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Congratulations to 2010 chapter and alumni award recipients

Chapter awards

• Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award
• Most Improved Chapter Award
• Golden Torch Award
• Silver Torch Award
• Project Excellence Award

Individual awards

• Excellence in Advising Award
• Alumni Achievement Award
• Distinguished Lifetime Membership Award

Chapter awards

Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award - Hope College
Mortar Board’s highest national honor for a collegiate chapter is the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award, presented to the nation’s most exceptional chapter. This chapter, chosen after a thorough nomination and selection process, must exemplify the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service in the most outstanding manner, clearly standing out as one of Mortar Board’s top collegiate chapters. The recipient is selected based on a variety of criteria, including chapter operations, campus visibility, member participation, advising, communications and chapter projects.

Finalists:

• University of California, Los Angeles
• The University of Nebraska - Kearney
• San Diego State University
• University of San Diego
• University of Washington

Most Improved Chapter Award - University of Utah
The celebrated Most Improved Chapter Award is reserved to annually recognize a chapter that has achieved success during the year in re-establishing and re-invigorating programming and membership. The recipient of this award must first be nominated then is chosen by a committee for their success in the areas of chapter membership, operations, community service and visibility.

Golden Torch Award
This year, 22 chapters were honored with the Golden Torch Award, which is presented to outstanding chapters that are superb, timely and go above and beyond the minimum standards throughout the academic year, making tangible achievements on campus and in the community. Only a select amount of Golden Torch Award nominees are chosen to receive the award based on their devotion to Mortar Board’s three key ideals of scholarship, leadership and service.

Silver Torch Award
Following the 2009-2010 academic year, 77 outstanding chapters received the Silver Torch Award. This honor is presented to chapters executing timeliness and dedication while exemplifying the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. Silver Torch Award recipients are selected based on a review of national records, requiring that the chapter meet all of the national minimum standards and deadlines.

Project Excellence Award
Nineteen groups received a total of 38 Project Excellence Awards, granted by a selection committee to chapters with notable projects in the areas of:  scholarship, leadership, fundraising, service, the “Reading is Leading” national project, alumni involvement, or Mortar Board Week.

Individual awards

Excellence in Advising Award
This celebrated distinction is presented to advisors who provide exceptional support to help the chapter achieve goals, serving as a role model and demonstrating constant leadership, professionalism and spirit of service.

Susan Herndon Caples, M.A.
The University of Alabama, Hypatia chapter
Before she became a section coordinator and National Council representative, Susan Herndon Caples joined the advisory team of the Hypatia chapter of Mortar Board. Over the past six years, she has become the perfect example of an ideal advisor – effortlessly exhibiting organization, commitment and enthusiasm. Susan gives students the means to succeed without usurping their ability to lead. She always goes above and beyond, initiating brainstorming sessions and social outings, allowing members to go beyond simply doing their jobs and enjoy the privilege of membership in this prestigious society.

Sharon M. Carver, Ph.D.
Carnegie Mellon University, Eta chapter
In her very first year as a Mortar Board chapter advisor, Sharon Carver made a lasting impression. As the chapter’s advisor, she single-handedly supported each and every one of the chapter’s events, attending every meeting and activity. When the chapter was faced with the challenge of starting the year in debt, Sharon offered to personally match the annual proceeds from the group’s popular Turkey for a Day fundraiser and suggested creative methods to get the chapter back on track. After just one short year with Sharon as senior advisor, Eta chapter members have great confidence in continued success.

Pamela R. Cysner, B.A.
University of California, Los Angeles, Agathai chapter
In her 27 years of advising Mortar Board, Pam Cysner says she is constantly amazed at students’ commitment, energy and passion. Turn-about is fair play! Her chapter members feel the same way about her because she has passed on her amazing leadership skills to them. She is a person who leads by example. Members of the Agathai chapter rave that her service and leadership go beyond what any student can expect from an advisor. With constant encouragement, dedication, patience, wisdom and support, she has helped the chapter find a prominent place as a high-achieving campus organization at UCLA.

David P. Gilkey, D.C., Ph.D., CPE
Colorado State University, Tau Iota Omega chapter
David Gilkey has been described as a man of honor, stability and creativity by the students of his chapter. Through thick and thin, he has led the chapter with a calm and professional demeanor. When newly-initiated members in 2009 felt lost and officers were unsure of their responsibilities, David immediately provided support and guidance, suggesting projects, reminding officers of national deadlines, and participating in every meeting and activity. Whether it is helping to buy cupcakes for a chapter fundraiser or coming up with ways to increase chapter visibility, David is always available with a solution and a smile.

Betsy Marti, M.S.
Purdue University, Barbara Cook chapter
Present at every meeting and effortlessly serving as a role model to chapter members for seven years, honorary member and advisor Betsy Marti has gone above and beyond to help members of the Barbara Cook chapter to exemplify Mortar Board’s ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. While she advises many facets of the chapter, Betsy is particularly devoted to improving the service initiatives of the chapter. When the chapter’s annual “Reading is Leading” event faced a challenge, she jumped in with ideas and guidance to get the event back on track. Betsy is continually helping to foster new ideas for chapter events, using her personal connections on campus and in the community to guarantee the success of the chapter’s activities.

Distinguished Lifetime Membership Award
The Distinguished Lifetime Membership Award is presented to exceptional Mortar Board alumni who have made a lifelong devotion to Mortar Board’s ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. Honorees have retained connections or contact with Mortar Board and have demonstrated outstanding service to the global community.

Shirley Brooks-Jones, B.A., ambassador
The Ohio State University (Initiated in 1991)
Initiated into Mortar Board in 1991 after her retirement from The Ohio State University, Shirley Brooks-Jones may technically have been considered a nontraditional student, but she became a well-respected peer. Shirley held an executive position in the chapter, participated in campus events and received the chapter’s top student honor, the Ruth Weimer Mount Award. Today, she is internationally recognized for her global volunteerism — a devotion that has resulted in awards including the Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award for international volunteer efforts and induction into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. A former member of the board of directors of People to People International, Shirley’s most recent initiative was highlighted during the 2010 Winter Olympics, recognizing her for the scholarship program she founded following her unplanned stay after her U.S.-bound flight was diverted to the village of Lewisporte in Newfoundland on September 11, 2001.
She says she never thought of herself as a leader until she became a member of Mortar Board, when talents she had not yet realized came to the surface. Mortar Board left her unafraid to accept any challenge.

Mary P. (Miller) Hoy, Ph.D., educational leader
Iowa State University (Initiated in 1963)
Higher education administration and teaching have been professional touchstones for Mary Hoy for 25 years. On the faculty of the College of Education at Iowa State University for 11 years, she left as assistant dean when Fort Hays State University invited her to become dean of its College of Education. Marquette University was next on her career path and Mary was dean of the School of Education there for six years. Another three years as associate dean for medical education and assessment at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences rounded out her illustrious career — although she is still an adjunct professor with Benedictine College in Kansas. She has served on the boards of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). She helped write NCATE’s current standards. Her devotion to service have run the span from P.E.O. and Rotary International to Bluebirds, Cub Scouts and 4-H. Always involved in political activities, she currently serves in her local city government as a member of the Board of Aldermen and was, for a year, mayor pro tem. She has been a collegiate chapter advisor and alumni chapter leader for Mortar Board.

Helen Dickerson Wise, D. Ed., national leader
The Pennsylvania State University (Initiated in 1948)
A devoted Mortar Board member for more than 60 years, Helen Wise has lived a life of distinction. She has been an award-winning educator, teaching social studies for two dozen years. President of both the Pennsylvania and Delaware state education associations, Helen also served as president of the National Education Association. A member of  the Pennsylvania General Assembly, she shepherded 22 of 26 equal rights bills into passage, making Pennsylvania the first state in the nation with equal rights legislation.
Helen served her alma mater on The Pennsylvania State University board of trustees for more than 20 years (the first woman to be elected by alumni). Her honors are from many quarters. Penn State gave her its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award. She received the Lion’s Paw Senior Society’s Medal for service “above and beyond.” The Penn State alumni association honored her with the Alumni Fellow Award. Her sorority, Kappa Delta, for which she served as a collegiate president, advisor and national officer, inducted her into its Order of the Pearl. After her retirement as deputy chief of staff to the governor of Pennsylvania, a position she held for eight years, the governor named her a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania.

Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award is conferred annually upon extraordinary Mortar Board alumni who are outstanding in their professional lives, representing Mortar Board’s commitment to the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. Honorees serve as remarkable role models and are selected by a group of their peers, who consider contributions at the local, national and international communities.

Bethany Rubin Henderson, M.A., J.D. visionary, activist, developer of leaders
The University of Pennsylvania (Initiated in 1997)
After her graduation from Harvard Law School, Bethany Rubin Henderson used her legal talent as a trial lawyer with a prestigious national firm representing commercial and entertainment-industry clients in multi-million-dollar contract, trademark and copyright disputes.  But, in March 2007, she decided to put her devotion to public service first and leave the law firm behind. She founded City Hall Fellows, an innovative nonpartisan national service corps dedicated to preparing the next generation of America’s leaders. Fellows spend their service year working on high-need government-run initiatives in cities where they have personal ties. Bethany frequently reaches out to Mortar Board members to become fellows.

Teresa C. Long, M.D., MPH preventive medicine practitioner, woman of firsts
University of California, Berkeley (Initiated in 1978)
The first woman to be health commissioner of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Teresa has more than 800,000 patients in her care. She established the Office of Minority Health, the first of its kind in the state. She is a founding member of Access Health Columbus, the Central Ohio Trauma System and the Physicians Free Clinic, which serves thousands of under- and uninsured people every year. This compassionate and energetic Mortar Board member has often been recognized for her work. The International Association of Business Communicators honored her as its 2010 Communicator of the Year, and this year she was honored by the Columbus YWCA as a Woman of Achievement.

Kunle Oguneye, MBA, altruistic author, volunteer, entrepreneur with a cause
Valparaiso University (Initiated in 1996)
Award-winning author, philanthropist and entrepreneur Kunle Oguneye is the portrait of an ideal Mortar Board member. Born and raised in Nigeria, he came to Indiana and entered Valparaiso University to study engineering. Kunle went on to support his heritage by founding Digital Aid, Inc., a nonprofit devoted to furnishing computers to schools in Africa; forming Blue Brush Media to provide entertainment and literature to black children; founding the Seattle chapter of The African Network; and serving on the board of the African Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. Kunle has received many awards for his first children’s book, “Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River.”