LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Kathy M. Richards has been appointed interim director of the Lock Haven University Honors Program for the 2008-09 academic year as director Dr. Joseph P. McGinn will be on sabbatical.

Richards, assistant professor of elementary education, has previously served as interim director during the spring and summer of 2003.

“I am delighted that my friend and colleague, Kathy Richards, has agreed to take charge of the university honors and first-year excellence programs,” said McGinn. “I’m completely confident that the programs are in the best of hands.”

Richards added that she is looking forward to her new role and is “excited by the challenges” it presents.

“The honors program is one of the best things at Lock Haven,” she noted. “I love the close interaction with students.”

The honors and first-year excellence programs attract about 90 incoming students each year. Over 200 students are enrolled in the programs.