Nearly 50 Mount Saint Mary College students were recently celebrated for their academic achievements at the induction ceremony for Aquinas, Ralph, and Boyle Scholars.
Held in the Fluet Family Auditorium on campus, the ceremony recognized the Mount’s best and brightest. Approximately 200 family and friends of the scholars attended.
Before distributing honor cords to the scholars, to be worn at graduation, the students were congratulated on a job well done by Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President; Evan Merkhofer, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs; Sr. Patricia Magee ’88, OP, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Hope Leadership Team; and Charles Zola, assistant to the President for Mission Integration, director of the Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute (CDI), and associate professor of Philosophy.
After a keynote address by Sr. Connie Koch ’71, OP, a member of the Mount’s Board of Trustees, the cords were blessed by Fr. Fluet and distributed to the scholars, one by one, by Magee and Koch.
Aquinas, Ralph, and Boyle Scholar awards are presented to students who attain a high degree of proficiency in their studies and have demonstrated a sincere commitment to learning at the college. Candidates must be full-time students, and only 5 percent of each class may be nominated.
A Ralph Scholar is a sophomore who has attained a grade point average of 3.40 and has received the recommendation of at least two faculty members. The Ralph Scholar Award is named in honor of Sr. Mary Vincent Ralph, OP, co-founder of the college and its first academic dean.
An Aquinas Scholar is a junior or senior with a minimum grade point average of 3.60 who has received a recommendation from their major’s division. The award is named after St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of students and Catholic colleges and universities.
A Boyle Scholar is a senior in the Mount’s Degree Completion Program who has attained a minimum grade point average of 3.60, and has been recommended by their division and their academic advisor. The Boyle Scholar Award is named in honor of Sr. Agnes Boyle, OP. During her time at the Mount, Sr. Boyle initiated the Degree Completion Program. She was also one of the founders of what would become the Catholic Dominican Institute, which hosted the induction ceremony.
CDI promotes the Mount’s heritage of St. Dominic, advances the Dominican charism of study and service, provides a forum for discussion of contemporary ethical issues, and enhances Catholic and Jewish dialogue. The Institute welcomes persons of varied faiths and acknowledges different religious traditions as essential to the college’s intellectual and spiritual life.
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