Nancy Castle, professor of rehabilitation counseling, has been named the interim director of the University Honors Program.

Castle said she is excited to work with the honors program because of her involvement with the university’s strategic planning committee. As a member of the committee she and other university employees looked at different ways to get students more involved.

“The honors program is close to the top of the list,” Castle said. “I think it would be a great challenge, it would be great fun.”

As director, Castle will advise honor students on their capstone projects, a senior thesis for the program. Castle said this aspect, where a student works side-by-side with a teacher, is something she would like to see expanded as part of the university’s effort to review and possibly rework its academic processes.

Castle’s new role should be a reprieve for assistant director Jes Cisneros and secretary Joanne Ganshirt, who have been serving as director and program coordinator in addition to their regular duties.

“We sort of have been working as a tag team,” Ganshirt said.

Roseann Feldmann, former director who left NIU last year to become the principal of an elementary school, set high standards as program coordinator, Ganshirt said.

“It’s important to the students that we maintain our high standards,” Ganshirt said.

Cisneros, on the other hand, has taken on the former responsibilities of the director. He said his days are filled with meeting students every half-hour, as well as signing documents or answering e-mails between meetings.

Despite the shortage, Cisneros and Ganshirt have received help from the honors community and house leaders, all of whom are students and staff.

“It hasn’t been ideal, but thanks to the community leaders there are things that are continuing when we had a program coordinator,” Cisneros said.

Cisneros said despite the frantic past few days, “…it would be a bad thing to continue into the fall without a director.”

“We are happy we are going into the fall with a new program director,” Cisneros said of Castle’s appointment.

As for the program coordinator position, Ganshirt said the program is currently evaluating applications and hopes to have the position filled by fall.