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Dr. Alan Hix, Associate Professor of Christian Studies, celebrates Ivey Horton’s academic achievement.
Jonah Garris thanks Dr. Phil Larsen, Professor of Education, for his award.
Dr. Mark Hamilton, Assistant Professor of English, congratulates Jacee Guinn on her honor society induction.
Honoring the Best
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Story: Gabriela Mendez Photos: Dr. Dawn Tolbert
onor societies from all academic disciplines gathered this year to induct students into their respective organizations. In the past, each department held its own induction ceremony for honors students. This year, however, all departments pooled their resources to host a combined ceremony in January. Dr. Angela O’Neal, Director of the Honors Program, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Liberal Arts, was excited about having a combined honors society induction. “We have many talented people here, and I love having programs that showcase and celebrate the many discipline-specific honor societies we have on campus.” Honor society faculty representatives from various departments participated in the event. It was special for those students being inducted. “It was very humbling to be recognized. ...The Lord has blessed me in so many ways,” said senior psychology major Kendall Knowles. The induction ceremony was not only special for new honor society members but also for veteran members. Rachael Minard, a senior communication studies major and president of the Lambda Pi Eta (LPE) communications honor society, participated by giving new members their pins. Minard fondly
remembered her own induction. “The most memorable part of my induction was having the chord placed around my neck. It was at that moment that I realized how far I had come in my college career.” Dr. Kathi Vosevich, Associate Provost, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of English gave the keynote address and challenged students to continue to pursue academic excellence. A longtime proponent of honor societies, Vosevich spoke about how achieving academic excellence and being an honor society member helped her career in both the professional and academic arenas. According to O’Neal, being a member of an honor society is a mark of distinction and not just a résumé builder. “Being in an academic honor society gives students opportunities to connect and network with people in their discipline, both locally and nationally. These societies also help to build an academic community to support and encourage students. Students can also find opportunities to attend conferences and even publish their work. Last but not least, they can be fun! Our English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, goes on regular outings together to places like the Shakespeare Tavern,” said O’Neal. This new way of honoring students was a success. Faculty and students hope to keep this tradition alive for many years to come.
