Inaugural Awards Ceremony Honors Graduates, Faculty, and Staff

On Friday, May 5, 2017, The King’s College held its inaugural formal award ceremony to honor outstanding students in the class of 2017 and to recognize faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to the King’s community. The event was held at the historic Trinity Church in lower Manhattan and was attended by graduates and their families as well as students, faculty, and staff of the college.

Tim Gibson, Executive Vice President and the Director of the Center for Leadership Development, gave the invocation. President Gregory Alan Thornbury addressed attendees, explaining his reasoning for creating a separate ceremony to deliver awards announced during Commencement in years past. “Commencement exercises should be pithy, poignant, and trenchant,” Thornbury said. “The awards that were given both to students and faculty, in our previous iteration, sometimes got swept over in the hustle and bustle of the year. We intend to change that tonight.”

Thornbury called the recent academic year “one of the most outstanding years of The King’s College,” based on distinguished guest lecturers and faculty accolades, including visiting professorships and research fellowships at Princeton, Columbia, and the University of St. Andrews. He expressed his gratitude for the sticktoitiveness of the class of 2017, composed of students who began at King’s the year he took the helm at the college. “It is no secret that King’s had just come through a significant period of transition that year,” Thornbury said. “I want to thank the class of 2017 for taking me on board and leading the way in charting the kind of college we want to be in years to come.”

Jonah Ortiz (House of Sir Winston Churchill, PPE ‘17), a Founders scholar and highly decorated member of The King’s Debate Society, was selected by his peers to give the senior address. He challenged students to curb the impulse towards “being practical” that can tempt them to abandon their calling to influence strategic institutions and use the privilege of their college degree to serve others. “Dreaming big is the most practical thing that you can do,” said Ortiz, whose presentation received a standing ovation. Ortiz will continue his studies at Columbia University, pursuing an MA in political science.

President of the Student Body Katherine Thompson (House of Margaret Thatcher, PPE ‘17) presented The King’s Council awards. Dr. Henry Bleattler, Chair of the Media, Culture, and the Arts program, received the Academic Excellence Award for cultivating an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity, investing in the academic lives of students, and demonstrating discipline and passion in his own work. Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. Paul Mueller and Dean of Students David Leedy were recognized for Outstanding Service to the House System. The Student Engagement Awards, honoring the safe and wise soundboards of this community, were presented to Dr. Joseph Loconte, Associate Professor of History, and Nick Swedick, Director of Student Life. For their year-long efforts to respond to community needs with charity and love, Associate Dean of Students Shelli Cline was named Staff of the Year, and Dr. Anthony Bradley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, was named Faculty of the Year. The inaugural Student Service Award was given to Kyle Trivanovich. This award was created for a peer who has made consistent and positive contributions to the student body, motivated not by title or prestige, but by his identity in Christ alone.

Following the King’s Council awards, Dr. Mark Hijleh, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, presented Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges award certificates to Jonah Ortiz ‘17, Gabrielle Vickers ‘17, Enoma Osakue ‘18, Carter Fletcher ‘19, and Elle Rogers ‘19. Conferred by more than 1,000 schools in all 50 states, these awards recognize students for academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and future leadership potential.

On behalf of the faculty of the Media, Culture, and the Arts program, Dr. Henry Bleattler recognized two MCA graduates, delivering the Academic Excellence Award to Madeline Montgomery, and the MCA Capstone Award of Excellence to Dorea Slagle, who drafted a full-length play for her senior project.

Mr. Brian Brenberg, Chair of the Business and Finance Program and Associate Professor of Business and Economics, awarded the Joe T. Ford award to Kyle Trivanovich, whom one professor called “a gentleman orator, always respecting his opponents and offering his own points with facility and passion.” Other professors noted his eagerness to apply theory to real life and his willingness to take on thankless roles with humility.

David Leedy awarded the William R. Bright award, named in honor of the co-founder and former president of Campus Crusade for Christ, to Sadie Elliott ‘17. Elliot has spent her three years at King’s serving “the least of these” by distributing 17,000 shoes to children in Honduras, advocating for abandoned children around the world with the Global Orphan project, serving as City Engagement coordinator at King’s, and facilitating the third annual King’s day of service. “She is compelled by the conviction that Christianity is defined by service,” Leedy said.

Leedy also presented the William Wilberforce Award to Patrick Thomas ‘17. Thomas has pioneered the King’s International Ventures program to South Africa to engage politicians and business people and served as an NGO intern representative at the United Nations, where he focused on refugee concerns and played a role in crafting security council resolutions. This award, named for the English statesman whose service in Parliament helped to end the slave trade in England, goes to a graduate who represents the College’s mission to vigorously engage the public square with truth and civility. The Award Ceremony concluded with a benediction, offered by Leedy.