Honors Council Selects Pat Huckle for 'Last Lecture'

The SDSU Honors Council selected Patricia Huckle, professor emerita of Women's Studies, as the distinguished lecturer for the Third Annual Henry L. Janssen Last Lecture Series.

Huckle will give her "last lecture," entitled "The Crooked Path: Living Life Forward," at 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16,  in Montezuma Hall. Provost Nancy Marlin and Geoffrey Chase, dean of the Division of Undergraduate Studies, will officiate.

To reserve a seat for the lecture and the reception following visit the Honors Council website or contact Leslie Herrmann at [email protected] or (619) 594-6337 by Tuesday, Feb. 10.

'Crooked path'

"From my first cross-country prop plane flight from Delaware to Seattle, to my experiences in the civil rights and women's movements, from my adventures in teaching and writing to my sojourn in administration, and from my own travels to China, India, Sweden, Ireland and Mexico, to the privilege of encouraging students to seek out opportunities in other parts of the world, my steps have followed an uneven, unexpected, often crooked path," Huckle said. 

"There are those who seem to know very early exactly what path they will follow, but my life has been a series of detours and roundabouts, often surprising and exhilarating, at times sobering, even devastating. That the turnings of my professional and personal life have resulted in a labyrinth of connections and community is my good fortune. This lecture is about those travels and the colleagues, students and friends who have accompanied me along the way as we all struggle to 'live life forward.'"

Both students and colleagues nominated Huckle because of her many accomplishments, the intellectual energy she brings to her teaching and her commitment to the academic community.

About the lecture series

Selection as the 2009 Distinguished Last Lecture Honoree is a wonderful tribute and testament to her distinguished career as a scholar and teacher. Huckle's extraordinary scholarship, leadership and service contributions to SDSU are evidenced in her many campus positions during her tenure, including:

• Associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters (1990-1995)
• Chair of the University Senate (1998-2001)
• "Founding" dean of the SDSU North County Center, now California State University San Marcos (1989-1992)
• Associate dean of curriculum and academic planning at SDSU North County Center (1988-1989).

After receiving a Fulbright grant in 2002 to research issues of gender equality in higher education in Oaxaca, Mexico, Huckle then served as SDSU Fulbright advisor and energized our campus Fulbright Program, creating the conditions for student success. In addition to her exemplary service to SDSU, Huckle also found time to advise and support campus honor societies, most notably Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta and the newly formed Scholars Without Borders.

Honors Council established the Last Lecture Series in 2007 to provide faculty a final opportunity to answer one question in the form of a highly engaging lecture: "If this were your last time to address a group of students, what would you say to them?"

A committee comprised of students, faculty and staff, selects the featured lecturer from the group of nominated faculty. Previous honorees include:

• Henry L. Janssen, professor emeritus of political science (2007 lecturer)
• E. N. Genovese, professor emeritus of classics and humanities (2008 lecturer).

For more information about these honorees or transcripts of their lectures, visit the Last Lecture website.

About the SDSU Honors Council

Founded in 1989, the SDSU Honors Council is comprised of student and faculty representatives from the University Honors Program and from the five, campuswide multidisciplinary honor societies:

• Phi Eta Sigma
• Golden Key Honor Society
• Phi Kappa Phi
• Mortar Board
• Phi Beta Kappa.

For more information about Honors Council, visit Honors Council website.