[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/great-books-council\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/great-books-council\/","headline":"Great Books Council","name":"Great Books Council","description":"l-r back row Nicolette Connelly, Katelyn Lape, Emma Revels, Benjamin Tomlin. l-r front row Abigail Sikes, Madelyn Furlong, Crystal Klose are a part of the Great Books Council. The Great Books Honors program is a shining example of academic excellence…","datePublished":"2022-08-16","dateModified":"2022-08-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/mfurlong\/#Person","name":"Madelyn Furlong","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/mfurlong\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3b7518a272ab0f390833cb2bf8956e79?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3b7518a272ab0f390833cb2bf8956e79?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Great-boooks-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Great-boooks-scaled.jpg","height":1707,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/great-books-council\/","about":["Current Students","Great Books","News"],"wordCount":903,"articleBody":"l-r back row Nicolette Connelly, Katelyn Lape, Emma Revels, Benjamin Tomlin. l-r front row Abigail Sikes, Madelyn Furlong, Crystal Klose are a part of the Great Books Council. The Great Books Honors program is a shining example of academic excellence at Faulkner University, encouraging students to read, write, think, and discuss with purpose. Andrew Jacobs has been director of the Great Books program in 2015. In 2018, Jacobs created a student-led council that would ultimately help promote and grow the program.Jacobs said, \u201cWe knew we wanted to do something to benefit the students and we wanted to give passionate GB students as much advantage, power, and opportunity so that they could then bless the rest of the students.\u201dReflecting on the thriving Great Books Council and the program as a whole he said, \u201cWhen the program is doing really well, it’s doing well because the students are shining, not necessarily because the faculty is doing anything. The students themselves actually build the best energy and in many ways are more adept at attracting students who would flourish in Great Books.\u201d\u00a0Jacobs is especially grateful for the council’s role in recruiting new students for the program during events such as College Bound and Scholar\u2019s Day.When asked about the council\u2019s future, Jacobs said, \u201cMy biggest hope is that they will be able to aid in the work of strengthening and developing Great Books.\u201dEvery council member does his or her part in contributing to the cultivation of the Great Books program.  They work alongside Great Books faculty members to coordinate events. In past semesters, the council has organized movie nights, Christmas parties and trivia night, which encourage opportunities for friendship outside the classroom.Emma Revels, who is rounding out her second year as president of the Great Books Council, also hopes to foster a strong sense of community within the program. \u201cThe most important thing we can do is make sure we\u2019re supporting the faculty and students as much as we can,\u201d Revels said. \u201cI hope the council continues to cultivate these relationships after we graduate.\u201dThe council implemented and continued to maintain a mentorship program which helps upper-classmen and freshmen develop a bond. Revels encourages students to join. She is especially grateful for each council member and their willingness to serve. The Great Books Council provides support to honors students by offering encouragement and allowing them to voice new ideas. \u201cWe want students, and especially freshmen, to know we\u2019ve been through this, and the reason the council was created was to be a resource for them,\u201d Revels said. \u201cIf we can answer students\u2019 questions or if they need to talk or have ideas they\u2019d like to share with us, we\u2019re here to help.\u201d\u00a0Not only is the council an organization that allows members to learn more about leadership and further participate in the Great Books program, but it serves the student-body and leaves a lasting impact. Members work alongside one another as well as the Great Books faculty to improve the program and help create a sense of community.\u00a0Ben TomlinAs treasurer, I manage all of the council\u2019s funds and budget when we plan our events and promotional endeavors. In the past, I have monitored funds for ventures such as t-shirt orders,\u00a0 keeping track of who has put in an order and then collecting the funds for the program.\u00a0   Being a part of Great Books has certainly been the highlight of my time here at Faulkner. I am so thankful for every opportunity GB has given me to further my excellence both academically and personally. Reading and understanding literature and philosophy initially seems like something that needs to be reached for on your own, but truthfully, with such great leaders and classmates in the program, it\u2019s more like being lifted to greatness. And arriving at such a new level of learning and experience is something for which I\u2019m certainly thankful. Moreover, though, I am grateful for all the wonderful people I have met in the program. If it weren\u2019t for Great Books, I never would have met all of the amazing friends that I have now, and above my academic accomplishments, I treasure each and every one of them.Benjamin Tomlin, TreasurerMadelyn FurlonAs vice president, I help the president and preside over Great Books Council meetings in her absence. I\u2019m also the social media coordinator and oversee the Great Books Instagram account, which is a job I especially enjoy.   I\u2019m so thankful I joined Great Books when I came to Faulkner. Not only has it helped me flourish academically, but I found some of my best friends through the program, and we\u2019ve walked through personal and academic challenges with one another. We\u2019ve bonded through late-night texts about authors such as Plato and Hume and have offered encouragement whenever an interpretive essay is due.\u00a0   Although some of the topics we discuss in class can seem overwhelming and even daunting, the Great Books professors and my classmates have pushed me to ask thoughtful questions and consider opposing viewpoints. We learn to think and argue well, which are skills I\u2019ll carry with me even after I graduate from the program and from Faulkner. My time in Great Books has taught me to aim for becoming a good student but an even better person.Madelyn Furlong, Vice President"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Great Books Council","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/great-books-council\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]