The 152nd annual Wilson College Commencement Ceremony was held on Sunday, May 15.
Michael Cerveris, the Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning actor and musician, addressed the graduating class of 2022, as the commencement speaker.
Here are a few photos from the undergraduate ceremony.
The days leading up to the Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies were packed with moments of recognition and celebration for the graduating students.
Here are some photos from the events: Ring in Forward Ceremony, Baccalaureate Ceremony, Combined Honor Societies Ceremony, Nursing Convocation, Teacher Certification Pathways Completers Recognition, Veterinary Nursing Pinning Ceremony, and the President’s Garden Party.
President’s Garden Party
Wilson is one of the first colleges in Pennsylvania to adopt the new professional term “veterinary nurse” in place of the traditional “veterinary medical technician.” The movement to rename the profession is part of an initiative by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America to elevate the profession, improve career prospects, and create national standards for credentialing.
Under the leadership of Tammy Ege, C.V.T., M.S., Associate Professor of Veterinary Nursing, Wilson was quick to embrace the initiative’s objectives and adopt the name change for both its graduates and the program itself. In an interview with “Keystone Veterinarian,” Ege spells out the importance of the decision for our veterinary nurses and their futures. Read the interview with Pennsylvania's veterinary nursing program directors here.
The College honored students and faculty at the annual Academic Awards ceremony on Friday, April 29, at the Brooks Science Center auditorium. Each prize recognizes excellence in scholarship, achievement, or teaching, and the event is a celebration of the outstanding students and faculty at Wilson.
We are proud to list the awardees:
James Pasaribu was awarded the Class of 1957 Civic Engagement Award for a student who exemplifies civic engagement at Wilson College through involvement in volunteer roles on and off-campus.
Delaney Banzhof and James Pasaribu were jointly awarded the Edward and Sarah Anderson Psychology Prize. The Wilson College Psychology Club established this award in recognition of Professors Edward and Sarah Anderson for their devotion to psychology while professors at the College. It recognizes a graduating senior for outstanding scholarship in psychology. The psychology faculty selected the recipients in consultation with the Dean of the College.
James Pasaribu (performance) and Madeline Neway (scholarship) won the James Applegate Award. Established in honor of James Applegate, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus and Emeritus Professor of English, it is awarded to a student or students with an interest in and appreciation of drama and theater.
The Donald Bletz Award for Excellence in Teaching went to Lori Frey (Senior Faculty), Kathryn Sarachan (Junior Faculty), and Brian Hershey (Adjunct Faculty).
Madeline Flores received the Lucy Bremmer Global Citizenship Award for a student or students who participate in the service-learning component of the Global Citizenship Initiative. This award is to offset expenses associated with travel to another country for the awardee.
Stori Boggs won the Alice Brumbaugh Award for Sociology, awarded to a sociology student in honor of Professor Brumbaugh. It was created in her honor in 1998 by fellow faculty member and sociologist Carolyn Zeleny.
Tia Jones was awarded the C. Elizabeth Boyd Award, given to a senior member of Orchesis for outstanding performance and choreographic contributions to the group and artistic development. Orchesis established the award in 1990 to honor Miss Boyd for her staunch support.
Lydia Story received the General Chemistry Achievement Award for outstanding achievement in general chemistry.
Emma Moschetti won the Regina Shaputnic Cuomo Mathematics Award. In memory of Regina Shaputnic Cuomo, class of 1961, it is awarded to a student or students pursuing a major in mathematics who exhibit outstanding ability.
Morgan Wineburg won the prestigious Margaret Criswell Disert Honors Scholarship. Established in 1993 in memory of Margaret Disert, Dean Emerita, of the class of 1920, it is awarded to a rising senior who has, in the judgment of the Selection Committee, submitted the proposal for Senior Advanced Study and Research considered most worthy of support. Outstanding achievement in this project will merit the awarding of Honors in the Major upon graduation.
The Joan M. Thuebel ’52 Earthwatch Prize sponsors students and faculty members to participate in an Earthwatch Institute project of their choosing.
Rose Runyan received the undergraduate student award to go on the South African Penguins expedition to Robben Island in Cape Town, South Africa. The expedition focuses on recovering the population of South African penguins, an endangered species, in this area.
Katie Shank received the graduate student award to go on the Shark and Ray Conservation expedition to Belize. It focuses on ensuring that sharks are being captured in a sustainable way and that protected areas for sharks and rays are effective.
Julie Raulli received the faculty award to go on the Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution expedition to Bali, Indonesia. Its purpose is to assess the effectiveness of a community-based intervention strategy to reduce plastic waste and promote ocean health.
Sierra Hill was awarded the Estep-Lawson Memorial Prize. Established through gifts in memory of Jean McSparran Estep of the class of 1929 and Beverly Bell Lawson of the class of 1958, it is awarded to a senior graduating with a major in Liberal Studies who demonstrates excellence and leadership across the disciplines.
Dawn Eaton won the Donna Gomer VMT Award. It was established by Donna Gomer ’98 in 2004 to be awarded to a CCE student displaying excellence in their field of study in Veterinary Medical Technology.
Jacob Slifka received the Davison Greenawalt Grove Award, in honor of Davison Greenawalt Grove, Professor Emeritus of Biology. Established by Dr. Carol Sachs Scatarige, a member of the class of 1968, and the Wilson College Science Club, it is awarded to a member of the junior or senior class participating in research in the area of Physical and Life Sciences. Candidates are nominated and selected by a committee composed of the Science Faculty and one Science Club representative not currently involved in research.
The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) has awarded their Outstanding Senior Award for 2022 to Kristen Nicholas.
Kristen Nicholas received the Richard C. Grove Award in Business and Economics. Established in honor of Richard C. Grove, Board of Trustees from 2010-2016, it is awarded to a student who demonstrates outstanding ability and has distinguished themselves academically in accounting, business administration, financial mathematics, or economics.
Emily Crater received the Dorle Haas Memorial Prize, endowed by the members of the class of 1946, in memory of Sister Dorle Haas, member of the Order of the Little Sisters of Jesus. It is awarded to a senior for outstanding service within the greater Chambersburg community. A committee appointed by the president selects the winner.
Kahla Kittrell won the Joanne Harrison Hopkins Literary Achievement Award, endowed by classmates and friends of the late Joanne Hopkins, class of 1957. The prize is for the finest piece of imaginative literature in fiction, poetry, or drama produced during the academic year.
Anaida Fahradyan received the Josef Michael Kellinger German or Foreign Language Award in honor of Josef Michael Kellinger, Ph.D., Professor of German. His wife, Cesi Kellinger, and their daughters award it to a student who has demonstrated excellence in German or foreign language studies.
The Lt. Colonel William A. Knaus Award for Veteran’s Service is awarded to a senior student who is a veteran with high academic achievement. Awarded in memory of Lt. Colonel William A. Knaus, father of President Barbara K. Mistick, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. He received two Bronze Stars for his service and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel at the time of his discharge. This year we have three recipients: Ashley Adams (Army), Johnathan St. Clair (Marines), and Brittany Reaver (Air Force).
Juliann Winkler received the Catherine Herr Langdon Award, established in 1999 by Richard M. Langdon, in memory of his wife, Catherine Herr Langdon, class of 1947. The award is, by vote of the women students with the approval of the Dean of Students and the President of the College, bestowed upon a senior who has demonstrated academic excellence, and, during the year, has fully, unselfishly, and willingly given comfort, compassion, encouragement, guidance, help, and understanding to her fellow women students.
Madeline Flores received the Mary-Eleanor Maule Travel Grant for travel planned in support of a student's study in Spanish, which is awarded from the proceeds of the Mary-Eleanor Maule Memorial Fund. The recipient must be a member of the incoming junior or senior class or graduating senior selected by the Dean of the College in consolation with the Spanish faculty.
Michaela Lee was awarded the Robert Shannon McElwain Prize, established by the gift of his daughter, the late Mary Belle McElwain, class of 1895. It is awarded to the best student in mathematics in the first-year class.
Adriane Markle received the Mildred Franklin Prize for excellence in classical languages. Endowed by the late Mildred Franklin, Professor Emerita of classical languages, it is awarded to a senior who has demonstrated proficiency in Latin or Greek and has shown understanding of the literature and thought of the ancient civilizations.
Diane Roberts was awarded the Wilson College Nursing Clinical Leadership Award. It is given annually to a student who demonstrates outstanding overall ability to excel in their clinical work within the nursing program.
Olivia McDonald and Johnson Ogunbisi were awarded the Wilson College Nursing Department Award. It is given to a student who has demonstrated continuous support of the nursing department through hard work and effort that echoes the department’s philosophy.
Brittany Reaver received the Wilson College Nursing Leadership Award for a student who has demonstrated nursing leadership abilities both outside and inside the classroom.
Megan Hoffeditz won the Helen Adams Nutting History Prize for a junior or senior who has demonstrated outstanding ability in the field of history. Established in memory of Helen Adams Nutting, Professor Emerita of history, it is maintained by alums and students of Wilson College.
Geneva Dardick and Mary Gantt received the Wilson College Organic Chemistry Award – an anonymously supported award given to a student or students in organic chemistry who have the highest grades earned for the year. The award funds a reference book of the student’s choice.
Anaida Fahradyan received the Outstanding Peer Teacher Award.
Lauren Squires was awarded the Nicky Hoffman Reich Award, given annually to the Wilson student whose work with animals shows commitment to their humane treatment.
Amelia Fuentes-Walquer received the Helga Rist Prize awarded in honor of Jose Cordova and Beate Schiwek to a dedicated, successful, American foreign language student who has demonstrated integrity, promise, and potential.
Rose Runyan and Ryder Wallace were awarded the John D. Rose Award in Environmental Studies. Established in 1995 by family and friends in memory of Wilson student and naturalist John Rose, it supports those who share his enthusiasm and love of the wilderness and natural world and promotes a tradition of dedication to wildlife and its conservation. The award is given to an outstanding junior majoring in environmental studies or biology to fund a summer research project or internship in some area of environmental studies, ecology, or conservation biology.
Moriah Story received the Grace Tyson Schlichter Award in Communications, endowed by Grace Tyson Schlichter, a member of the class of 1935. It is awarded to a senior who has shown general academic excellence and outstanding promise in the field of communications.
Kaitlin Duda was awarded the Gloria Randle Scott-Frances Richards Hesselbein Prize for Exemplary Volunteer Leadership, established by Gloria Randle Scott, former member of the Board of Trustees and recipient of an Honorary Degree. This is awarded to that member of the senior class who has demonstrated outstanding volunteer service during their four years at Wilson College.
Adriane Markle received the Mary Beers Sheppard Prize. Established by Benjamin M. Sheppard in memory of his sister who was of the class of 1895. It is awarded to the member of the senior class who, in the judgment of the English faculty, has shown the keenest understanding and appreciation of literature.
Anaida Fahradyan and Morgan Wineburg received the Student Research Award 2022. The Student Research Day Committee presented the two students with this award to support their academic research. They were selected by the committee after submitting a proposed budget, timeline, and cover letter describing their project or conference and how it would benefit both their academic careers and Wilson College
Madeline Neway was awarded the William and Ivy Saylor Prize. Endowed by Raymond W. Britcher and established through the Academy of American Poets, the prize supports young poets through a program established by the Academy of American Poets at colleges nationwide. Winners receive a cash prize and a one-year membership in the Academy.
Brandt Mellott won the William P. Van Looy Business Prize. It was established in 1990 by Priscilla Van Looy and Ellen Van Looy Reed of the class of 1953, in memory of William P. Van Looy, businessman and community servant. It is awarded to the junior or senior business and economics major who has demonstrated excellence in business studies and service to the Wilson College and the larger community. The business and economics faculty select the recipient.
Madison Smarsh received the Virginia Dodd Cooper Prize. Established by a number of her former students in memory of Virginia Dodd Cooper, Professor Emerita, it is awarded to a senior graphic design or web design student who has demonstrated excellence in the field and all of their academic work.
Joshua Howells received the E. Grace White Prize, awarded to a senior whose major is biology or biochemistry and who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and plans a career involving the biological sciences. The prize is endowed by a bequest from the eponymous Professor Emerita of biology.
Rose Runyan, Ryder Wallace, and Kara Rosander received E. Grace White Summer Scholarships for the most outstanding junior students in the area of biology. The scholarships are to be used towards an approved summer laboratory.
Hannah Femia was awarded the Wilson Equestrian Award, presented to a graduating senior who has excelled in her academic work and equitation. The recipient, selected by the equestrian studies faculty, has her name engraved on a plaque mounted on the base of a sculpture donated to the College by nationally recognized sculptress Glencairn Bowlby.
Catarina Keifman won the Carolyn Zeleny Prize awarded to a sociology student in the junior or senior class in honor of Professor Emerita of sociology Carolyn Zeleny. It is awarded for academic excellence and/or community service. The winner is selected in consolation with the sociology faculty.
Delaney Banzhof and Divine Hilliard received the Sophie’s Six Award, in memory of Sophie Grace Martin, awarded to seniors majoring or minoring in psychology or a related field and with an intended career in counseling.
Wilson will host a reception for Madison Smarsh’s senior capstone exhibition at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at Bogigian Gallery in Lortz Hall. The exhibition will continue through May 15, 2022.
From Waynesboro, Pa., Smarsh is majoring in graphic design with a minor in photography. She created a body of work exploring the intersection of type (words) and image for her capstone project. She investigated the range of possibility separating the two components. Smarshwants “to use design and photography to address simple as well as complex compositional designs and concepts.”
In addition to the exhibition, Smarsh will present her capstone project, Justice in Design, at Wilson’s annual Student Research Day on Friday, April 29, in JSM Library Learning Commons at 10:00 a.m.
The Bogigian Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For additional information or an appointment, contact Professor of Fine Arts Philip Lindsey at philip.lindsey@wilson.edu.
Wilson’s 13th annual Student Research Day is Friday, April 29. Experience some of the fantastic research and creative projects Wilson students have done this year with the guidance of their faculty mentors. From treating white nose syndrome in bats and cancer in humans to making campuses safer for all, these students have contributed significantly to our understanding of science, medicine, art, and civilization. The student researchers will present their research live or display it on posters in the library’s Lenfest Learning Commons and the Brooks Science Center. More than 70 students representing multiple disciplines will present their work.
The live presentations will shine spotlights on the mental health of single mothers, giraffe behavior in the wild, the presence of bacteria in cat foods, the likelihood of Lyme disease becoming a chronic infection, plastic pollution of the Conococheague Creek, and much much more. Presentations at the library’s Lenfest Learning Center will kick off at 8.50 a.m. with a welcome address by President Wesley R. Fugate. Presentations in the Brooks Science Center auditorium will kick off at 9.20 a.m. with an address by Dean of Faculty Elissa Heil. After a break for lunch around noon, oral presentations will resume in the Brooks sudatorium at 1.30 p.m. They will conclude with this year’s Disert Scholar Delaney Banzhof presenting on the efficacy of telehealth therapy.
You can view the poster projects displayed in the front lobbies of both the Library and Brooks Science Center. They will cover subjects as wide-ranging as potential treatments for brain cancer, suicide prevention, the effects of incarceration, and chronic conditions. The student researchers will be available to discuss their projects and answer your questions between noon and 1.30 p.m. at both locations.
The live presentations and poster sessions are free and open to the public. The complete schedule is available here, and zoom links for the oral presentations will be available on my.wilson portal.
Michael Cerveris, the Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning actor and musician, will address the graduating class of 2022 at our 152nd annual commencement ceremony Sunday, May 15.
“We are delighted that Michael Cerveris could step away from his filming schedule to be with our new graduates on this pivotal day in their lives,” said Wilson president Wesley R. Fugate. “His success on stage and screen will inspire them to persevere and make their dreams come true.”
Cerveris has acted in numerous plays, television series, and films. He received Tony Awards for starring roles in the Broadway productions of “Fun Home” and “Assassins” and won a Grammy Award for the cast recording of “The Who’s Tommy.” He has also starred in “Sweeney Todd” and “Titanic,” among many stage appearances, earning an additional four Tony Award nominations in the process. His films include “Ant Man and The Wasp,” “Cirque Du Freak,” and “The Mexican.” His television appearances include Showtime’s “Billions,” David Fincher’s “Mindhunter,” Stephen Soderberg’s “Mosaic,” and “The Knick,” in addition to one of his most popular roles as The Observer on the hit series “Fringe.” He can now be seen as Watson in HBO’s new series “The Gilded Age.”
As if acting in a breathtaking number of plays, series, and films wasn’t enough, he has recorded three solo albums, toured with punk icon Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü, and has been a guest soloist with the New York Philharmonic and The National Symphony of Washington, D.C. These days, he primarily performs with his singing and writing partner Kimberly Kaye and their Americana band Loose Cattle.
When not acting or playing in the band, Cerveris raises money and brings attention to the many social and charitable causes close to his heart. For each of the last 13 years, he has participated in the M.S. Society’s Walk, raising over $160 thousand. He is an active and longtime supporter of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, G.M.H.C., and the Actors Fund. He often performs in support of humanitarian causes, including “From Broadway With Love: A Benefit for Sandy Hook” and the “What The World Needs Now” recording and concert for the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims.
The United States Conference of Mayors and the Board of Directors of Americans For The Arts honored Cerveris in 2017 with The Citizen-Artist Award, which “recognizes artists who have made the highest contributions both in their professional artistic endeavors to advance the arts as well as in their personal charitable pursuits to improve the world.”
Raised in Huntington, W.V., Cerveris attended public schools for most of his education before spending two years at the Phillips Exeter Academy and graduating cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in the humanities.
Orchesis, Wilson’s dance company, will host an outdoor community dance concert Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m., featuring amateur and professional dancers from the College and the region. The show is free and open to the public and will take place on the Mistick Quad (rain date Sat., April 23, at 6 p.m.). According to dance professor Megan Mizanty, M.F.A., this is “a celebration of dance throughout the region and the resilience of these dance studios over the past two years.”
Dancers from Hagerstown, Md., Shippensburg, Pa., and Chambersburg, Pa., will join Wilson students to perform “Still, I Rise,” a series of 11 autonomous dances. The dances, some short, others a little longer, connect around the themes of rising and renewal — rising after the difficulties of the pandemic, the phoenix rising, the return of spring, and the ability to overcome challenges. It’s also a celebration of the joy of movement and the power of art to lift us all.
The performance will introduce the audience to various new and traditional dance forms, including contemporary, jazz, modern, lyrical, ballet, and Bollywoood (a fusion of traditional Indian with hip hop and other pop forms). And it will feature dancers from Chambersburg Ballet, Shippensburg’s Dance Academy XIV, Hagerstown’s KMR Dance Collective, and the College’s Orchesis dance company. The concert will last a little over an hour. For more information, go to https://www.wilson.edu/dance2022.
The College welcomed Tanya I. Garcia, Ph.D., the deputy secretary of the Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to campus Friday, April 1. Garcia was accompanied by her colleague Kimberly McCurdy, Ph.D., the Bureau of Postsecondary and Adult Education director.
“We are proud of the supports we deliver to our students, making higher education attainable and affordable for all,” Wesley R. Fugate, Wilson’s president, said. “Dr. Garcia’s visit highlights our work to prepare a better-educated citizenry for the jobs of the future.”
The visitors took a tour of the student development offices in Lenfest Commons, where they spoke with staff from the Wellspan Clinic, Counselling Center, and Phoenix Against Violence about the services they offer students and staff. Next, they met with Rev. Derek Wadlington and learned about Sarah’s Cupboard and how the food bank helps feed students in need.
After that, they walked to Prentis Hall and toured the Single Parent Scholar housing. Katie Kough, the assistant dean of students, told them about the initiatives, programs, services, and staff that support single parents and help them succeed in college.
“Wilson College has been pioneering services to students with basic needs long before it became a trend,” Garcia said after the visit. “It was an honor to meet all of the dedicated staff who are increasing students’ sense of belonging on campus.”
Fifteen Wilson students attended the 97th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. Through oral and poster presentations they shared their scientific research and engaged in dialogue with scientists at all academic levels.
The students presented research with faculty advisors in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry. The research covers a wide variety of topics from antifungal chemical compounds to Lyme disease syndrome to comparing raw based diets to a kibble diets for dogs.
Brandi Cook - An evaluation of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in feline commercial raw meat-based diet and kibble
Calista Wolfe - The comparative effects of a raw based diet versus a kibble diet on the reduction of dental calculus in dogs
Shaylene Vargas -The combinatorial effects of lumefantrine and tetrandrine on the radiation sensitivity of U-87 glioblastoma cells
Presenting at PAS is an excellent opportunity for students to share their discoveries while developing their presentation skills and learning from others in their field.
Elijah Klopp - Use of camera collars to monitor reintroduction risks to Oryx dammah, scimitar- horned oryx
Shealyn J. Holzinger - The effectiveness of sulfuretin as an antifungal chemical compound compared to clotrimazole on Trichophyton rubrum
Jacob Slifka - Quantifying the contact-independent inhibitory effect of cinnamon bark oil on the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Joshua Howells - Effects of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and potential causes
Jacob Whittington - Analysis on the outcomes of physical therapy on patients with shoulder injuries in different age group
Congratulations to Blanca Villeda on winning first place in the scientific poster competition with her presentation on a comparative study of primary land use and microplastic concentrations of sediment in the Conococheague Creek.
