MacFarlane joins Honors Program as new director

By Lori Wright, Media Relations

In 1984 when History Professor Robert Mennel became the first director of the Honors Program, he hoped it would capitalize on UNH’s significant teaching and research talent to challenge the most dedicated students and enrich their educational experience.

“That hope has been realized repeatedly over the past 20 years,” said Mennel, who after 20 years, has stepped down as the program’s director. Lisa MacFarlane, professor of English and American studies, is his successor.

“It would be hard to overstate Bob’s contributions to the Honors Program — he is its founding director and guiding spirit. His vision, intellectual leadership, and commitment to students are seen every day in the excitement in Honors classes, the outstanding accomplishments of the students, and the happy and collegial atmosphere in the office. It’s a privilege to follow him,” MacFarlane said.

The Honors Program provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence by faculty and undergraduate students throughout the university.

“Over the course of its history, the Honors Program has been a visible symbol of the university’s commitment to excellence in undergraduate education. Built on a framework of faculty dedicated to inquiry and to engaging students in the process of scholarship, the Honors Program has provided our most demanding students with the opportunity to challenge themselves and to grow beyond the dimensions of a standard curriculum,” said Mark Rubinstein, vice president for student and academic services.

According to Stephen Hardy, interim vice provost for undergraduate studies, it is not just a series of classes for a special group of students. It is a model of teaching and learning that influences the whole university.

“The Honors Program seminars for first-year and sophomore students are exciting, inquiry-based courses where students dig into the latest research questions and methods that are driving disciplines across the university. These seminars often lead to further collaborations between honors students and faculty mentors. This is precisely the model that we hope to nurture for all undergraduates in the new Discovery Program,” Hardy said.

MacFarlane’s academic record, and dedication to scholarship and undergraduate research, make her well suited for her new role.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and American Studies, from Princeton in 1979, her master’s in American Culture from the University of Michigan in 1983, and her Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan in 1987. Her teaching and scholarship focus is on American literature and culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her most recent publication is Trading Gazes: Anglo-American Women Photographers and Native North America, 1880-1940 (Rutgers University Press, 2003).

In 1997, she won a College of Liberal Arts Teaching Award. In 1999-2000, she held the Fulbright Commission’s Walt Whitman Chair in American Studies at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and in 2001, she was awarded a Fulbright Alumni Initiative Award to develop an exchange program in American Studies with Utrecht. She is a past president of the New England American Studies Association, coordinates the American Studies minor and is the series editor of the University Press of New England/UNH publishing series “Revisiting New England.”

“We are all excited that Lisa has agreed to assume the directorship. She brings a strong background as a scholar, teacher and administrator. She has been a loyal and popular teacher in the Honors Program. She understands how to work with faculty, staff, and students,” said Bruce Mallory, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

According to MacFarlane, the Honors Program’s strengths lie in the quality and energy of the students. “These are some of the most accomplished and intellectually energetic students at UNH, and their excitement and ambition are inspiring. The faculty working in the Honors Program are creative and compelling teachers from all across the university, so the atmosphere in the classes crackles,” she said.

Through the small INCO seminars, students fulfill their general education requirements in an intense and collegial environment. They are introduced early to the research methods and questions of the various disciplines.

MacFarlane said she looks forward to continuing Mennel’s great work overseeing the program, which has grown rapidly under his stewardship. In September 1985, the program had 230 students, but by 1989, more than 800 students were participating. Since the early 1990s, between 900 and 1,000 students have participated every year.

She believes the Honors Program can play a key role as the university implements the new Discovery Program. It already has piloted some of the initiatives central to Discovery and the Academic Master Plan.

“We’ve worked closely with Donna Brown at UROP in her office’s work to integrate undergraduate research into the curriculum; we’ve offered small interdisciplinary seminars for underclassmen that are in many cases inquiry-based; and Honors students have always been involved in capstone experiences. So, we are committed to the principles of Discovery, and eager to work constructively to implement it smoothly,” MacFarlane said.

MacFarlane would like to collaborate with the Center for International Education to expand opportunities for students interested in doing academic work overseas in their major fields of study. Also of great importance is the ability to continue attracting and retaining the best and most diverse body of students possible, as well as maintaining a high-quality academic program by working with Admissions, the office of Student and Academic Affairs and Residential Life.

“The Honors Program has some important goals that build on the strong foundation that Bob has built. These include strengthening both the quality and diversity of its students, working with grant agencies and the UNH Foundation to broaden the program’s financial resources, expanding opportunities for undergraduate research across the schools and colleges, and expanding the scope and quality of Honors in Major programs,” Mallory said.