Dr. Dana Mead, director of the honors program and associate professor of English, has taught at Elizabethtown College for almost 25 years.
After nine years of service, Mead decided that she wanted to go back to being a full-time professor. “There’s a season for everything. It was time for me to get back to my roots,” Mead said.
“There needs to be turnover to bring in people with fresh and exciting ideas. I was missing teaching English. It has been a long time,” she said. A search committee to find a new director for the program was formulated by the provost.
The committee was comprised of faculty and a student from the honors program. The committee was looking for a professor who taught an honors course or has been associated with the honors program in the past. They were also looking for a professor who had freedom and flexibility within their department and someone who could be a strong recruiter. After review, the committee chose Dr. Kyle Kopko as the new director. Kopko was one of the first graduates of the College’s program.
Kopko has been teaching honors courses and currently serves on the honors committee.
“I am really excited to have Kopko taking the position. It is nice to see him come full circle from an Etown honors student to the director of the program,” Mead said. Kopko will be taking a junior leave to fulfill a book contract before committing to the program.
“I’m excited and eager to work with honors students. I’m living proof that the honors program can make a difference in the lives of our students. I seriously doubt I would be a professor today if I did not have the opportunity to study in the honors program when I was an undergraduate student at Etown. The honors program means a great deal to me, and I am truly honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the very program that shaped me as a student,” Kopko said. Mead will remain the director until June 1, 2015 when Kopko returns.
The honors program recently received an external review and received high praise from the National Collegiate Honors Council. The program is currently in the process of formulating a response based on the recommendations given by the honors council. The honors program is also looking at the strategic plan for the next 10 years and determining whether to grow or elevate the program. “As I engage in the strategic planning process with members of the honors committee, it is necessary that students share their thoughts, hopes and goals for the honors program so that we can incorporate student viewpoints into the strategic plan. Students should always feel that they can reach out to me at any time,” Kopko said.
The honors program is less than 15 years old and is still developing and altering to meet the needs of the honors students.
