2017 Celebration of Academic Excellence Awardees honored

2017 Celebration of Academic Excellence awardees and Chancellor Dale Jones at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Nittany Lion Shrine.

Credit: Penn State

April 27, 2017

LEHMAN, Pa. — On April 27, Penn State Wilkes-Barre celebrated the Annual Celebration of Academic Excellence, sponsored by the Department of Academic Affairs. Dating back to 1989, the event recognizes students who have excelled in their academic endeavors.

President’s Freshman Award: Presented annually to undergraduate degree candidates and degree-seeking provisional students who have earned a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average based on at least 12 graded Penn State credits completed their first semester of admission. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have not yet exceeded 35 Penn State credits earned.

Cindy Chen
Colby Karnes
Kaylee Kishbaugh
Garrett Reese

President Sparks Medal: First awarded in 1919, the award is named for Edwin Earle Sparks, Penn State President from 1908 to 1920. This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year the award is given. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have not exceeded 59 total credits earned.

Jesse Macko

Samuel Valick Administration of Justice Award at Penn State Wilkes-Barre: Awarded for the first time in 2017, this award is given by Penn State alums Edmund Lucy and Judith Valick Lucy in memory of Judith’s father, Samuel Valick, who was a former Pennsylvania State Trooper serving northeastern Pennsylvania. This award is given to a senior undergraduate student enrolled in the administration of justice program at Penn State Wilkes-Barre who has achieved the highest grade point average in the program during their senior year.

Alyssa Belskis

College Academic Achievement Awards: Given to the top student in a college regardless of their major. Students must be in their last spring semester at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus, or changed assignment in the previous summer or fall semester, and have a minimum of 24 credits completed and a minimum 3.33 cumulative grade-point average.

College of Earth & Mineral Sciences: Michael Delaney
College of Education: Cahil Carey
College of Engineering: Shane Straley
College of the Liberal Arts: Ashlee Harry & Emily Reichart
Eberly College of Science: Shikongha Tankam
Smeal College of Business: Jesse Macko

Program Academic Achievement Awards: Awarded to the top students in their last semester at Penn State Wilkes-Barre before completing their degree, or who have satisfactorily completed their degree requirements at the conclusion of the previous summer or fall semester. Students must have a minimum of 45 credits completed at the Wilkes-Barre campus for baccalaureate students, or a minimum of 24 credits for associate degree students, and a minimum 3.33 cumulative grade-point average.

Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice: Amber Hartman
Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice: Alyssa Belskis
Bachelor of Science in Business: Karilyn Klag
Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication: Alina Lazareva
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology: David Ankner
Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences & Technology: Gregory Strazdus
Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation and Human Services: Samantha Orth
Bachelor of Science in Surveying Engineering: Elizabeth Keegan

Honors Program: Provides co- and extra-curricular enrichment for selected members of the student body qualified on the basis of scholastic aptitude, test scores, and/or high school or college grade-point average.