Humanities Express

L-R, first row: Nicole DeGreg, Elizabeth Mily, David Citino, John Roberts L-R, second row: Thomas Lennon, Julia Keller, Lisa DiGiacomo, Ellen Graf

College Celebrates Graduates in 11^th Annual Baccalaureate

The College’s Baccalaureate took place on June 11, the day before Spring Commencement, to honor its graduating students. Students eager to graduate yet already nostalgic about leaving friends and the life they've known for several years processed into the auditorium with Dean John Roberts and Professor of English David Citino. A duo of bagpipers led the way.

Senior Ellen Graf, a member of the committee that selected this year"s winner of the Rodica C. Botoman Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring, announced the carefully guarded name of the recipient. Kathy Corl, associate professor of Germanic languages and literatures, was stunned to hear her name called and be invited to the podium to accept the award, the most prestigious teaching prize in the College.

Representing the Humanities Alumni Society, Lisa DiGiacomo (B.A./M.A. French and Italian) presented Alumni Awards of Distinction to Julia I. Keller (Ph.D. English) and Thomas M. Lennon (Ph.D. Philosophy). Keller, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her three-part story about an April 2004 tornado that killed eight people and destroyed most of the downtown area of Utica, Illinois. Lennon, a faculty member at the University of Western Ontario, has published five books as well as nearly 60 articles in scholarly journals and edited or co-edited another six books. The Outstanding Student Award was presented to Nicole DeGreg, who graduated summa cum laude and with honors in liberal arts in Spanish and International Studies.

Humanities alumna Elizabeth Aston Mily (B.A. German and History) gave an inspiring Baccalaureate address in which she shared her experiences and advice with students. A managing director for Goldman, Sachs & Co., she is responsible for various diversified healthcare companies and manages the Life Sciences and Diagnostics business.

The College is especially grateful to David Citino for reading his haunting poem, The World Without, and the students and alumni who participated. The College also thanks alumni Rick Franks, Jean Lindley, Jennifer McNally, and Shane Shope whose work behind the scenes added greatly to the event’s success. Congratulations to our graduates, the newest members of the Humanities Alumni Society.