New Honors Director Appointed At USU

Christie L. Fox has been named director of Honors at Utah State University following an internal search.

 

"In the past 18 months, Dr. Fox has served as program coordinator of Honors and has done tremendous work there, mentoring undergraduates on preparing applications for prestigious fellowships, chairing the first-year literature experience committee and recruiting and retaining students," said Interim Provost Noelle Cockett.

 

Fox has a doctorate in folklore from Indiana University, and her scholarly work focuses on Irish folklore and literature. She has just completed a book-length manuscript on contemporary Irish avant-garde theatre.

 

David Lancy, who served as director of Honors for the past eight years, said Fox's contact with faculty members is important.

 

"She is remarkably well networked among our faculty colleagues, and she did this in a very short time," Lancy said. "I'm constantly amazed at the number of people she knows on campus, which speaks well for recruiting faculty to teach in Honors."

 

Fox brings a blend of administrative and teaching experience, including working as an admissions counselor at Loyola University in New Orleans. That experience has helped her network among Utah State personnel in advising, admissions and financial aid.

 

"People at Utah State have been wonderfully warm and welcome to me in the past year and a half," Fox said. "Utah State has a real family atmosphere, a feeling of Aggie pride.

 

"Through teaching, advising and my own experience as an undergraduate in an Honors program, I have developed a philosophy of Honors education," Fox said. "Honors should simultaneously push students to higher achievement and also provide a safety net. One of the aspects of Utah State's Honors program that I particularly like is that it is open to anyone who wants to try it. It's an elite program, but not elitist."

 

Lancy returns to the faculty of anthropology this fall, although he has consistently taught classes while Honors director. Lancy is the recipient of the 2001 Carnegie Professor the Year Award for the state of Utah.

 

"David has really brought Honors to a new level during his tenure as director," Cockett said. "It's remarkable that the number of our Honors-level students of the freshmen class has almost doubled in that time. We'll honor David and welcome Christie Fox in a reception this fall that will also introduce the new home of Honors, which must relocate from the old Merrill Library building."

 

Honors at Utah State University was developed in 1964 through faculty initiative and was first directed by Stanford Cazier, president emeritus. Other directors of the program have included Raymond Sanders, Douglas Alder, Joe Morse and Dan McInerney. Included in the many initiatives of Honors is the Helen B. Cannon Honors Thesis Award, endowed two years ago by family and friends of Helen Cannon, who had a distinguished career as an instructor of English at Utah State.