Outstanding alumni and chapters honored at Candlelight Banquet

At the conclusion of the Candlelight Banquet, the names of Mortar Board's 229 chartered chapters are read aloud. As their chapter names are called, alumni stand and light a candle. Burning in unison, the flames are not only a breathtaking display, but are a visible reminder of the torch of leadership we each carry.

Mortar Board presented its national awards to outstanding alumni and chapters at the 2011 Candlelight Banquet.

Held during the National Conference, the Candlelight Banquet is Mortar Board's signature event. Honored at the conference were this year's Distinguished Lifetime Membership Award recipients, Betty Whitney Alderson (University of Kansas, 1945), Janice Sheldon Baumback (University of Washington, 1943) and Diane Miller Selby (The Ohio State University, 1961).

Honored as the 2011 Alumni Acheivement Award winners were Stephen B. Corn, M.D. (University of Boston, 1981), Melissa Page Ingwersen (Northwestern University, 1981) and Carolyn Y. Woo, Ph.D. (Purdue University, 1974).

The Agathai chapter at UCLA received the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award and the University of South Carolina's Alpha Order chapter was named the Most Improved Chapter. Regina Simmons, advisor of the Torch chapter at Rhodes College, received the Excellence in Advising Award.

Read more about the outstanding accomplishments of these alumni members and collegiate chapters.

New staff at the National Office

Bridget Williams Golden

Jenny Bergman

Frances Kaufman

Mortar Board welcomes Bridget Williams Golden (Purdue University, 1997) and Frances Kaufman to the National Office, and announces the promotion of Jenny Bergman to development officer.

Bridget joins the National Office as the new alumni engagement officer. Formerly assistant dean of students at Purdue University and assistant director of student conduct at Vanderbilt University, Bridget has served Mortar Board nationally as a section coordinator and as an alumni representative on the National Council. A graduate of Purdue University (B.A., English education, 1998) and The Ohio State University (M.A., higher education and student affairs, 2001), Bridget currently lives in Nashville with her husband Thom and children Andrew, James and Patrick.

Jenny Bergman, who joined the National Office in November 2010 as operations specialist, is Mortar Board's new development officer. Jenny graduated from The Ohio State University in 2005 and honed her skills in development, event planning and marketing while working for the American Cancer Society and Ohio Wesleyan University.

Frances Kaufman joins the National Office as the new operations specialist. A graduate of Wittenberg University, Francie comes to Mortar Board with fifteen years experience as professional and community relations manager with a nonprofit association.  Previously, she was involved in international business and philanthropy in Boston, Mass. 

Mortar Board 2011-2012 Fellows announced

Christine Pao, 2010-2011 president of the Nu Kappa Tau chapter at the University of Miami, pictured with chapter advisor Dayle Wilson. Christine learned she had been named a Mortar Board Fellow at the initiation of the chapter's new class.

Mortar Board National Foundation Chair Sally Steadman, Ph.D., announced that $40,000 has been awarded to outstanding members who plan to further their graduate education during the 2011-2012 academic year.

Congratulating this year’s Mortar Board fellows, Dr. Steadman remarked, “The Mortar Board National Foundation is honored to recognize these remarkable scholar-leaders and to support them in achieving their future academic and professional goals. This exceptional group truly exemplifies Mortar Board’s ideals of scholarship, leadership and service.”

Every year, the Mortar Board National Foundation awards fellowships to assist members in financing their graduate studies. Since the establishment of the fellowship program in 1941, more than $600,000 has been awarded to help members pursue graduate or professional school.

Read more about the 2011-2012 Mortar Board Fellows.

Do you come from a "Mortar Board Family"?
Send us photos!

Across the world, being a member of Mortar Board has become a family tradition. If you are in a family that has more than one member, no matter the relation, now is your chance to be featured in the Mortar Board Forum magazine.

Please email a high-resolution digital photo of you with your Mortar Board family members to mbforum@mortarboard.org along with the following:

• The name of each family member as you would like it listed
• The relation (parents/children, siblings/twins, cousins, etc.)
• Each family member's job title/career or majors/minors if currently enrolled in a college or university
• Each family member’s undergraduate university where initiated and graduation month/year
  

World Grad School Tour in cities across the U.S.

Thinking about a graduate degree? Whether you have just finished your undergraduate degree or have been in the professional workforce for a number of years, the QS World Grad School Tour can help you prepare.

Get information on top graduate programs from around the world, insider tips from grad school admissions staff and access to scholarships. Mortar Board members get free admission -- click here to get your free admission pass.