Recently in Awards and Recognitions Category

Campus Schreyer Scholars Adrienne Showalter and Dana Gibson have been invited to join the prestigious national honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. Standards for election are extremely high. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors in their college. Because Phi Kappa Phi is highly selective, membership is a stamp of excellence that is recognized by graduate and professional school admissions committees and employers alike.

The traditions of Phi Kappa Phi at Penn State are long-standing; as Penn State joined the Universities of Maine and Tennessee in 1900 to establish the society as a national society. Penn State University became the third chapter of the society. Phi Kappa Phi holds the distinction of being the oldest honorary society that recognizes excellence in all recognized branches of academic endeavor at Penn State University.

Congratulations, Adrienne and Dana!

Dr. Laura Guertin was honored with a U.S. Congressional Citation by U.S. Representative Joe Sestak for her volunteering and civic engagement work at Penn State Brandywine and in the local community, especially in connection with the 40 Acts of Kindness and Civic Engagement (see Penn State Live story). Dr. Guertin was then able to film a short conversation with the Congressman in the Digital Commons about civic engagement and the responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society.
 

On April 23, 2008, Penn State Brandywine held its annual Leadership Recognition Night.  This event recognizes student leaders from across the campus that have excelled and made a difference as leaders in the campus community.  Several honors scholars were award winners.

Student Club/Organization of the Year went to the Engineering Club.  This award recognizes a club or organization that has shown exceptional involvement throughout the year.  This club/organization contributed to the quality of student life and promoted campus involvement.  Under the leadership of honors scholars Matthew Liskowycz and Douglas May, this club grew in its numbers and active participation through competing in the Rube Goldberg Machine Competition.

Barbara Jackson-Williams Award for Cross-Cultural Understanding went to honors scholar Rajai Dias.  This award recognizes a student who has clearly demonstrated that individual differences are valuable and that learning about others who are culturally different is necessary and rewarding or who has provided outstanding service in a variety of cultural student organizations at Penn State Brandywine.

Eric A. & Josephine S. Walker Award went to honors scholar Alyce DiLauro.  This award is given annually to full-time undergraduate students from each of the campus locations.  The Walker Award recognizes a student whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students.

Club/Organization Advisor of the Year went to honors coordinator Dr. Laura Guertin as the advisor of THON and We Are MADE (Making A Difference Every Day).  This award recognizes a faculty or staff member that volunteers their time to serve as a club/organization advisor.  This advisor has shown that they are truly engaged in the activities and mission of the student organization and are committed to enhancing the student life experience.

Honors scholar Teron Meyers was also sworn in as the 2008-2009 Vice President of the Student Government Association.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni. The traditions of Phi Kappa Phi at Penn State are long-standing; as Penn State joined the Universities of Maine and Tennessee in 1900 to establish the society as a national society.

Penn State University became the third chapter of the society. At Penn State University, a maximum of the top 7.5% of the junior and 10% senior classes in each academic college may be elected during the academic year. On April 13, 2008, Cooper Honors Scholar Paul Hurych was honored for his outstanding academic achievements by being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi. Former Penn State Brandywine student, now Schreyer Scholar, Alex Lampros was also inducted at the same ceremony.

Congratulations to Paul and Alex on this significant achievement!

Dr. Ivan Esparragoza, honors faculty committee member and mentor for several honors engineering students, received the George W. Franz Advising and Mentoring Award.  The award goes to a Penn State Brandywine faculty member who goes above-and-beyond in working with undergraduate students.  Dr. Esparragoza was recognized for his outstanding efforts in bringing the global experience to engineering majors through collaborative global design projects in EDSGN 100, bringing students to research conferences to present their work, and advising the Rube Goldberg team for their trip to the national competition.  Congratulations, Dr. Esparragoza!

The Spring 2008 Honors Day of Service project, Vision Awareness Day, is highlighted in the May 2008 issue of the National Collegiate Honors Council Newsletter. NCHC is a national organization for honors coordinators and students that promotes a day of service for honors programs across the country each semester. Congratulations to Catharine Wahl and Matthew Thornton, project chair and co-chair, for organizing the hugely successful project!

View the full description of Vision Awareness Day in the Events section of the honors blog.

The Democratic Primary moved to the state of Pennsylvania in March 2008. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were battling for the attention and votes of Pennsylvania. Penn State Brandywine was the first campus to host one of the campaign stops. On March 7, 2008, President William Jefferson Clinton spoke to a gymnasium full of Penn Staters and residents from the surrounding communities to hear what he had to say in support of Hillary. Honors Coordinator Dr. Laura Guertin was selected to represent the campus faculty during a "meet and greet" with the President.
 

In 2007, Cooper Honors engineering scholars Douglas May and Matthew Liskowycz contacted the College of Engineering at the PSU-University Park campus to explore the possibility of participating in the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.  Penn State Brandywine had never sent a team to the competition.  But the leadership of Doug and Matt brought together fellow freshmen and sophomores in the Engineering Club to create a team - and a machine that assembles a hamburger consisting of no less than one precooked meat patty, two vegetables, and two condiments, sandwiched between two bun halves.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Ivan Esparragoza, the team brought their machine to the Penn State competition and beat four other Penn State teams to place first.  The first-place finish has earned the team a spot in the national competition to be held at Purdue University on April 5th.  Best of luck, Brandywine engineers!

The Fall 2007 Honors Day of Service project, Worn Out - Play Again, is highlighted in the November 2007 issue of the National Collegiate Honors Council Newsletter. NCHC is a national organization for honors coordinators and students that promotes a day of service for honors programs across the country each semester. Congratulations to James Woodruff and Peter Spizzirri, project chair and co-chair, for organizing the hugely successful project!

View the full description of the sneaker drive in the Events section of the honors blog.

Congratulations to the following honors scholars on their scholarship awards.

The Barnes and Noble Presidential Scholarship - Jennifer Choi, Caleb Freeman, Daniel Sprik

The Judge Louis A. Bloom Scholarship - Matthew Thornton

The Calderone Award - Emily Robb

The Lauren E. Chrest Memorial Scholarship - Lindley Jones

The Commerce Bank Scholarship - Dong-Ya Zhou

The Jane E. Cooper Endowed Scholarship - Raquel Silano

The Robert E. Finucane Memorial Scholarship - Rocco Arena

The Lawrence E. Hallstrom Memorial Scholarship - Christopher Lawson

The H. Leonard Krouse Award of the Penn State Club of Delaware County - Paul Hurych and Devin Zuczek

The Bayard D. and Ethel M. Kunkle Scholarship - Edward Carangi and Charleton King

The Thomas McKelvey Engineering Award - Matthew Liskowycz

The David and Florence Newman Scholarship - Raquel Silano

The Penn State Campus Scholarship - Caleb Freeman and David Kao

The David E. and Margaret M. Pergrin Scholarship - Kim Dang

The Ernest and Angela Repice Endowment at Penn State Delaware County - Alyce Dilauro

The Richard and Sylvia Schaffer Scholarship - Dana Gibson

The Sib Severance Memorial Award - Adrienne Showalter

The Jane Housman Sheetz Memorial Scholarship - Angelica Sinigaglio

The Suburban West Realtors Association Scholarship - Teron Meyers

The John D. and Greta C. Vairo Scholarship - Peter Spizzirri and Devin Zuczek

The Gilbert A. Wetzel Delaware County Telecommunications Scholarship - Corey Borchers

Additional honors scholars are recipients of Chancellor Awards.