USM Honors College publication “The Medallion” gains national recognition

Wednesday, 23/10/2024 – 16:01 | By: Dr. David Tisdale

The medallionan annual publication of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Honors College, has won first place in the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) faculty/administrator/student print newsletter category. Honor Publications Competition.

Jessie James-Prince, a Southern Miss graduate who serves as Honors Academic Advisor and Coordinator of Honors Life Learning Programs, is the primary creator and editor of The medallion. Honors College team members Kelli Sellers and Helen Greene will attend the NCHC conference in Kansas City, Missouri later this month to accept the award. 

“Receiving this award was such an exciting surprise,” said James-Prince. “I submitted the final draft of The medallion the day before I had my daughter in March, three months earlier than I normally send her, so when I got the text that this year’s number had been chosen, I was so proud of everyone’s help for it to be a success.

“The team I’m a part of here at the Honors College is so special,” James-Prince continued. “We love to collaborate on events, projects and programs for students, and we tend to turn any task into a group task and that’s what makes us so great. This year’s publication is the best example of our collaborative work because, although I am the editor and propose the theme and direction of each piece, everyone contributes in some way.”

The medallion was launched in 2016 and is sent to all Honors College students and alumni each summer.

“I believe The medallion is a great example of our efforts because since my first issue, I’ve tried to highlight everything that makes our community so unique,” said James-Prince in reflecting on his vision for the publication. “If students are on an active learning journey, presenting their research at conferences, studying abroad, or even playing soccer at The Rock on Saturdays, my goal is to let our students know how proud we are of them and that they don’t care. only their friends and family will see the problem, but all the honorable academics who were here before them.

“I’m excited to be able to show Honors College alumni what exciting things our students are doing. I hope that when our alumni receive their issues in the mail, they’ll see something that brings back a memory of their time as student”.

The Southern Miss Honors College is currently celebrating its 50th birthdayth anniversary of its popular University Forum program, and next year it will also celebrate half a century as one of the first academic entities of its kind in the country.

“I’m so excited about next year’s issue that I’ve already jumped ahead to start planning it,” explained James-Prince. “My goal is to make this a throwback theme, where we highlight each decade of the Honors College. With the help of alumni and University archives, I hope to create an outreach in the style of ‘a yearbook where we can see what the Honors College has achieved in its 50 years, along with the impact it has had on its students.’ 

James-Prince also credited her Honors College colleagues for “helping carry the vision of The medallion to life” with their contributions.

“Jessie has an incredible eye for detail, and her roles as academic advisor and coordinator of our living learning community mean she’s constantly thinking about how best to represent our students, faculty and alumni and the good work they’re doing doing in the world,” said Honors College Dean Dr. Joyce Inman. “She focuses on how to build community and The medallion is a wonderful example of how he works with our team and various Southern Miss communities partnering with the Honors College to provide snapshots of our scholars and their dedication to taking their education to the next level. Our entire team contributes to this publication and I know they appreciate Jessie and are excited to see her work recognized.”