Dr. John R. Hoffman, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies, awarded the 2011 A. Richard Polis Scholarship Award to Megan Sarah O’Hare ’11M at Graduate Commencement ceremonies in May. O’Hare received a Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution.

The A. Richard Polis Graduate Scholarship Award is given each year to a student in a full-time program who is on the Graduate Dean’s Distinguished Honor List and whose service to the University and to his or her academic program distinguishes him or her from others in the cohort. The Award is named in honor of Dr. A. Richard Polis who served with extreme distinction as graduate dean for 20 years.

In announcing the award to O’Hare, Hoffman stated, “Megan O’Hare has been a wonderful student, colleague and friend to everyone with the IPCR program.

“Megan spent a semester at the Nyerere Centre for Peace Research, part of the College of Global Studies East African program. While there she worked with World Education International on a US AID funded project to develop  intervention programs for orphans affected by HIV/AIDS. She assisted in grant work, program planning and evaluation, and developed and facilitated a mapping exercise for vulnerable children programs in East Africa.

“Her supervisor described her as ‘simply exceptional’ and ‘invariably enthusiastic’ and added, ‘She thanked WEI for the experience, the contrary is true; we are grateful for Megan’s input at a crucial time as the program got going.'”

In her essay for this award, Megan wrote, “I found that the ability to take a step out of your comfort zone and see the importance of taking a genuine interest in a person’s life beyond the work environment was invaluable to my personal growth and professional success. The benefits you receive are immeasurable. What do you gain with time spent, added energy and genuine care and concern? Trust. Trust that you can do a job, do it well and if you have questions, roadblocks, issues, they will be there to help you out.”

Hoffman continued: “Megan O’Hare exemplifies the spirit that Richard Polis brought to the Arcadia graduate programs… excellence, scholarly achievement, and most importantly active contributions to the world…We are delighted to present the 2011 A. Richard Polis Graduate Award to Megan O’Hare. Congratulations Megan.”