Faculty and students honored in Arts & Sciences

Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, recognized distinguished student and faculty achievement over the past year in a May 3 ceremony.

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The Excellence in Teaching Award: Amy Allocco, assistant professor of religious studies
The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies the Elon teacher-scholar – outstanding in the classroom, current in the discipline, and committed to the intellectual development of students. Elon’s mission statement calls for “a rich intellectual community characterized by active student engagement with a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching.” The selection committee looked for excellence in the classroom as tangibly demonstrated by teaching and administrative evaluations for the preceding three years. Equally important were intangible factors, such as inspiring students in the discipline, embracing ways to engage students in active learning, being available to students outside the classroom, being known as an excellent academic adviser, and having a willingness to teach where needed. (In photo: Amy Allocco, left, with Alison Morrison-Shetlar, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences)

The Excellence in Service/Leadership Award: Paul Miller, professor of exercise science and director of Undergraduate Research
The Excellence in Service/Leadership Award recognizes a faculty member who richly contributes to the ongoing welfare and betterment of the college, the university and the profession. The teacher-scholar document calls on faculty to “dedicate their talents, experience, and leadership skills to activities that sustain, develop, and improve the entire institution.” The selection committee focused on the tangible results of service for the preceding three years. Equally important were intangible factors, such as a willingness to volunteer one’s time when needed, to carry new ideas to reality, and to engage in shared governance. (In photo: Angela Lewellyn Jones, left, associate dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; Paul Miller, center; Alison Morrison-Shetlar, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences)

The Excellence in Scholarship Award: Tom Mould, associate professor of anthropology
The Excellence in Scholarship Award recognizes a faculty member whose scholarly work has a significant intellectual impact. Elon’s teacher-scholar model describes scholarship as “the most fundamental form of professional activity.” The selection committee considered tangible evidence of peer-reviewed research and creative activity that was published or presented during the preceding three years. Equally important were intangible factors such as supporting the scholarly endeavors of colleagues, advancing the university’s reputation, and mentoring students in undergraduate research. (In photo: Tom Mould, left, with Alison Morrison-Shetlar, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences)

The inaugural recipients of Elon College’s Distinguished Alumni Awards were:

Elon College Distinguished Alumni Award in the Arts and Humanities = Letitia Lee ’99. Lee was the first African American to graduate from Elon with an art degree. She has shown her work in galleries across the country and served as a muralist in 2011 for an episode of the ABC hit show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” An acclaimed piece of her work hangs in the office of President Leo M. Lambert on campus.

Elon College Distinguished Alumni Award in the Social Sciences = Britten Pund ’06. Pund is a manager of health care access for the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting state health programs that administer HIV/AIDS care and related services. In 2010, Housing Works, a national nonprofit, named Pund an “AIDS Hero” for her work helping states reduce their waiting lists for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

Elon College Distinguished Alumni Award in the Math, Computing and Natural Sciences = Niclas Stiernholm ’89. Stiernholm, a native of Malmo, Sweden, is the chief executive officer of Trillium Therapeutic, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company. After graduating from Elon, he earned a doctoral degree in immunology from the University of Toronto and since has worked for several corporate and scientific advisory boards, including the Ontario Genomic Institute and the Ontario Bioscience Industry Organization

Awards recognizing student excellence were presented by faculty from various departments within Elon College. 

Biochemistry Outstanding Student Award – Kelly Ann Giffear
American Institute of Chemists Student Award – Daniel Benjamin Agocs
Durward Turrentine Stokes Award – Katherine Elizabeth MacDonald
Durward Turrentine Stokes Award – Jessica McDonald
Eugene Gooch Memorial Organic Achievement Award – Andrew Fredrick Fischer
Biology Department Outstanding Student Award – Lauren Wood Stranahan
Howard L. Gravett Award – Bryan Andrew Strelow
CRC Press Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award – Samantha Ann Coffer
CRC Press Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award – Lauren Elizabeth Sutherland
International Studies Outstanding Senior Award – Shannalee C. Van Beek
Junior Achievement Award – Cecilia Lynn Smith
Junior Achievement Award – Kelsey Marie van Dalfsen
Katherine DuPont Weymouth Scholarship Award – Jamie Nicole Albright
Katherine DuPont Weymouth Scholarship Award – Elise Kelly Noyes
Political Science Outstanding Senior Award – Katherine Grady Spruill
Golden Oak Award David – Jonathan Munoz
Golden Oak Award – Raafe-Ahmmad Nathaniel Purnsley
Mathematics Research Award – Amanda Jean Bienz
GlaxoSmithKline Women In Science Scholar – Haley Elizabeth Hawkins
Billy Crocker Award – Alicia Marguerite Varcoe
Presser Scholarship Award – Nathaniel Tull Hodges
Emerson Philosophy Award For Outstanding Philosophical Engagement – Francis “Frank” Joseph Stiefel
Emerson Philosophy Award For Outstanding Philosophical Engagement – Maggie Nicole Castor
Emerson Philosophy Award For Outstanding Philosophical Engagement – Claire Marie Healy
Emerson Philosophy Award For Outstanding Philosophical Service – Brooke Victoria Kassner
Emerson Philosophy Award For Outstanding Philosophical Service – Thomas Morrell Berry
John Dewey Emerging Scholar Award – Jensen Thomas Suther
John Dewey Emerging Scholar Award – Christine Elizabeth Pavey
Geography Program Paper Prize – Ashley Marie Watkins
Computing Sciences Academic Achievement Award – James Abner Carroll
Information Systems Academic Achievement Award – Alexander James Carberry
PERCS Outstanding Ethnographic Project Award – Brett Alexander Evans
English Scholar Award – Jacqueline Danielle Alnes
English Scholar Award – Emily Frances Dietrich
English Scholar Award – Sarah Rebecca Lentz
Exercise Science Outstanding Major Award – Rachel Conant Banner
Exercise Science Outstanding Major Award – Freda Lauren Thompson
Outstanding Criminal Justice Student Award – Amanda Leigh Trepel
Outstanding Senior Anthropology Student Award – Katherine Elizabeth MacDonald
Sam White Theatre Award – Sean Brian Liang
Sam White Theatre Award – Michael Kevin Callahan
Seena Granowsky Outstanding Student In Psychology Award – Kelly Annette Little
Physics Department Service Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Physics Department Service Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Undergraduate Physics Research Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Outstanding Freshman Physics Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
The Elon Engineering Excellence Award – Alexandra Nicole Keller
The Elon Engineering Excellence Award – Robert William Lahue
Johnston Scholarship Elizabeth – Holland Capel
Helen B. Rippy Art History Scholarship – Bethany Elaine Hill
Al And Ruby West Human Services Scholarship – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Zint Family Scholarship – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Zint Family Scholarship – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Religious Studies Scholar Award Brett Alexander Evans
Basnight Award Erin Elizabeth Palmer
Frances L. and Thomas O. Pugh Award Katelyn Elise O’Dunne
Mathematics Academic Achievement Award Amanda Lee Coe
J. Albert Carpenter Scholarship Christie Marie Dierk
Shackley Keyboard Award Sarah Rebecca Gilliard
Martha Smith Award For Outstanding Graduating Women’s And Gender Studies Minor Jessica McDonald
Human Services Outstanding Senior Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Senior French Award – Caitlin Anne Glosser
Senior Spanish Award – Catherine Rose Brophy
Senior Spanish Award – Emily Dawn Ash
Trey Halker Memorial Scholarship (1) – Shannon Brittany Diehl
Trey Halker Memorial Scholarship (2) – Mary Christine Jackson
Ulrike Stroszeck Award – Phyllis Marie Jarrell
Outstanding Public Administration Major – Jonathan Marshall Ordog
Outstanding Senior Sociology Student Award – Jessica L. McDonald
Pund Human Service Studies Scholarship Award – To Be Announced May 8, 2012
Statistics Outstanding Academic Achievement Award – Lauren Agatina Difiglia
Statistics Outstanding Academic Achievement Award – Alison Catherine Miller
Statistics Outstanding Experiential Learning Award – Trevor Christopher Edwards
Frances L. and Thomas O. Pugh Award – Katelyn Elise O’Dunne