A cozy gray cottage garnished with a porch typical of Southern architecture sits on McGruder Street shaded beneath a sprawling cypress tree.
Nancy McCarley is preparing to spend a lot of time in the cottage, which is home to the University Honors Program.
McCarley was recently selected to succeed Jack White as the new honors program director.
Eric Shows, chairman for the Honors Council for 2003-2004, said that in one-on-one interviews conducted during the search process, McCarley displayed a great personality that could relate to anyone regardless of education level.
“She made it entertaining and engaging,” he said. “There will never be a dull moment in the house with her around.”
The Honors Council submitted their recommendations to Provost Peter Rabbideau, who saw McCarley’s strong record as a psychology teacher as an asset to the program.
“She was chosen for her talent coupled with her enthusiasm,” Rabbideau said. “One of the single most important characteristics in any field, or anything, for that matter, is enthusiasm.”
McCarley, who received bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from MSU, said she believes that the allure of the school lies in the hospitality and beauty of the campus itself. She said she hopes to accentuate these qualities as tools to recruit future honors students.
“They can go to a place that has better name recognition but they won’t have the chance to know the faculty as they do here,” she said. “We really do care about our students and if we can get new recruits to visit the campus, they will see how approachable everybody is here and how beautiful the campus is as well.”
After only two weeks of learning basics such as the budget and background information of the UHP, McCarley is already beginning to implement plans of expansion through recruitment of not only new incoming students but also current students who meet the requirements.
“I’m a good example of that,” she said of students who do not meet UHP requirements upon entrance to MSU. “I came in as a freshman with not great SAT scores and a decent GPA, but it turned out that college was for me.”
McCarley received honors credit as a result of completion of a senior honors thesis and went on to become an associate professor of psychology, honored with the Outstanding Honors Faculty Member Award and recognized as a John Grisham Master Teacher.
Honors Program administrative assistant Sandra Middleton said she thinks the program will benefit from McCarley’s leadership and said the students love her.
“We’ve had a steady stream of people in and out welcoming her,” she said. “We are thrilled to have her here.”
McCarley said she looks forward to upcoming years as director of the UHP.
“This opportunity has given me a chance to do something for the students on a larger scale to make their experience at MSU a richer one,” she said.
She also said she sees the importance of relationships within the UHP and she hopes to bring students and faculty together for other events such as the recent ice cream social and open house for faculty.
McCarley said she is especially looking forward to jazz musician Chris Brubeck’s appearance as part of the Lyceum series, which is partly funded by the UHP.