Hillsdale College Hosts Spring Convocation, Presents Academic Awards
Traditional academic celebration honors excellence among seniors, student body, and faculty
Hillsdale, Mich. — In commitment to the liberal arts tradition, Hillsdale College hosted its spring convocation on April 15, in Christ Chapel. The meeting brought together faculty, staff, and students as well as members of the graduating classes of 1960, 1961, 1970, and 1971, who were on campus for the College’s 50- and 60-Year Reunion gathering.
“College is a place of friendship,” said Larry P. Arnn, president, “not bitterness and hatred and condemnation, not strife and constantly struggling against one’s fellows.”
Thomas Treloar, chairman and professor of mathematics, was presented with the Emily Daugherty Award for Teaching Excellence. Eric Hutchinson, associate professor of classics, offered the keynote speech, titled “Ingratitude is Monstrous.”
“The quest for self-knowledge has always been the starting point for philosophic reflection in the Socratic tradition, but the task is herculean for a variety of reasons,” Hutchinson said. “We are in desperate need of the friends of human society. We are in deep need of the grateful. I hope, and more than that I am confident, that that is who you are.”
Christopher Van Orman, provost, announced an all-school grade point average (GPA) of 3.398 from the fall 2020 semester and the winners of the school’s two scholarship cups. Pi Beta Phi won the sorority scholarship cup with a GPA of 3.525, and Alpha Tau Omega won the fraternity scholarship cup with a GPA of 3.278. Additionally, the top 10 students in the senior class were recognized for their academic excellence. They are, in alphabetical order:
- Joy Brower
- Natasha De Virgilio
- David Forman
- Carl Miller
- Austen Mock
- Taryn Murphy
- Julia Powell
- Christina Sawyer
- Mary Vita
- Micah Wiley
Guest organist Nathan Laube of the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany, performed two pieces on the College’s new Mary Waterman Memorial Organ.
Photos of the ceremony and the speakers are available here.