Thomas Clements
In Motion Staff Writer
Daytona State College honored 175 students in 18 categories on April 13, during the annual outstanding student awards convocation held at the L. Gale Lemerand Center.
The students were recognized for academic and athletic achievements, along with service to the community. Honors also went out to four of the College’s employees and three were honored as accomplished alumni.
Dr. Thomas LoBasso, president of DSC, presided over the ceremony with a welcome and introductions. President of the faculty senate Richard Vollaro greeted the audience of students, family and friends, staff and faculty. Administration representatives from all five campuses of DSC were in attendance.
Of those being honored at the ceremony, 45 students were named to the Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges program. This program is based on academic excellence, as well as contributions to the College and community.
Another 12 students were inducted into the College’s Hall of Fame. Induction into the Hall of Fame is based on the highest standards of excellence, leadership and citizenship. Both the Who’s Who and the Hall of Fame awards were presented by Dr. Amy Locklear, vice president of academic affairs.
One recipient of the “Hall of Fame” award, Cynthia Puckett, told In Motion, “I was very surprised to be chosen for such an award, I came back to school later in life and didn’t know what to expect.”
As for her involvement in the community, she said, “As a past victim of sexual abuse, I have spoken out about the issue, and I am working very hard to establish a domestic abuse shelter.” Puckett is a member of the campus ministry, “Crusade for Christ”
Awards for the college’s employees and alumni were presented by Dr. LoBasso. The Presidential Teaching Excellence award went to LaKisha Quin Holmes, an assistant professor in the school of mathematics.
Joumana El-Gali, director of finance and Teresa Campbell, senior staff assistant, received the award for Employment Excellence.
The Margaret Crumley Award for Distinguished Achievement in Science went to Carl Barden, owner and director of Medtoxin Venom Laboratories in Deland. He was a DSC graduate in 1991.
Alumni of the Year Award went to Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson, who graduated with an Associate of Science in criminal justice in 1978. Johnson has been the sheriff of Volusia County since 1991.
The Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award was presented to Daniel Biferie, who chairs the DSC School of Photography where he has taught for 33 years. He also was the inspiration behind the development of the Southeast Museum of Photography.
The Young Alumni Excellence Award went to Hanna Lucien who received a Bachelor of Science in Education in 2013. She was recently awarded Rookie of the Year at the R.J. Murray Middle School in St. Augustine.
DSC enrolls nearly 30,000 students a year with more than 100 certificate associate and bachelor’s degrees, and has been in operation for over 50 years.
In addition to the awards convocation, for the second consecutive year, the Mu Rho chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Daytona State College has been named a Five-Star chapter by the Missouri-based national honor society, founded in 1918 to recognize and encourage scholarship and service among two-year college students.
Earning the five-star PTK designation is the most exclusive status a chapter can achieve.
“This is fantastic news for our college and our students,” said DSC President Tom LoBasso in a press release. “Earning the prestigious five-star designation two years in a row reflects on the character and quality of our PTK students, as well as their individual commitment to excellence, leadership and service. It also acknowledges the efforts of our faculty and club advisers who dedicate themselves to fostering academic excellence and integrity in our students inside and outside the classroom.”
The five-star designation recognizes PTK chapters for student engagement, both on campus and in the community. Chapter adviser Steven Pruitt said the Mu Rho chapter is always seeking new members.
When asked about the continuing success of the Mu Rho chapter, Pruitt said.”The credit belongs to work of our chapter’s good officers, I merely try to provide them with positive reinforcement and point them in the right direction.”
This year, as part of its five-star efforts, Mu Rho hosted bowling and movie nights benefitting the Conklin Center for the Blind, participated in fundraisers for the American Heart Association and Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and helped sponsor blood drives on campus. The chapter also packaged 10,000 meals as part of the national Stop Hunger Now initiative and launched an academic research project called Honors in Action, focusing on frontiers in astrobiology.
To be eligible for PTK membership, DSC students must have at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and must have completed 12 semester hours. Members are eligible for over $87 million in scholarship opportunities from the national PTK organization, as well as from partnering four-year colleges, universities and foundations.