Colby-Sawyer College Celebrates 2009 Commencement
NEW LONDON, N.H. - Colby-Sawyer College celebrated its 2009 Commencement on Saturday, May 9, graduating 179 students and honoring the graduating class and other individuals for academic excellence, outstanding contributions to society, and service to the college and community. The ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m. under a tent on the college's front lawn.
Mr. Richard N. “Dick” and Mrs. Avone P. Thielen, residents of Sunapee, N.H., and Siesta Key in Sarasota, Fla., received the college's highest award, the Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal, for their extraordinary service, leadership and philanthropy at Colby-Sawyer College. The Thielens are passionate in their support for education. Their many personal gifts and gifts from their family foundation have benefitted many of the college's students.
In 2003, the Thielens were inducted into the college's Legends Society, which honors philanthropists who have helped to transform the college's learning environment. Mr. Thielen, a member of the college's Board of Trustees since 2000, founded RINET Company LLC, a Boston-based financial advisory and investment management firm, which was merged into Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. in 1999.
The Commencement keynote speaker, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Laura Alexander, received the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award, the college's highest recognition for faculty, acknowledges the central importance of teaching and honors a faculty member who encourages intellectual curiosity within and across disciplines, communicates high expectations, and inspires students to do their best work.
Professor Alexander, a resident of Elkins who joined the faculty in 2001, teaches courses such as Environmental Issues, Exploring Nature, Desert Communities, and White Mountain History. Her areas of expertise include sense of place, native flora, New Hampshire's White Mountains and North Country, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She created and maintains the college's Virtual Herbarium, a visual guide to New Hampshire flora. Professor Alexander holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England.
Colin Neal Bellavance, a Sport Management major with a minor in Business Administration, was selected as the Class of 2009 Commencement Student Speaker. He has been president of the Class of 2009 since his sophomore year and a four-year member of the Men's Soccer Team. Bellavance also serves with the New London Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter.
Assistant Professor and Chair of Business Administration Christopher Kubik was elected as the 2009 recipient of the Nancy Beyer Opler Award for Excellence in Advising. The award recognizes outstanding service in assisting students in adjusting to the academic community and in their college and professional planning.
A resident of Hanover, Professor Kubik joined the faculty in 2006 and teaches courses in finance, managerial accounting, strategic management and introduction to organizations. His professional interests include finance, behavioral finance and event study methodology. He is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in Ph.D. in Finance at Anderson University and has earned an M.B.A. from the University of Detroit and B.S. in International Business and Economics at Madonna University.
The Town-Gown Awards recognize Colby-Sawyer College and the New London area communities' long history of working together to enhance the high quality of life in this region. This year the awards honor two individuals, Daniel C. Snyder, a community member and resident of New London, and Barry Caravan, a college staff member who lives in Newbury.
Mr. Snyder, who views education as a catalyst that empowers individuals and communities, has brought computer technology to the Windy Hill School at the college and created rare educational opportunities for Colby-Sawyer students through his ingenuity and generosity. Mr. Caravan is a lead snowboarding instructor for the New England Handicapped Sports Association (NEHSA) program at Mt. Sunapee Resort. He also works with Sodexo Dining Services and Colby-Sawyer to organize a dinner each year for veterans from around the country who participate in NEHSA's Winter Sports Clinic for Disabled Veterans.
For her commitment and service to the world community, Colby-Sawyer will recognize Hannah “Haydi” Caldwell Sowerwine '60 with the Distinguished Alumni Award. For more than a decade, Mrs. Sowerwine, who resides in California and Nepal, has worked toward improving the quality of life for rural people in Nepal. She and her husband, O. David Sowerwine, founded Ecosystems, a company that provides safe, inexpensive and environmentally sound transport and energy systems in Nepal.
Read more about the award recipients here.
Student Achievement Awards
Colby-Sawyer recognized the following members of the Class of 2009 for outstanding achievement as scholars, campus leaders and student athletes.
Abigail Cramer was the recipient of the David H. Winton Baccalaureate Award, presented to the graduate who ranks highest in scholarship among those in the graduating class. She was a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, the Wesson Honors Program, the Dean's List, and is listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She received a Sawyer Fellowship and was twice awarded the Class Academic Award, which is given each year for the highest GPA in the recipient's class.
Elizabeth Mary Cressman and Noah Richard received the Senior Achievement Awards. Cressman is known for her dedication to the college and to the clubs and organizations she is involved in. A member of the Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board, she takes each of her commitments seriously and follows through on her responsibilities. One of her major accomplishments has been to effectively manage an $80,000 student government budget.
Noah Richard has been a strong leader in the Biology Majors Club, assisting the students in building a highly enthusiastic and productive club. He has also been an active participant in the Wesson Honors Program and its advisory committee, interacting effectively with both faculty and students and contributing positive suggestions about ways to strengthen the honors program.
The Alpha Chi Award recipient, Aubrey Kay Evelyn Thomas, is a Communication Studies major with a minor in Business Administration. She was a resident assistant, participant in the Wesson Honors Program and Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communication Association. She has been a member of the Swimming and Diving Team, the Dance Club and the theatre group, as well as a writer and editor for the student newspaper, the Colby-Sawyer Courier.
Elizabeth Ryan is the recipient of the Colby-Sawyer Award, presented by faculty to a student whose intellectual growth and contributions to campus life have positively influenced her fellow students. Ryan, an art major, is an exceptional student, citizen and role model.
She also received the Wynne Jesser McGrew Scholar-Athlete Award, which recognizes the female graduate who has made significant contributions to the college's scholastic and varsity athletic programs. During her time at Colby-Sawyer, Ryan has assumed many campus leadership roles, including her service as the varsity equestrian team's representative to the Student Athletic Advisory Council, as a founding member of the Graphic Design Students Alliance, and as a member of the Wesson Honors Program.
A Scholar-Athlete Award was also presented to a graduating male senior who has made significant contributions to both the scholastic and varsity programs of the college. Patrick Mark Benson carried a double major in biology and exercise science, and he finished his college career with an impressive academic record. He was also a senior co-captain and a four-year starter at left defensive back on the Men's Soccer Team.
He was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete this year, is a two-time NSCAA/Adidas Senior All-East Scholar, and was named to the ESPN Academic All-District Men's Soccer Second Team. Additionally, he has been on the Athletic Academic Honor Roll since 2005 through his last semester. He is the recipient of the Sophomore Class Award, a Sawyer Fellowship, and he has been a member of Alpha Chi since 2007.
Baccalaureate Awards in each Academic Major
Baccalaureate Awards was presented to students who have demonstrated the highest degree of dedication and excellence in their fields of study. The award recipients include the following students: Joseph Patrick Brown Jr. (Studio Art); Patrick Mark Benson (Biology); Sarah Kimberly Breault (Business Administration: Dr. Margaret “Marnie” Kurtz Award); Emily Birkhead (Child Development); and Sean Xavier Ahern (Communication Studies).
Baccalaureate Awards was also presented to the following students: Carl Herz (Environmental Studies); Nicole Rae Farnham (English: Carl M. Cochran Award); Shannah Lee Dalton (Exercise and Sport Sciences: Athletic Training); Patrick Mark Benson (Exercise and Sport Sciences: Exercise Science); Kimberly Elefante (Exercise and Sport Sciences: Sport Management); Elizabeth Ryan (Fine and Performing Arts); John Thomas DeGray (Graphic Design); Judeen Cameron Barwood (History, Society and Culture); Michelle Clason Isner (Nursing: The Grace Adella Sheldon Graves Award); and Chantalle Lea Pelletier (Psychology). HERE
Read more about the student award recipients here.
Learn more about Commencement 2009 at Colby-Sawyer College here.
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with professional experience. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.colby-sawyer.edu.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000 (phone)
