Camarena to head Honors Program in August

Phame Camarena will take over as director of the Honors Program at Central Michigan University.

On Thursday, the current chairman of the human environmental studies department was named the successor to former director James Hill. Camarena will begin Aug. 18.

He has taught at CMU for 15 years, traditionally instructing courses in human and adolescent development theory. He taught the Honors classes in those courses, as well as a separate class, HON 120: The Individual and Community in Modern Society, a class winners of the Centralis Scholarship are enrolled in during their first year.

Kentwood senior and honors student Mara D’Amico had Camarena as a professor her freshman year. She was a student in his HON 120 class and has nothing but praise for him.

“I loved him as a professor. He had a tangible impact on my life, and we still keep in contact to this day. I even use him as a reference,” D’Amico said.

The impact Camarena left on D’Amico is what he hopes to accomplish in the lives of many more students.

Camarena said he will formulate specific ideals and goals over the next several months, once he has time to interact with faculty and students. However, he does have a general idea for the direction he hopes the program will go.

“I’m personally committed to creating a transformative life for our students. When students leave our program, I want them to be qualitatively different than when they came in. My hope is they make a difference,” Camarena said.

At first, he said, he pondered the idea of taking the position, but then realized he was excited about it. The director position is a three-year time commitment.

“Some faculty jobs are more flexible, but director is demanding. I’m at a time when I know I can do this,” Camarena said. “I have a lot of respect for all past directors who have immersed themselves in the honors culture and this university.”

When Camarena takes over as Honors Program director, he will vacate the job of chairperson for Human Environmental Studies, but he already has faculty member Megan Goodwin lined up for the job. He personally recommended Goodwin and thinks she will do a great job.

Another goal Camarena hopes to achieve is to reach out and make the program more accessible to students, especially by emphasizing the value in what the program has to offer.

D’Amico has complete faith in Camarena and his ability to do the job well.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “He will bring great quality and innovative ideas to create a more intellectual spark in this program.”