Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News

USF President Judy Genshaft discussed Honors students' needs and abilities in the Alumni Center on Tuesday night. ORACLE PHOTO/JOSE LOPEZ JR.

Judy Genshaft was not speaking as the President of USF or as Business Woman of the Year for the Tampa Community when she addressed about 100 Honors College students Tuesday night. Instead, she was "Professor Genshaft" - an homage that highlighted her work and research in human intelligence and gifted education - when she and a panel of four guest speakers spent an hour discussing and advocating the importance of intelligence and gifted education.

"It's a different kind of ability level," Genshaft said of gifted students. "I used to tell parents … you're so lucky to have a gifted child. Many parents were very frightened (by this) because they don't know the kind of responsibilities they (now) have."

Genshaft said that gifted students are "talented in a whole variety of areas." Gifted students also feel comfortable with adults in adult situations, and are never satisfied with their performance, she said, adding that gifted children comprise the "largest underachieving group of students across America."

"For high school, you all do very well, but you are not achieving up to your ability," she said.

Gifted students have a variety of different needs to satisfy their intellectual thirst, Genshaft said. Such needs include multidisciplinary curriculum, for example, and the opportunity to expand one's education in an unconventional way, like research or studying abroad.

"What we needed to do at the college level is to establish some kind of a program for students that are really different and need that kind of extra attention (and) a little more variation." Twenty-five years ago, USF acknowledged this need and established the Honors College, she said.

"You are different in some way from the rest of the population, and you're expect to do more with your gift," she said.

Genshaft later elaborated: "there's nothing wrong with being elitist, it is to be valued," explaining that gifted students are high-functioning people, and that they are "the important group for society."

Following her speech were four guest speakers, each elaborating on a certain aspect of gifted education. William Lee, a professor of chemical engineering who teaches philosophy in the College, spoke to the group about the importance of creativity and learning from one another. Fourth-year microbiology student Aleesa McQueen spoke about the importance of leadership and National Merit Scholar James Hudson expanded on the importance of the College. Professor of music Janet Moore also stressed the importance of alternative learning experiences.

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