The Honors College at Stony Brook welcomes two new members to its administrative staff this fall. Joining the Honors College’s diverse union of professors and administrators will be history department veteran, William Miller, and faculty director and administrative director Gabrielle Tobin, from the Provost’s office.

New perspectives are what Miller and Tobin hope to bring to the Honors College. Although they approve of the current organization of the Honors College, both said in an interview last week that they hoped to invite a varied array of guest speakers and professors to the Honors College.

Miller said that he was currently in the process of finalizing a diverse list of professors that will teach this semester’s Honors College mini courses. Mini courses are one-credit enrichment courses that honors students take as part of the Honors College curriculum. Topics for these courses range from the arts and humanities to science and mathematics. The list of Fall 2007 mini courses will include such topics as “Consumerism, Citizenship, and the Mediascape”, “The Science of Science Fiction”, “Right Relationship”, and “Medieval Murder Mysteries”.

The new directors of the Honors College also hope to enrich students outside the classroom. Tobin explained that one of her principle goals this year is to invite Honors College alumni back to the campus to speak to current students about their experiences. She encourages representatives from campus organizations to speak to students about extracurricular activities.

As the new school year gathers speed, Miller and Tobin accept their new posts with the aspiration that they will create a comfortable, productive, and happy environment for Honors College students. “I am here to facilitate their academic experiences. I would like to create an approachable open door policy. Stony Brook is a treasure trove of opportunities and I want to help students find those opportunities,” Miller said.