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Students Honored for Academic Excellence

Departmental Awards Presented at Virtual Student Honors Convocation Wilmington College recognized those whom Dr. Erika Goodwin described as “among our best and brightest” during the virtual presentation Wednesday (May 6) of the 39th annual Student Honors Convocation. PICTURED: Jack Ferguson chats with religion & philosophy faculty members Dr. Evan Farr and Dr. Stephen Potthoff. Ferguson received the top academic honors or both Biology/Life Science and Religion & Philosophy. The event featured the presentation of major academic awards and the Robert E. Lucas Leadership Award, along with naming the Quaker Impact Award recipients, Green Key Honor Society inductees, a host of Student Life awards. (The departmental awards are listed in this story with the balance of the recognition coming in subsequent news releases.) Goodwin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, presided over the ceremony with assistance from President Jim Reynolds, Sigrid Solomon, vice president for student affairs, and the College's faculty area coordinators. “We are so proud of the accomplishments of our students,” Goodwin said. Reynolds added that those accomplishments “reinforce our belief in the transformational nature of a Wilmington College education.” Recipients of the top academic awards in WC’s agriculture program, as presented by Dr. Monte Anderson, professor of agriculture, are: Agricultural Business, Trisha M. Seckel; Agricultural Communications, Aryn M. Copeland; Agronomy, Celeste E. Nye; Animal Science, Lauren M. Grover; Equine Business Management, Alisha M. Osburn; and Plant, Environmental and Soil Science, Samantha G. Burchwell. Dr. Russel Kincaid, professor of mathematics and physics, presented the top senior awards In the Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics areas. The recipients include: Biology/Health Science, Makenzie J. Fentress; Biology/Life Science, Jack H. Ferguson and Morgan L. Loomis; Chemistry, Abby M. Hite; and Mathematics, Kelton T. Gray. Award winners in the Business Administration area, as presented by Dr. Angela Mitchell, professor of business administration, are: Accounting, Shelbi L. Long; Business Administration, Dustin W. Lykins; and Self-Designed Major in Economics, Gabriel Nygard. Dr. Jane Bogan, associate professor of education, presented the recipients in the Education area, who include: Adolescent-Young Adult, Tyler R. Barton; Agriculture Education, Mallory K. Baum; Early Childhood, Emily G. Myers; Education Studies, Gage A. Bley; K-12 Intervention Specialist, Scarlett M. Donaldson; and Middle Childhood, Ryan P. Hagan. The Fine Arts area recipients, as presented by Wynn Alexander, professor of theatre, are: Communication Arts, Jared W. Shoemaker; and Theatre, Sarah M. Bender. In the Humanities area, Dr. Laura Struve, professor of English, presented Grace E. Barger, who received the award for English; Matthew W. Reinhart, history; and Jack H. Ferguson, Religion & Philosophy. In Social Sciences area, the recipients as presented by Dr. Audrey Wagstaff, associate professor of social sciences, include: Criminal Justice, Vanessa C. McKee; Political Science, Emma Marks; Psychology, Ashley M. Buck; and Social Work, Jocelyn M. Kuha. Finally, in the Sport Sciences area, Jennifer Walker, associate professor of athletic training, presented the awards for: Athletic Training, Jillia K. Cook; Exercise Science, Kayla N. McDerman; Sport Management, Nicholas A. Silvis; and Emily S. Rinehart, who received the Dr. Elizabeth S. Kinzig Award.