Fall 2019 Honors College Forums to Focus on 14th Amendment, Opioids and Epic Arkansas

Russell Cothren

Honors College Forum topics range from Flagship U, which was taught around Chancellor Steinmetz' dining room table, to this semester's Museum, which offers students a behind-the-scenes look at running Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Next fall, honors students will have an opportunity to study a constitutional amendment that has impacted sex, segregation and citizenship in the U.S.; examine the causes of and possible solutions to the opioid crisis; and meet with some of Arkansas' leading movers and shakers in a forum that examines what makes Arkansas epic. 

These 75-minute, one-credit-hour Honors College Forums, designated HNRC 300VH in the University of Arkansas catalog, bring star faculty, top administrators and state leaders together with honors students on a weekly basis to discuss trending topics, from climate change to Arkansas' winning track record in startups. 

"We're excited to offer forums on topics that are so relevant today," said Honors College Dean Lynda Coon. "We developed these one-hour forums so that even the busiest students could dive deep into issues that are impacting us now and in the future. Our Honors College courses also provide solid opportunities for networking and help to propel ambitious students into competitive medical and professional schools, graduate studies and nationally competitive awards."

Honors students must apply online to participate in Honors College Forum courses, and seats are limited. Interested students are encouraged to read more about the courses and professors on the Honors College Forums web page.

The final deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 29. 

The Fall 2019 Honors College Forums include:

EPIC will be the third Honors College Forum led by Matt Waller, dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair. EPIC — an acronym for excellence, professionalism, innovation, and collegiality — represents values at the heart of any successful business. This course will offer students the chance to experience, through discussion and interactions with successful businesspeople from across the state, everything that is epic about Arkansas.

Dean Waller will cover what has been epic in the past, what makes the state epic in the present day, and what's forming on the horizon to perpetuate this state of excellence in the future. The course will concentrate on dissecting epic endeavors and results from a business standpoint, but will also dedicate time to the history, culture, landscape and industry that have shaped our state through the years. This course will combine class discussion of the history and background of business in Arkansas with talks by men and women who are working today at the visionary Arkansas companies that will help build the state's future. Past visitors to Dean Waller's forums have included founders and CEOs from Walmart, Tyson Foods, Dillards Inc., Stephens Inc. and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. 

The Fourteenth Amendment will provide an historical and contemporary perspective on one of the most significant amendments to the United States Constitution. The first eighty words of the Fourteenth Amendment have been interpreted to convey citizenship upon American-born children of undocumented immigrants, and to deny it to many indigenous peoples; to limit the right of states to regulate business, and to limit states' intrusion upon the sexual activity and marital rights of couples of the same sex; to allow the confinement of African Americans to separate facilities, and to require the desegregation of public schools.

In 2000, those words were even invoked to elect George W. Bush president. With the help of scholars from across the university, this forum will explore the historical setting in which the Fourteenth Amendment emerged, the many ways it has been understood in the 150 years since, and its role in the twenty-first century in defining the rights individuals enjoy and the powers government exercises. The course will be led by Patrick Williams, editor of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly and a professor of history who focuses on political history, Arkansas and the Southwest. 

Opioids will take an in-depth look at the development and impact of the opioid crisis that has devastated communities across the country. In 2017, more than 72,000 people died from overdoses involving opioids, and 40 percent of all opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid. On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., and opioid addiction is driving this epidemic.

This interprofessional course will challenge preconceptions about addiction and who can become addicted to opioids. The course will review the pharmacology of opioids; include discussion on alternatives to opioids for pain management; consider how the epidemic affects the community and the workplace; and review recent legislative updates. Opioids will be led by Kelly Way, an associate professor of human nutrition and hospitality management in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Her primary research interests include opioid abuse in the business sector.