Honors Program

Honors Program Director: Assistant Professor Amber Carey
Phone: (850) 484-1360
Email: honorsprogram@pensacolastate.edu
Building 14, Office1475

Amber Carey received her B.A. in Spanish and Criminology, with a minor in Italian, from Auburn University in 2003 and an M.A. in Hispanic Studies from Auburn University in 2005, where she taught courses as a graduate teaching assistant.  Additionally, she also has over eighteen hours of graduate coursework in Criminal Justice from Florida State University. Ms. Carey has studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain, while taking courses from University of Salamanca and in Playa del Carmen, Mexico at a language immersion school.

Ms. Carey has taught Drugs and Behavior, Research Methods, and currently teaches Beginning Spanish I and Beginning Spanish II here at Pensacola State College.  She will teach the Honors College Forum course, a requirement of the Robinson Honors Program.  Her research interests include language acquisition, Relevance Theory and the construction of idioms, sociolinguistics, drug policy and history in the US, and leadership development initiatives.

Honors Faculty: Lauren Baugus
Email: lbaugus@pensacolastate.edu

Lauren Baugus is an instructor in the English and Communications department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Alabama, where she completed a thesis project on Ernest Hemingway’s short stories, and a master’s degree in English literature from Florida State University, where her research focused on English gothic short fiction. She has taught at Pensacola State College since 2010. In her spare time, she enjoys CrossFit, quality time with her family, membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, and reading. Her specific interests are history, biography, and literary fiction, which often allow for new connections to content area material in her classes. She was inducted into the Academy of Teaching Excellence at PSC in 2023. In the classroom, Mrs. Baugus has a passion for seeing students feel confident in their writing abilities and make connections between literature and their own circumstances and experiences. She hopes that students will see the value of writing and literature not just as college students but throughout their lives and careers. She has worked with the Robinson Honors Program since 2022 and hopes to challenge students to deepen their understanding of how literature reflects its own time and our own.

Honors Faculty: Richard Carr
Email: rcarr@pensacolastate.edu

Richard Carr is an instructor for sociology and psychology courses and is the Faculty Advisor for Active Minds at Pensacola State College. He received his Associates in Arts from Pensacola State College in 2004 and a Bachelors of Arts from the University of West Florida in psychology in 2007. In 2010, he obtained his Master´s in Psychology from University of West Florida and has just completed eighteen graduate hours in sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Mr. Carr is a member of Psi Chi National Honor Society and is a Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society member. He teaches General Psychology, Human Growth and Development, and Introduction to Sociology, as well as our Social Science Honors component, at Pensacola State College. His research interests lie in exploring the psychology of religion and spirituality and human sexuality. He enjoys going to the gym, camping, kayaking, songwriting, playing the guitar, and binge watching Netflix with his wife.

Honors Faculty: Jen Ehrhardt
Email: jehrhardt@pensacolastate.edu

Dr. Ehrhardt received her B.A. in Public Relations, an M.A. in Communication, an M.B.A. with a focus on Human Resources, and an Ed.D in Education with a focus on Instructional Technology from The University of West Florida. She has taught at The University of West Florida as well as acted as a corporate trainer for Navy Federal Credit Union, Gulf Power, General Electric, and Escambia County School District via Pensacola State College.

Dr. Ehrhardt is an Academy of Teaching Recipient of 2008 and graduated from the inaugural class of the President’s Leadership Institute in 2012. She started her career at Pensacola State teaching in the Communication discipline, teaching Public Speaking, Basic Speaking and Listening Skills, Interpersonal Communication, and Survey of Mass Communication. In addition, she has taught Student Life Skills and Introduction to Technology for Educators for the college. She currently teaches for the Business Department. She has taught Introduction to Business, Principles of Management, Business Ethics, Business Communication, Customer Service, and Human Relations.

Her academic research interests are online student attrition and student teamwork. She also studies geology and dinosaurs of the Southwest after working as a tour guide at Bryce Canyon National Park for two summers. When not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, gardening, crafting, and running her own Airbnb.

Honors Faculty: Caren Garrity
Email: cgarrity@pensacolastate.edu

Dr. Garrity received her Doctorate in Earth and Space Science from York University in Toronto, Canada. She completed seventeen expeditions to the Arctic and four to the Antarctic where she is known as Snow Mouse. She missed her interview to be a Canadian Astronaut since she was in the Antarctic and could not return home in time. Most of her career of 21 years as a scientist was spent in the Arctic and Antarctic looking down at the Earth using satellite data to map sea ice in aid of navigation and research. She guided the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard ships to the North Pole, for the first time, across the Arctic Ocean, making history on August 22, 1994. Her educational methods consist of developing both intellectual and behavioral skills to ensure student success in academic and professional pursuits. When she is not preparing for class, emailing students, or upgrading science news, she is working out at the gym, and scouting the forests and waters in her backyard. Locally, she is a member of the Blackwater Pyrates and in application mode for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, station Destin, FL.

Honors Faculty: Randall McClellan
Email: remcclellan@pensacolastate.edu

Dr. Randall Evan McClellan joined the PSC faculty in 2019 after earning a PhD in Physics from

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2016 and working for three years at Jefferson Lab as a post-doc. In his research career, Dr. McClellan has contributed to 28 published scientific articles, 3 of which were published in Nature. Dr. McClellan has been described as a knowledgeable, patient, and enthusiastic instructor of physics. He was awarded PSC’s “Outstanding New Faculty Member Award” for the 2020-2021 academic year.

In labs and honors projects, Dr. McClellan is excited to teach his students to use statistical rigor in reporting experimental results.

Honors Faculty: Brian Rucker
Email: brucker@pensacolastate.edu

Dr. Brian R. Rucker is a graduate of Pensacola Junior College (now PSC), who went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history at UWF, and then obtained his Ph.D. in history at FSU. He has been teaching at PSC full time since 1996, and he teaches several upper-level courses at UWF. Dr. Rucker has authored or edited over fifty scholarly books and articles related to Florida and Gulf Coast history, and he has been president of the Gulf South Historical Association twice.  He leads numerous field trips each year to interesting historical and natural sites across the West Florida region and beyond. He hopes to inspire students to find the same passion for history that he has, and to learn and have fun at the same time.

Honors Faculty: Melissa Sears
Email: msears@pensacolastate.edu

Melissa Sears is an Associate Professor in the Natural Sciences department at Pensacola State College, as well as the Biology Club Advisor. She obtained her Bachelors of Science with Honors in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Nicholls State University in 2005 and her Master´s in Science in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University in 2008.

Ms. Sears is an Academy of Teaching Recipient for 2017 and graduated from the President´s Leadership Class of 2016 at Pensacola State College. She teaches Introduction to Biology, Introduction to Biology lab, Marine Biology, Marine Biology Lab, and our Biology Honors component. Her research interests include sea turtle and manatee populations and her hobbies outside of work are photography and travel.

The Pensacola State College Student Scholar Symposium is the culminating celebration of undergraduate scholarship, creativity, and innovation. At the end of each semester, Robinson Scholars enrolled in Honors components and courses present or exhibit the research projects they have developed throughout the term. Robinson Scholars present at the Student Scholar Symposium at Pensacola State College in the fall semester, and at the University of West Florida Symposium in the spring semester.

The PSC Student Scholar Symposium features a wide range of presentation formats, including oral presentations, academic poster sessions, art exhibitions and showcases, engineering prototypes, student panel discussions, performances, digital media projects, and other discipline-specific demonstrations. This event provides an opportunity for students to dive into undergraduate research while providing students with an opportunity to share their work with faculty, peers, and the broader community.

The Honors Student Symposium invites campus and community members to engage with emerging scholars, explore innovative ideas, and celebrate the academic excellence and creative achievements of Honors students.