Annual Conferences
Virginias Collegiate Honors Council holds two conferences each year. The Fall Conference, usually held in September or early October, is attended by VCHC Executive Officers, faculty and student representatives, and the directors and deans of the Honors Programs and Honors Colleges from across Virginia and West Virginia.
The primary purpose of this conference is to plan the spring conference and address any council business.
The Spring Honors Conference, usually held in March or April, is a forum for Honors students from Virginia and West Virginia institutions to present their scholarly work publicly and to network with other Honors students.
Participants typically present results from an Honors project, an independent undergraduate research project, or an original work (i.e art, dance, literature, instrumental or vocal music, or poetry) as an individual oral presentation, a group presentation, or within the poster session. Please peruse the archive of conference programs (2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) to see the diversity of topics presented and quality of scholarly work done by Honors students in Virginia and West Virginia.
Look for formal announcements and updates on the VCHC Facebook Page.
www.facebook.com/joyce.easter.9655
Join the student discussion about the conference on their Facebook Page.
www.facebook.com/groups/14739954991/
Save the Date
2024 VCHC Spring Conference
Radford, VA
19-20 April 2024
The Radford University Honors College is pleased to invite you to the 2024 Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Spring Meeting. The conference theme Honors: Into the Wilderness asks attendees to explore the boundaries of their visions for a sustainable future.
Registration forms must be completed by 15 March 2024 to ensure Early-Bird rate. All details for cost and meal coverage will be released by 15 December 2023.
Registration forms must be completed by 15 March 2024 to ensure Early-Bird rate. All details for cost and meal coverage will be released by 15 December 2023.
2024 Conference details TBA:
All titles and abstracts for accepted proposals will be posted to the VCHC Conference Proceedings as well as the conference platform.
VCHC Conference Proceedings
Instructions for editing abstract entry and submitting files to the Conference Proceedings
Generously hosted at Old Dominion University
Generously hosted at Old Dominion University
Annual Service Project
The Virginias Collegiate Honors Council adopts one service project each year, which usually culminates during the Spring Honors Conference.
Conference participants collected over 400 books to donate to the Gus Bus and raised funds that combined with JMU's Honors College fundraising and a matching grant, which contributed $1000 to make a big difference to the Gus Bus program!
Conference participants engaged in a service learning activity during the 2017 spring conference Adventures in Honors while on site at the Virginia Zoological Park. Participants created enrichment items for the zoo animals and learned more about the research on animal enrichment.
Inspired by the 2016 spring conference theme, Magic of Honors, students raised funds on their individual campuses to contribute to an ambitious goal to become a sponsor for a Mid-Atlantic child with a life-threatening medical condition through the Make A Wish Foundation.
In keeping with the All Around the World theme of the 2015 Spring conference, the student service project was inspired by the Stop Hunger Now project, a world-wide initiative to end world hunger. While the theme is global, the approach was primarily local. During the past academic year, VCHC students organized projects on their campuses aimed at alleviating hunger in their communities. They will have a chance to share their service experiences at the Richmond conference. Additionally, VCHC is accepting donations for the global organization throughout the remainder of the 2015 academic year.
For the Spring 2014 Pay It Forward conference included a visit to Old Towne Petersburg. As a crossroads city, Petersburg has been involved in major historical events including a ten month battle and siege during the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. In an effort to Pay It Forward to those hit hardest by the economic situation in our country, VCHC made a donation to Heifer Project's Seeds of Change in Arkansas and Appalachia with the funds raised by the Honors Programs. Poverty and unemployment has risen greatly in the last few years due to the economic climate in our country, but especially in Appalachia (southern Pennsylvania down to Alabama) and the Arkansas Delta Regions. The Seeds of Change Initiative supports local growers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as a means to strengthen the local economies, promote community development, and provide environmental sustainability.
In 2012, the conference theme was VCHC at the Center of the Universe and the conference included a visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The earthquake in central Virginia this past year caused significant interior damage in buildings throughout Louisa County and its surrounding area. In awareness that not all damage is visible from the outside, and that success in life begins with a solid education, we collected school supplies for the Staples for Students and Do Something.org 2012 campaign. The Staples organization distributes the needed community resources with schools to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.
In 2011, the conference theme was VCHC: A Monumental Experience and the conference included a waterway tour of the national monuments at night. Playing on that metaphor of light as knowledge, we thought that a book drive would be a great way for our students to give back to the community. The service project was a book drive for Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia (RIF-NV).
For the Spring 2010 VCHC: A Sea of Possibilities Conference, the service project was to collect non-perishable food items in reusable bags as a means to address poverty and homelessness in our region during the economic recession. The non-perishable food was donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the tote bags or backpacks were donated to the Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless.
Conference participants engaged in a service learning activity during the 2017 spring conference Adventures in Honors while on site at the Virginia Zoological Park. Participants created enrichment items for the zoo animals and learned more about the research on animal enrichment.
Inspired by the 2016 spring conference theme, Magic of Honors, students raised funds on their individual campuses to contribute to an ambitious goal to become a sponsor for a Mid-Atlantic child with a life-threatening medical condition through the Make A Wish Foundation.
In keeping with the All Around the World theme of the 2015 Spring conference, the student service project was inspired by the Stop Hunger Now project, a world-wide initiative to end world hunger. While the theme is global, the approach was primarily local. During the past academic year, VCHC students organized projects on their campuses aimed at alleviating hunger in their communities. They will have a chance to share their service experiences at the Richmond conference. Additionally, VCHC is accepting donations for the global organization throughout the remainder of the 2015 academic year.
For the Spring 2014 Pay It Forward conference included a visit to Old Towne Petersburg. As a crossroads city, Petersburg has been involved in major historical events including a ten month battle and siege during the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. In an effort to Pay It Forward to those hit hardest by the economic situation in our country, VCHC made a donation to Heifer Project's Seeds of Change in Arkansas and Appalachia with the funds raised by the Honors Programs. Poverty and unemployment has risen greatly in the last few years due to the economic climate in our country, but especially in Appalachia (southern Pennsylvania down to Alabama) and the Arkansas Delta Regions. The Seeds of Change Initiative supports local growers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as a means to strengthen the local economies, promote community development, and provide environmental sustainability.
In 2012, the conference theme was VCHC at the Center of the Universe and the conference included a visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The earthquake in central Virginia this past year caused significant interior damage in buildings throughout Louisa County and its surrounding area. In awareness that not all damage is visible from the outside, and that success in life begins with a solid education, we collected school supplies for the Staples for Students and Do Something.org 2012 campaign. The Staples organization distributes the needed community resources with schools to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.
In 2011, the conference theme was VCHC: A Monumental Experience and the conference included a waterway tour of the national monuments at night. Playing on that metaphor of light as knowledge, we thought that a book drive would be a great way for our students to give back to the community. The service project was a book drive for Reading is Fundamental of Northern Virginia (RIF-NV).
For the Spring 2010 VCHC: A Sea of Possibilities Conference, the service project was to collect non-perishable food items in reusable bags as a means to address poverty and homelessness in our region during the economic recession. The non-perishable food was donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the tote bags or backpacks were donated to the Portsmouth Volunteers for the Homeless.