The Asbury student body and faculty took part in Academic Convocation at 10 a.m. on April 23, 2025. Convocation consists of presenting both senior students as well as faculty with awards and recognition for their hard work during the course of their time at Asbury.
The head of each department presented chosen seniors with awards for their academic excellence and diligence within their fields of study. Students who had won department-specific scholarships for the upcoming academic year were also honored for their achievements.
Additionally, the winners and runner-ups for the paper portion of the SEARCH Symposium Student Showcase and competition were announced and presented with their awards.
The SEARCH Symposium competition is an opportunity for students from any major to partner with faculty in additional research, study, and writing on a subject the student is passionate or curious about.
For the first time in SEARCH history, there was a tie for first place, leading to both senior English major Klara Kinman and junior Journalism major Dina van Heemst receiving the first-place award and a $1,000 cash prize.
In the Ancient and Modern Languages department, seniors Joy Hibshman, Eden Wilson, and Morgan Flanagan all received awards for outstanding academic achievement in their respective areas of linguistic study.
In the department of Art and Design two awards were presented. Senior Kaitlyn Wilson received the Senior Merit award and senior Rose Branan received the Art and Faith award.
The Dayton School of Business presented selected students with their Outstanding Student Honors. “Not only are these students high academic achievers,” said Dean of the Dayton School of Business, Alesha Graves, “but they represent the school’s mission and vision of being the best for the world.”
The Overall Outstanding Student award was received by Tyler Hewlett. Other students who were honored with awards included, Tyler Wilson, Morgan Flanagan, Olivia Angert, Andrew Day, Emily Janzen and Dalton Fleshood.
In the Department of Christian Ministries, Department Chair Brian Hull presented the following students with awards for outstanding achievement: Haven Emery, Maddie Atkins, Brenden Krebs and Laney Hill.
Dr. Brian Shelton, Chair of the Department of Christian Thought and Dean of the School of Christian Studies, presented Haven Emery with the award for Academic Achievement in Bible Theology.
From the School of Communication Arts, Chloe Stivers, Ella Anderson and Sevasti Levenioti were awarded for their academic excellence and achievement in their respective majors.
From the School of Education, Olivia Parson, Grace Price, Hannah Jones and Kristin Cantrell were all awarded for their academic excellence and their outstanding performance in their clinical experiences serving their students.
Dr. Dan Strait, Chair of the English Department, presented Klara Kinman with the Outstanding Academic Achievement in English award. Grace Clark received the Outstanding Academic Achievement in Creative Writing award and Hannah Jones received the award for Academic Achievement in English Education.
The department of Mathmatics and Computer Science awarded the Adele A. Wood Mathematics scholarship Madyson Kaufman. The Outstanding Senior in Mathematics award went to Andrea Collett. The Department of Science and Mathematics awarded Karley Fetter with the Deese Award, and Nathan Bellew with the Kenyon award.
The Social Science and History department had, according to Dr. Clements, “an unusually strong cohort of students this year,” and thus had a hard time deciding on awards. Meghan Cabe received the Outstanding Graduate in History award. Kaitlyn McCracken received the award for Outstanding Graduate in Sociology. Danylo Mykhaliuk received the award for Outstanding Graduate in Political Science.
In the department of Social Work, Riley Hammond and Natalie Cain received awards for service and academic excellence.
In addition to students being honored with awards for their academic excellence and hard work, faculty members were also recognized for their years of service, and a few were given promotions. Professor Beth Groves, Dr. Kim Brockman, Dr. Lisa Weaver-Swartz, and Professor Megan Weaver-Seitz were promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. Faculty promoted to the rank of Professor include Dr. Erin Penner, and Professor Sarah Hogencamp. Dr. Kim Brockman, Dr. Elise Kearns, and Dr. Lisa Weaver-Swartz all received tenure.
Photo courtesy of Emma Farrell.
