DeKALB | In the past five years, the University Honors Program has gone through four directors, and this semester Todd Gilson, the newest director, began his position.

Before he was offered the position, Gilson worked at NIU as a professor in the Kinesiology and Physical Education Department, where he began in 2008. Gilson taught his first honors course in 2012 and said he really enjoyed the experience.

“I was offered the opportunity to start teaching honors classes, and from that first semester, this was something that I pegged,” Gilson said.

The position for director opened in April, and Gilson was among several others when he applied. The interview process had a presentation component for each applicant which honors student leaders attended.

Gilson spoke of changes he wanted to make to the program such as an increased funding for honors students. He said he wants to provide more financial aid and opportunity to students working in the honors program.

Gilson put an emphasis on reinventing the Honors Engaged program, which offers events for honors students throughout the semester. In order to remain an active member in the honors program, students must attend two of the events. He said he wants to incentivize it by making attendance optional to make students want to participate rather than feel forced. The more events a student attends the more financial and academic resources they will have.

“We need to make Honors Engaged more of a carrot and less of a stick,” Gilson said. “Honors engaged right now is either do it or go on probation. We need to incentivize people and show them the benefits and values.”

Mary Reinertson, freshman electrical engineering major, and Rachel Huck, freshman psychology major, said that Honors Engaged is difficult for them because they feel forced and are sometimes unable to attend events. Huck said this would be a positive change for the program and look forward to Gilson’s efforts.

“I think a lot of the events they host are cool, but we have to do it and we have to fit things into our schedule,” Reinertson said.

Gilson recognized these problems and said he hopes that he will be able to bring something new to the program, such as providing more financial aid to students involved in the program. He wants to be engaged with students and attend events with them and hopes that this will make him a familiar face.

Lexie Williams, senior public health administration major, said Gilson impressed her immediately.

“He was very enthusiastic and humorous,” Williams said. “He talked about his five-year plan and the changes he wanted to make to the program, and he’s already been what students and staff want.”

This impression also came across to Reinertson, who first met Gilson at the honors program Lorado Taft retreat, four days before classes began.

“He kept saying how he really wanted the position, and now he’s got it so I think he’s going to do great things,” Huck said.

Gilson said he is thrilled to have this new position and looks forward to working with students and staff to make the program all that it can be.

“I want to make students aware that you can make the personal connection with me,” Gilson said. “I’m gonna be the hardest working director you’ve seen. I’m gonna be out there when I’m supposed to be out there. I’m gonna take risks and fail at things and that’s fine because I’m gonna learn from it.”