Today’s election for 2011-2012 officers marks the end of the first year of operation for the Honors College Assembly. Voting began Tuesday morning and will conclude this afternoon.

The leaders of the HCA said that looking back, there is a lot for the group to be proud of in its first year of operation.

“The biggest accomplishment is also the simplest,” said Josh Gray, president of the HCA diversity committee. “We were able to establish ourselves as an organization and create a brand for the expectations and products of our organization.”

Current HCA President Hallie Paul agreed, but also said that she was most proud of even smaller things, like new connections between students and faculty.

“Each relationship fostered through HCA is an accomplishment in itself,” Paul said. “It’s been a joy to see connections between students multiply. In short, there is no one thing that has made this year successful.  Instead, it is every single student who has invested their time and energy into this organization, however big or small their role.

“We’re a brand new organization, and there is always room for improvement,” said Paul, a junior majoring in New College. “We’re constantly running into problems and having to think of creative solutions to solve them.  As long as we keep our greater vision in mind, I have faith in our ability to expand and improve.”

The HCA was founded last year in an effort to unite the students of the Honors College and give them some voice in the activities and administration of the program.

“The organization is a coordinated body of students enrolled in the Honors College,” said Gray, a junior majoring in political science and international relations.  “We work towards building student leader initiatives and providing outlets for student leadership. All of our engagements either enhance the Honors College environment for students or extend the college’s outreach, if not both.”

“One of HCA’s goals is not only to create a greater sense of community within the Honors College, but to have that sense of community pour out into the larger University,” Paul said. “We also believe in the importance of tapping into student potential and ideas, and the vast majority of our programming has come straight from Honors College students.  The person chosen to lead HCA has a responsibility to make sure that we are constantly working to bring more voices to the table, not just strengthening those voices that already come through loud and clear.”

“This year was definitely good for HCA,” Gray said. “We were able to solidify our presence on campus. Our next moves will be to continue our successes and increase our attachment to the UA campus. The main goal for ourselves, and any organization, is establishing a brand that ties to the vision behind the organization.”

Gray added that the HCA would have to work hard and tirelessly to keep that vision clear, present it to the campus, and achieve a larger impact.

“To those taking leadership positions next year, my advice is to do everything possible to reach students who have not yet been reached, and to maintain a sense of honor and integrity,” Paul said.

Voting will be held in the lobby of Nott Hall, and will conclude at 4 p.m. All Honors College students are eligible to stop by and fill out a ballot.