Concluding a day-long Celebration of the Liberal Arts at Wittenberg University, the campus community celebrated the achievements of students and faculty members at the annual Honors Convocation, Friday, April 11, in Weaver Chapel. The faculty commemorated the occasion in full academic regalia as the university recognized high achievement of students and faculty members in academic and co-curricular activities.
During the ceremony, the 2014 Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching was presented to Professor of Communication Cathy Waggoner. The award was established in 1960, and it is the highest recognition Wittenberg bestows on its faculty. It is accompanied by a stipend of $2,000. Candidates must have taught at Wittenberg for more than five years and are nominated by students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Julius Bailey was also recognized for his work with the Omicron Delta Kappa Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award.
Audrey Owens was named Alma Mater, an honor bestowed upon a junior woman on the basis of character and integrity, service to the community, concern for others and high standards of scholarship. Joseph Germano was named Alma Lux, an honor bestowed upon a junior male student who possesses qualities of leadership, scholarship and service.
Luke McSurley received the Heimtraut Dietrich Award, which was established in 1981 to recognize the student who best emulates the spirit of the late associate dean of students' devotion to Wittenberg through faith and service. Evan Cameron received the The Dominic E. and Alyce G. De Marco Scholarship for Academic Excellence and Distinguished Service to Those Living on the Margins of Society, which is awarded to the senior with a GPA of at least 3.5 who has demonstrated – and will continue to demonstrate – a commitment to serving those persons who live on the margins of society, the sick, the material poor, the displaced, the homeless, and the elderly. The M. Alice Geiger Award was presented to Ashley Milliner. The award, named for Wittenberg's first woman graduate, recognizes a senior woman for outstanding contributions to the campus in the areas of performing or literary arts, athletics, co-curricular leadership, new programming, special academic pursuit or through special representation at any time during her college career.
The John F. Mitchell Award, honoring the senior man who best represents the liberal arts tradition at Wittenberg, was presented to Ben Longstreth. The award goes to a top student who is a positive force in academic, cultural and social aspects of the campus.
The Alpha Delta Pi Scholarship Award, created in 1990 by the Springfield Alumnae Association and Chi Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, recognizes two junior women, one Greek and one non-Greek, who best exemplify the characteristics consistent with the ideals and goals of the sorority. This year's recipients are Amber Lara (non-Greek) and Mackenzie Daniels (Greek).
