of the Honors College. It's a perfect introduction to Mississippi's largest and arguably most remarkable Honors College.

Episodes

February 8, 2022 28 mins

Today, Wade speaks with the new interium dean of the Shackouls Honors College, Dr. Tommy Anderson. Dr. Anderson has been a member of the English faculty at Mississippi State since 2005 and has been associated with the Honors College since 2006. He previously served as the director of the Office of Prestigious and External Scholarships, where he mentored the university’s first Rhodes Scholarship winner in a century. He has also serv...

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Today, Wade has a fascinating conversation with Shackouls Honors College faculty member and Mississippi State University Philosophy professor Dr. John Bickle. Dr. Bickle has feet in both the worlds of philosophy and science, specifically neuroscience. He talks with Wade about what that means, why science literacy is so important, and the very nature of consciousness itself.  The pair also discuss the upcoming book Dr. Bickle co-edi...

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Students are steadily arriving at the Shackouls Honors College. If you are a new student for the 2021 Fall Semester, make sure you listen to this episode. In it, Mr. George Dunn lets you know about several important (some mandatory) events happening in the Honors College over the next couple weeks.

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The director of the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, Dr. David Hoffman, talks to Wade about his job helping students pursue some of the world's most remarkable and life-changing academic awards.

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Today on Honorable Mentions Wade talks about the Shackouls Honors College's Oxford Summer Study Abroad Program with Dean Christopher Snyder and distinguished Oxford professor Dr. Tudor Jones.
Dr. Jones gives some history about the centuries-old University of Oxford, details about the Summer Study Abroad program, and explains Oxford's unique approach to educating undergraduate students. Wade also discovers Oxford has a...

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April 19, 2021 38 mins

Fei Fei Zeng is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the Shackouls Honors College who earned degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, focusing on International Business. In the fall of 2021 Zeng will begin work on her Master's degree at Harvard.

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Dr. Brad Jones is a 2000 alumnus of Mississippi State University and the university's honors program, which predated the Shackouls Honors College. He holds degrees in Industrial Engineering from MSU and Georgia Tech. Originally from Heidelberg, Mississippi, Dr. Jones now lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he is the owner and operator of Life Well Promotions, a public health consulting firm. Dr. Jones has served on multiple Missis...

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On today's episode, Wade talks with senior faculty fellow Dr. Donna Clevenger about how her class has used the current pandemic as an opportunity to try something new. In years' past, the Honors College has fielded a classical Greek or Roman play, but this year that was not possible. Instead, Dr. Clevenger and the students of the Honors College looked at the radio dramas of the 1930s as guidance and produced an audio dram...

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October 15, 2020 39 mins

Today on Honorable Mentions, Wade chats with Mr. Ray Guildea whose generous support has made it possible for Mississippi State University to offer its students the Astronaut Scholarship (awarded in support with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation). Wade and Ray talk about the scholarship, Ray's friendships with some of America's most famous astronauts, and Ray's love of Mississippi State University. Dr. David Hoffma...

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October 8, 2020 28 mins

Dr. Donald Shaffer is the Director for African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and serves as the mentor to the Presidential Scholars program at the Schackouls Honors College. In this episode, Dr. Shaffer talks about his journey to becoming an academic and the books and experiences that inspired him. He also gives a few tips for any student considering applying for the Presidential Scholarship, which is arguably...

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October 2, 2020 29 mins

On this episode of Honorable Mentions Wade speaks to Field Brown, Mississippi State University's most recent Rhodes Scholar. Field talks about what it was like pursuing the Rhodes, what life was like in England, and how the Honors College paved the way for his remarkable achievement.

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September 29, 2020 38 mins

For more than 30 years, Dr. Seth Oppenheimer has served as a mathematics professor at Mississippi State University. Along with his other work, Dr. O also serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Shackouls Honors College. During this interview, Dr. O speaks about his philosophy both educational and moral. And while he might refer to himself as "The Storm" or the "Cheerful Assassin" it's doubt...

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September 25, 2020 11 mins

Presidential Scholar and biochemistry major Jayla Mondy spends a few minutes with Wade in the Honorable Mentions studio to talk about her time at Mississippi State and how the Honors College has shaped and formed her experience at the University.

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September 18, 2020 20 mins

Brady Kruse is a senior computer science major at Mississippi State University and a member of the Shackouls Honors College. On today's episode, Brady talks about being an Honors student, the incredible experiences a person can have by taking advantage of the Honors College, and how he is still shocked that the boy who once worked in an ice cream store and in a Missouri cow pasture has now become a man who has studied at the U...

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September 15, 2020 21 mins

Dr. Eric Vivier is a faculty fellow in the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University. In this episode, Dr. Vivier and Wade discuss what it means to be a faculty fellow, the Cursus Honorum, and the Streetcar - the official undergraduate literary magazine of the University.
Here is a link to the Streetcar's website, as Dr. Vivier mentions in the episode. https://www.thestreetcarmsu.com/

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September 4, 2020 31 mins

Welcome to Honorable Mentions, the official podcast of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University. Today, Wade is joined by Dr. Christopher Snyder, the Dean of the Shackouls Honors College. Beyond his role as dean, Dr. Snyder is a prolific author, with ten books under his belt. A medieval historian by trade, Dr. Snyder is also among the world's foremost authorities on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Dr. Snyder...

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September 4, 2020 2 mins

Welcome to Honorable Mentions! Hosted by Wade Leonard, Honorable Mentions is the official podcast of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University. In this short introduction, Wade tells you what the podcast is about and what it aspires to be. Join us as we walk the Path of Honors and Hail State!

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September 4, 2020 10 mins

Welcome to Honorable Mentions, the official podcast of the Shackouls Honors College at Mississippi State University. On this first episode, Outreach Coordinator Wade Leonard interviews Student Services Coordinator George Dunn. George talks about the myriad opportunities and support services available to Honors students at Mississippi State and how the faculty and staff of the Honors College go out of their way to care about each in...

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