Our nest will not only welcome a lot of incoming freshmen this summer, but also a new director for the Honors Program. Clay Motley has been chosen as the new permanent director for the program.
He has been an associate professor and the director of the Honors College at Western Kentucky University for the past seven years. Motley will move to Fort Myers toward the end of this month and will begin his new job July 8.
I feel like Ive had time to grow professionally to fulfill the role as a director,Motley said.FGCU seems like the place I want to be in. Motleys primary responsibility will be the administration of the Honors Program. However, he will also be an associate professor of English at Florida Gulf Coast University.
When asked why he decided to come to FGCU, Motley said,­Its a large and strong program and university. Even though Motley has a degree in English from the University of South Carolina, he considers pop culture as his area of expertise. He is currently writing a book about music history since the early 20th century in Corkscrew, Mississippi.
I have gotten into what I would call culture studies, Motley said.Instead of analyzing literature, I look into pop culture. More opportunities for students that include research, study abroad, service learning and leadership development are something Motley will try to address.
I know there are already some (opportunities), but I want to continue to develop them,Motley said.I know not many students take advantage of the thesis program, for instance. The new director said he has a lot of new ideas, but before he starts implementing these, he wants to learn more about the Honors Program at FGCU.
Im going to have to do some learning,Motley said. Its really important to learn about the university and talk to students about their program. Motley is excited to start working and is confident the next academic year will be a successful one.
When I was interviewed, I met some of the staff and faculty I would be working with, and they were impressive people who you’d want to talk about, Motley said. ­I cant wait to get started. I want to help students to be successful.