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Honors Day recognizes student, faculty, and staff achievement

Honors Day recognizes student, faculty, and staff achievement

For Immediate Release
May. 10, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Birmingham-Southern College held its annual Honors Day celebration on Thursday, May 10, to recognize graduating seniors, other students, faculty, and staff for their scholarly achievements, leadership, and service.

honors-day.jpgThe Honors Day Convocation featured an academic procession, a performance by the BSC Concert Choir, and inspirational messages for the graduating class. It was followed by the 25th annual Honoring Scholarship Conference, during which students present their research projects and creative endeavors to cap off their undergraduate careers.

In his keynote address to the Class of 2018, Dr. David Yokum, a 2006 BSC biology graduate and founding director of The Lab @ DC, an applied research team in Washington, D.C., talked about how a liberal arts education forces you to curate your life by absorbing new experiences and ideas.

“And now, you must decide whether you’ll continue with a liberal arts life, and how you’ll curate your life toward the right balance of résumé and eulogy virtues with exploration,” Yokum told the crowd in Munger Auditorium. “It will be hard, but it will be totally worth it.”

He was joined on the stage by BSC President Linda Flaherty-Goldsmith, Provost Dr. Bradley Caskey, Student Government Association President Toby White, Chaplain Rev. Julie Blackwelder Holly ’01, and Professor of Music Dr. Jacqueline Leary-Warsaw.

During the afternoon following the awards ceremony, students from disciplines across campus presented their senior research projects. Subjects included: meditation and its effects on the human brain, recipes that promote sustainable agriculture, and a research study on the private prison system and mass incarceration in America. There were also media and film studies presentations, musical performances, and a student juried art exhibition on display.

Campus-wide honors bestowed at the ceremony included:

  • The Donald C. Harrison Honors Program Senior Awardrecognizes one or more senior members who show overall academic excellence and a commitment to interdisciplinary study: Mirella Dankova
  • The Hess Center for Leadership and Service Distinction in Leadership Studies Award goes to students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, a commitment to the betterment of society, and a willingness to serve others: Mersedes Engle and Kelsey Peake
  • The William Legg Award is presented to a senior student-athlete who plans to attend graduate school: Alana Owens
  • The Alpha Lambda Delta Book Awardrecognizes the graduating member of the national honor society with the highest grade point average: Bridget Adams
  • The Alpha Lambda Delta Scholarship Award is given to an outstanding junior member of the national honor society: Margaret DuVall
  • The Henry C. Randall Advisor of the Year Award is presented to a faculty or staff member who advises a student organization: Dean of Students Ben Newhouse
  • The Student Center for the Public Trust “Campus Being a Difference” Student Award honors an individual who exhibits personal values and actions that demonstrate integrity and ethics: Natalie Daniel
  • The Student Center for the Public Trust “Campus Being a Difference” Faculty Award honors an individual who exhibits personal values and actions that demonstrate integrity and ethics: Associate Professor of Religion Dr. Amy Cottrill
  • The Excellence in Library Research Award is presented to a first- or second-year student who submits a Southern Academic Review paper that best shows the breadth, depth, and understanding of research: Molly McDaniel
  • The Nancy and Billy McDonald Outstanding Servant Leader Award is presented to an outstanding servant and leader: Cayla Bush
  • The Dudley Long Leadership Award is established by the SGA to recognize a group or student whose efforts during the year added to campus life: BSC cheerleading squad
  • The President's Service Award is presented to members of the campus community who show commitment, character, service, and leadership: Kristin Harper ’92, director of the Bunting Center for Engaged Study and Community Action; Kayla Smith, student president of the Cross Cultural Committee; and the staff of BSC Campus Police
  • The Provost’s Award for Diversity in the Classroom honors a faculty member who excels in incorporating diversity into his or her instruction and interaction with students: Adjunct Professor of Religion Rev. Bill Blackerby
  • The Turnipseed-Ikenberry Scholarship is awarded to rising juniors majoring in physics, mathematics, or history with outstanding academic achievement: Mary Hall 
  • The Omicron Delta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who has attained excellence in all aspects of teaching: Associate Professor of History Dr. Will Hustwit
  • The United Methodist Church Exemplary Teacher Award is given to the faculty member who is well-respected by his colleagues: Professor of Art Pamela Venz
  • The Richebourg Gaillard McWilliams Faculty Scholarship Award is given to an outstanding faculty member who has excelled in scholarship: Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Greta Valenti
  • The Hubbs Award recognizes a student who exemplifies academic excellence and selfless service: Mary Newman
  • The Robert Hewlin Jackson Achievement Award is given to the graduating student who has shown the greatest academic improvement and made a distinguished record in his or her junior and senior years: Caroline Santopadre
  • The Robert Hewlin Jackson Meritorious Scholarship Award recognizes students whose overall record places them at the top of their graduating class: Bridget Adams and Alec Medd
  • The Charles B. Vail College Fellows Program provides stipends or academic credit for students to serve as teaching or research partners with faculty: Taylor Anderson, Taylor Andrews, Michael Barren, Sy Butler, Hannah Collier, Charity Furr, Olivia Hall, Abigail Henken, Jackson Massey, and Rebecca Weston
  • Sixteen graduating seniors were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national academic honor society, this spring: Andrew Brown, Brady Coleman, Lloyd Doyle IV, Russell Galloway, Amanda Groover, Brittany Hand, William Heath, Kathleen Kassis, Cameron Mills, Caralyn Patton, Ante Rebic, William Rice, Lee Thompson, Wenshang Wang, Edmond White, and Neha Yerubandi.

 

 





 

About Birmingham-Southern College:

Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states and 8 foreign countries. Learn more online at www.bsc.edu.