University recognizes students' academic achievements

More than 300 students were recognized with academic and departmental awards or inducted into national honor societies during Wittenberg’s Honors Convocation, which was held April 16 in Weaver Chapel and annually recognizes outstanding achievement.

In addition, the top students were recognized for their scholarship, community service and leadership.

Brenna Theiss, a junior from Canton, Ohio, was named Alma Mater, which is elected by students, faculty and staff on the basis of character and integrity, service to community, concern for others and high standards of scholarship.

David Begbie, a senior from Hong Kong, 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.

The M. Alice Geiger Award was presented to Anastasia Sofranac of Phoenix, Ariz.

The award recognizes the first woman graduate of Wittenberg and honors a senior woman for specific, outstanding contributions to the area of the performing or literary arts, athletics, extracurricular leadership, new programming, special academic pursuit or special presentation.

The John F. Mitchell Award, honoring the senior man who best represents the liberal arts tradition at Wittenberg, was presented to Sheharyar (Sandy) Durrani of Hudson, Ohio.

The award goes to those who are good students and positive forces in academic, cultural and social aspects of the campus.
Johnny Pryor of Cincinnati, Ohio and Misty Williams of Cleveland, Ohio were the recipients of the Martin Luther King Jr.

Award for positive examples to members of the African American community and to the university. The Broadwell Chinn Award, named for one of the first African American students to attend Wittenberg in the late 1870s, was presented to Rebecca Crockett of Enon, Ohio, for holding the highest grade point average among African American juniors.

She is a 1996 graduate of Greenon High School and is a biology major.

The Omicron Delta Kappa Award for outstanding teaching by a professor who has been on the faculty five years or less was shared by Cathy L. Pederson, assistant professor of biology and Patricia Kaminski, assistant professor of psychology.

Also during the convocation, which was held with faculty in full academic regalia, new members were inducted into Ivy Ring, Pick and Pen, Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma, Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) honor societies, and departmental award and national award recipients were honored.

-KG