Arcadia celebrated and recognized student and faculty academic accomplishments and scholastic excellence at the 2018 Honors Convocation on April 14. The University presented departmental awards to 61 students, and recognized the more than 1,800 students named to the Dean’s Honors and Distinguished Honors Lists for the spring and fall 2017 semesters.

Additionally, 46 students were inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Epsilon Lambda, honor societies for seniors and graduate students, respectively, that recognizes academic excellence. Seniors must be in the top 10 percent of their class to be inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, while graduate students must be in the upper 10 percent of their program for Alpha Epsilon Lambda.

Dr. Ajay Nair welcomed the Arcadia community, remarking how Honors Convocation brings four vital parts of the community together: donors, faculty, students, and their families.

“Above all, a university is defined by its students and its scholarship, the academic excellence of its students and faculty,” said Dr. Nair. “Based on the achievements of those here today, we should take great pride in how Arcadia is defined.”

Student speaker Raymond Lewis III ’18M, who is a candidate in the Counseling program, emphasized the importance of believing in one’s self and pursuing goals.

“Those professors who have introduced me to new outlooks, techniques, and theories have consistently challenged my perfectionism by reminding me that our lives are filled with constant feedback from others, and improvement of self in return if you’re receptive to it,” said Lewis. “Don’t wait to show others who you are. Don’t wait to pursue that goal you’ve always wanted to pursue. If you wait until circumstances are perfect, you may wait forever. The new perfect is putting forth the action to grow.

Emily Gottesman ’20 received The Provost Prize, which is given to the sophomore with the highest cumulative average for three semesters of study at Arcadia. The President’s Prize was awarded to Brendan Millinghausen ’19, which is given to the junior with the highest cumulative average for five semesters of study at the University.

Additionally, faculty were recognized for outstanding mentoring and teaching: Dr. Michael Dwyer, associate professor and undergraduate director of Media and Communication, received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Advising and Mentoring; Dr. Lauretta Bushar, professor of Biology, was honored with the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching; and Dr. Joseph Adler ’12DPT, adjunct professor of Physical Therapy, earned the Arcadia University Adjunct Faculty Award.