The University Honors Program will welcome on May 15, 2022, Professor Andrew Dilts, political science, as Honors associate director and Professor Hawley Almstedt, health and human sciences, as Honors research advisor. The Honors Program will continue to be directed by Professor Trevor Zink, management, and supported by Senior Administrative Coordinator Nubia Valenzuela and Administrative Coordinator Melissa Pardo.
Professor Dilts has been actively involved in the University Honors Program since joining the faculty at LMU, teaching a variety of courses in the Honors Core. He has served as a thesis advisor for numerous honors students and served as a research mentor for HNRS 2000 students and Honors Research grants. Professor Dilts has served on the Honors Advisory Committee and, since 2020, served as the Honors academic advisor.
Professor Dilts studied economics at Indiana University and the London School of Economics and Political Science before earning a doctorate in political science at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the faculty at Loyola Marymount in 2011, Professor Dilts was a Harper-Schmidt Fellow in the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts at the University of Chicago, teaching exclusively in the College’s “Common Core” curriculum as Collegiate Assistant Professor of Social Sciences.
Professor Almstedt is no stranger to the Honors Program, having served on the Honors Advisory Council for three years and mentoring many Honors theses, four of which resulted in peer-reviewed and published work. Her expertise in teaching the research process and in successful grant writing will be an invaluable asset to Honors students’ research. Though the Honors research advisor is a new position, Professor Almstedt will fulfill duties similar to those Professor John David Dionisio, computer science, focused on, including teaching the “Research and Exhibition” course, advising and overseeing the Honors student research process, and evaluating and managing Honors Research Fellowship and Grants.
Professor Almstedt earned a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Oregon State University where she developed a research agenda studying how exercise programs across the life span can be used to promote skeletal health. During her 17 years at LMU, Professor Almstedt’s research continues to focus on how diet and exercise influence skeletal health, prevent fractures, and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Professor Almstedt’s work with multidisciplinary teams as former president of the LMU Chapter of Sigma Xi, 2012 director of the Bellarmine Forum, and interdisciplinary collaborations with Athletics, Human Resources’ Health and Wellness, and the Improving Physical Activity After Cancer Treatment Study will be helpful when interacting with the diversity of disciplines represented among students in the Honors Program. She looks forward to advising this multidisciplinary community of curious students while helping to develop their scholarly passions.
Honors Program Bids Farewell to Dondi Dionisio
The program also says goodbye to a longstanding Honors friend and ally, current Honors associate director, Professor John David “Dondi” Dionisio. Dondi started as associate director in fall 2011. During his tenure he helped formalize the “research arc” that now forms the backbone of the Honors Core Colloquia. He also expanded the Honors research grant offerings from summer-only fellowships and post-publication ambassadorial grants to yearlong opportunities including research materials grants, fellowship semesters, service grants, and support for research publications such as poster printing.
Dondi expanded the access and visibility of Honors research by partnering with the William H. Hannon Library to establish multiple collections in Digital Commons, including theses, funded proposals, and HNRS 2000 presentations. Additionally, he made sure that Honors research activities were explicitly bound to dissemination, ensuring that Honors research reaches a broader audience.
Over his 11 years of service to Honors, Dondi chaired two successful search committees for Honors directors, shepherded over 560 students through the Honors Program, attended 20 conferences for the AJCU Honors Consortium and National Collegiate Honors Council, in addition to making many hundreds of appearances at the weekly “Caffeine and Carbs” in the Honors Lounge.
On behalf of the many students, families, faculty, staff, and partners at LMU and beyond that he has positively influenced, we thank Dondi for his countless contributions to the development and future of our Honors community. We know he will continue to be a good friend to Honors, and we wish him well in the next chapter of his adventure.
