JS Media Team

The Monthly Email Newsletter of the ACES James Scholar Honors Program

Launched in September 2000 under the editorship of Rob Chappell, Cursus Honorum informs ACES James Scholars about upcoming events and program requirements. The newsletter also includes feature articles about current items of interest to students in ACES fields of study, along with copious illustrations in full color.

Published on a monthly basis throughout the academic year, the newsletter is produced by members of the James Scholar Media Team. Back issues from the past four years are archived below for the convenience of our students and their advisors. Comments, questions, and suggestions may be directed to the Editor, Rob Chappell.

Current Issues: Academic Year 2008-09

• August 2008
• September 2008 -- COMING SOON!
• October 2008
• November 2008
• December 2008
• January 2009
• February 2009
• March 2009
• April 2009
• May 2009

Cursus Honorum Archive

• Volume VIII: Academic Year 2007-08
• Volume VII: Academic Year 2006-07
• Volume VI: Academic Year 2005-06
• Volume V: Academic Year 2004-05

The Delphic Sibyl as portrayed by Michelangelo in fresco at Rome (ca. 1510). The Sibyls were visionary sages from the ancient Mediterranean region who were renowned for their wisdom and insight. The Sibyls were still revered and depicted in art throughout the European Middle Ages. (Image Credit: Public Domain)

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these files (download here).

Fall Semester 2003

• August 2003
• September 2003
• October 2003
• November 2003
• December 2003

Spring Semester 2004

• January 2004
• February 2004
• March 2004
• April 2004
• May 2004

This statue in the Oxford University Museum is a likeness of Roger Bacon (1214-1294), a Franciscan friar, inventor, and scientist. Known as the "Father of the Scientific Method," he advocated experimentation over slavish devotion to accepted theories. He studied and wrote books on astronomy, mathematics, optics, engineering, and alchemy, and his work anticipated such "modern" inventions as microscopes, telescopes, aircraft, submarines, eyeglasses, etc. (Photo Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these files (download here).

Fall Semester 2004

• August 2004
• September 2004
• October 2004
• November 2004
• December 2004

Spring Semester 2005

• January 2005
• February 2005
• March 2005
• April 2005
• May 2005

"The Alchemist's Laboratory," an illustration of a 16th-century research lab from Heinrich Khunrath's (1560-1605) Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom (1595). (Image Credit: Public Domain)

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these files (download here).

Fall Semester 2005

• August 2005
• September 2005
• October 2005
• November 2005
• December 2005

Spring Semester 2006

• January 2006
• February 2006
• March 2006
• April 2006
• May 2006

Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome (715-672 BCE), receives a scroll of legal instructions from the nymph Egeria. This etching was created by the Italian artist Bartolomeo Pinelli (1781-1835) in the early 19th century. Click here to read the legend of Numa and Egeria as retold by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE). (Image Credit: Public Domain)

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these files (download here).

Fall Semester 2006

• August 2006
• September 2006
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006

Spring Semester 2007

• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007

Anonymous portrait of Baron Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), a French savant who carried out pioneering research in geology, paleontology, and comparative anatomy. Not content to shut himself up in an ivory tower as Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, he traveled extensively and shared his findings with the public through several books and extensive lecture tours. (Image Credit: Public Domain)

The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access these files (download here).

Fall Semester 2007

• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• December 2007

Spring Semester 2008

• January 2008
• February 2008
• March/April 2008
• May/June 2008

Aratus of Soli (ca. 315-240 BCE) was a Greek scientific poet from Macedonia. His most famous composition was the Phenomena, a versified description of the Classical constellations and weather signs. (Image Credit: Public Domain)

A Student Organization for James Scholars Interested in Cultivating Their Literary and Photographic Skills

The James Scholar Media Team's logo, designed by our first President, Michelle Blaschek (Class of 2007), consists of the club's initials and a writing quill surrounded by an octagon.

Our Organization

• JSMT Mission Statement: Adopted 2006-Mar-14 (PDF)
• JSMT Membership Policy: Adopted 2006-Mar-14 (PDF)
• JSMT Leadership Photo Gallery -- Back online soon!
• Memorandum of Understanding Outlining a Strategic Partnership Between the JSMT and the IACT (PDF) -- On March 29, 2007, the JSMT and the IACT entered into a strategic partnership based on a Memorandum of Understanding. This document allows the two clubs to collaborate through the sharing of information, personnel, and resources.

Our Publications

• ACES Honors Newsletter Archives: Cursus Honorum (Course of Honors) and Ultreia (Onward!) -- Read past and present issues of our monthly and quarterly email newsletters!
• Public Perceptions of Agriculture -- A collection of wikis from ACES 179 students, with contributions by JSMT members
• Visit the Virtual Reading Room to see more samples of our literary and photographic work, including the Scholastic Blogosphere!

• Autumn & Winter 2008-09 Publication Schedule:

ACES Communication Resources

• National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (NACT)
• The Old Farmer's Almanac -- Agricultural Sourcebook Since 1792
• University of Illinois Writers' Workshop -- Sponsored by the Center for Writing Studies
• Wikipedia -- Free Internet Encyclopedia
• The Writer's Almanac -- Hosted by Garrison Keillor

Dr. Wayne Banwart, one of the "Founding Fathers" of the revitalized ACES James Scholar Honors Program in 1999, was the special guest speaker at the JSMT's general meeting on February 27, 2007. (Photo Credit: Traci Kingdon, Class of 2008)

Read a tribute to Dr. Banwart (PDF) distributed at his retirement festivities on August 22, 2007 (PDF).

Ultreia (Onward!)
The ACES James Scholar Alumni Quarterly

The Alma Mater Statue on the Quad was a gift to the University of Illinois from the graduating classes of 1925 through 1929. Designed by Lorado Taft, it depicts the University as our Nurturing Mother in flowing robes, greeting her children with a welcoming embrace. Behind her stand the personified figures of Learning and Labor. The inscription reads: "To thy happy children of the future, those of the past send greetings." (Photo Credit: Katie Baker, ACES James Scholar Class of 2006)

The name ULTREIA comes from a medieval Latin word used by travelers to encourage each other as they pressed forward to reach their destination. The word means "ONWARD!" and, like this newsletter, it invites us to "come and see" what lies just around the riverbend, over the next hill, or beyond the line of trees on the distant horizon.

What adventures await ACES James Scholars beyond the Grove of Academe? "Come and see!" ULTREIA will show you through stories, photos, interviews, and features by and about those intrepid pilgrims who have graduated from the College of ACES with James Scholar Distinction.

WHAT ALUMNI ARE SAYING ABOUT ULTREIA

"I was looking at the James Scholar newsletter, and just wanted to let you know I enjoyed reading it. It's great to be able to see what's going on with the James Scholar Program. ... I am taking the GRE this weekend and am thinking more about graduate school for Ag Economics, possibly this fall or the next. With the James Scholar research and classes under my belt, I'm sure I am more prepared for grad school work. I just wanted to let you know I enjoyed the newsletter, and more importantly, the James Scholar Program. Thanks!"
-- Maria Cox, ACES James Scholar Class of 2006

ULTREIA's production staff consists of Rob Chappell (Editor) and the ACES James Scholar Media Team. This exciting publication made its debut in March 2006. Please visit again soon for the latest news and information about ULTREIA.

Rob Chappell, M.A., E.F.M.
Editor & Webmaster (Spring 2006-Present)
Advisor, ACES James Scholar Media Team (Spring 2006-Present)
Photo Credit: Karlie Elliott)

Kim Wangen (ANSC), ACES James Scholar Class of 2009
Editorial Associate (Summer 2008-Present)
(Photo Credit: Kim Wangen)

THE ULTREIA ARCHIVE

• Autumn 2008 -- Coming in September 2008
• Summer 2008 -- Published July 2008
• Spring 2008 -- Published April 2008

• Winter 2007-08 -- Published December 2007
• Autumn 2007 -- Published October 2007
• Summer 2007 -- Published June 2007
• Spring 2007 -- Published March 2007

• Winter 2006-07 -- Published December 2006
• Autumn 2006 -- Published September 2006
• Summer 2006 -- Published June 2006
• Spring 2006 -- Published March 2006