St. Bonaventure University held its spring awards ceremony on Wednesday where both students and faculty were honored for their contributions to the campus and surrounding communities.
The first award of the event was the Student Leader of the Year. This award was given to Hannah Schaefer based on the exemplary leadership qualities she consistently displayed in a campus organization.
The second award given was the Donald L. Korben Community Service Award which is presented to the student or organization who went “beyond the call of duty” in contributing to the university or community. This award was presented to Katherine Sinclair who underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure with the risk of not being able to compete in her senior season on the softball team as a result of the transplant.
The Program or Event of the Year award was awarded to Campus for a Cure for all of their contributions to the Bonaventure community. The next award of the night was the Fr. Bob Stewart, O.F.M., Adviser of the Year, which was given to Tom Jones for all his work and dedication to the women’s club volleyball team.
The Fr. Gervase White, O.F.M., Staff Person of the Year award, given to a Bonaventure employee who goes the extra mile in helping students and improving student life on campus, was presented to Abby Cohen for all of her hard work she has put in over the last year.
The Organization/ Club of the Year was awarded to Embrace it Africa for the astounding impact that organization has had not just at Bonaventure, but at a wide scale, international level.
After the Organization/ Club of the Year was awarded, the Leo E. Keenan Jr. Faculty Appreciation Award was presented to Dr. Claire Watson. This award is given to the faculty member who displays a great commitment to human knowledge, has a deep sensitivity and great understanding of differences, and has a great sense of optimism in student relationships.
The next two awards of the event were both awarded to student Matthew Creeron. Creeron was first honored with the Terry Bickel Student Life Award for his contributions to the area of student life and his demonstrations of Bickel’s great qualities: patience, commitment, optimism and a sense of humor. Creeron was then given the University Mission Volunteer of the Year award for his great time and dedication put in volunteering to support the university’s Franciscan Mission.
Following these two awards was the Heather Lohr SGA Member of the Year award given to Mike Padlo. This award is presented to a member of the Student Government Association in honor of 1994 graduate Heather Lohr who was a former management and academics who passed away after an extended illness.
The next honor was awarded to two members of the St. Bonaventure faculty, Nichole Gonzalez and Chris Brown. These two were given the Margaret T. Bryner Award in recognition of their positive actions in support of diversity and multicultural initiatives on campus.
After honoring Nichole Gonzalez and Chris Brown, Tim Geiger was awarded the ACE (Admissions Commitment to Excellence) Award for his work in helping recruit and retain students at Bonaventure and his ability to exemplify the spirit of St. Bonaventure and St. Francis. This award also recognized a group recipient for the honor, which was presented to the Office of Events and Conferences.
After all of these awards were given, Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., gave a presentation of the Special Presidential Award. Sister Margaret gave this award to the Race Matters Campaign for their ability to be able to talk about the difficult racial issues that face today’s society in a civil, educational manner.
The ceremony then transitioned to acknowledging the service put in by the Bonaventure faculty. Faculty members were honored for all the time and dedication they have put into the university over their lives ranging from those with 10 years of service to 40 years of service to those who are retiring after this semester.
The final awards on the night were the 2016 Faculty Awards. The first award was given to two faculty members, Dr. Gregory Privitera and Dr. Kimberly Young. These two were given the Award for Professional Excellence in Research and Publication as recognition for all the great work they have produced throughout their careers. Next was the Junior Faculty Award for Professional Excellence. This honor was presented to Dr. Gerald Boersma, an Assistant Professor of Theology.
mackreec15@bonaventure.edu
