Checking Boxes in the Liberal Arts: Academic Convocation 2018
A keynote address on the value of a liberal arts education and the world of work was presented by Dr. Michael Lane. A native of Scott County, and current resident of Glade Spring, Dr. Lane graduated summa cum laude from Emory & Henry College in 1995 with a B.S. degree and majors in chemistry and physics. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. He then went to work at IBM’s TJ Watson Research Center as a research staff member in the materials and reliability sciences group in 1999 and later served as its group manager. He returned to Emory & Henry in 2007 to join the chemistry faculty and today holds the rank of professor of chemistry.
Academic Convocation & Award Winners 2018
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Students gather in the lobby of the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. -
Students at Academic Convocation. -
Students at Academic Convocation. -
Students at Academic Convocation. -
Students at Academic Convocation. -
Students at Academic Convocation. -
Chaplain Mary K. Briggs gives the invocation alongside Provost Wells and President Schrum. -
Dr. Michael Lane gives the keynote address. -
The Travel Grant award winner Dr. Kathleen Chamberlain. -
United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award winner, Dr. Adam Wells -
The Maiden Award, staff award winner Mary Lee Canter. -
The Maiden Award, faculty award winner Dr. Joe Reiff -
Students, faculty, and staff inside the Kennedy-Reedy Theatre.
Award Winners Included:
The Travel Grant, Professor of English, Dr. Kathleen Chamberlain
The Emory & Henry College Travel Grant is awarded annually to the full-time faculty member or administrative officer holding faculty status who has served the College for the longest period of years. Chamberlain of Abingdon, Va., joined E&H in 1989 and teaches English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Emory & Henry. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she received her B.A. degree from Cleveland State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.
United Methodist Exemplary Teaching Award, Dr. Adam Wells
Awarded annually by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church, the Exemplary Teaching Award is given to a member of the faculty who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in teaching at a United Methodist-related institution of higher learning. Wells of Bristol, Va., joined the faculty in 2012 and serves as an associate professor of religion and director of Foundations I courses at Emory & Henry. He received his B.A. with honors in philosophy from Wake Forest University, his Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School and his Ph.D. in Comparative Scripture, Interpretation and Practice from the University of Virginia.
The Maiden Award, Mary Lee Canter and Dr. Joe Reiff
The Earnest E. and Elizabeth C. Maiden Award was established in 1975 in honor of the Maidens and in appreciation for their lives of service to the community, the church, and Emory & Henry College. In the past, this award has been made annually to a member of the faculty or staff in recognition of unusual academic or administrative achievement and carries a cash stipend. This year two awards were presented to a member of both the faculty and staff.
The staff award recipient was Mary Lee Canter of Meadowview, Va. She joined Emory & Henry in 2005. She has been a full-time housekeeper for over 13 years. Her consistently positive and cheery demeanor draws others close. She has served in almost every building on campus but likes her work in the residence halls best. She always puts the students first. And she is a strong listener when someone simply needs to talk. Countless students have been touched by her interest in their lives and compassion for their well-being. Because of her efforts, she recently received a monthly Blue and Gold Award from the Staff Affairs Council.
The faculty recipient was Dr. Joe Reiff of Abingdon, Va. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Millsaps College before earning his master’s in divinity degree and Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University. He is an ordained United Methodist minister with membership in the Mississippi Annual Conference. Since 1990, he has taught religion at Emory & Henry and since 1998 has chaired the Religion Department. He has served as the faculty representative to the College’s board of trustees, member of the Presidential Search Committee, faculty marshal, interim associate dean of academic affairs, and elected faculty representative to the Executive Council. He has received the Excellence in Teaching Award from our Student Government, a Hope Award from the Appalachian Center for Civic Life, the Exemplary Teaching Award from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church, and the Finch Award for Faculty Excellence.
Class of 2019 students were applauded through a tunnel of faculty at the conclusion of the ceremony to signify best wishes and appreciation toward their senior year by the E&H faculty.
Open gallery
You can’t think outside the box, if you don’t know you are in one.-Dr. Michael Lane