Each spring semester, an afternoon is dedicated to ABAC students with exceptional academic achievement. On April 3, faculty, staff and students all gathered in the Gressette Gym for the Honors Day Ceremony.
“Honors Day is important because people like to be recognized for the work they do, and it pushes them to continue trying harder to maintain that level of achievement,” Johnelle Chambers, a Writing and Communications major who was recognized as a Distinguished Honor student said.
Honor students are those with a completion of 45 non-learning support credit hours and a minimum of 3.25 overall GPA.
After the performance of the National Anthem by the ABAC choir, President Bridges initiated the ceremony.
“There are two primary occasions in which we recognize academic success in the life of the college – Graduation and Honors Day,” Bridges explained.
Bridges’ introduction was soon followed by Jerry Baker. Baker made the first recognition for the several students who are a part of significant academic programs. These honor societies included Phi Theta Kappa, Tri-Beta and Phi Kappa Phi.
Michael Chason was next to present the Superior and Distinguished Honor students. There are distinct differences between the two categories. Superior Honor students are those who have a 3.50 to 3.74 GPA, while Distinguished students maintain a 3.75 to 4.0.
“It felt good winning an award,” said Noelle Konich, a Distinguished Honor student who attended the event. “It was a reminder of how hard I’ve been working to achieve excellent grades. It’s nice to be recognized.”
Each Dean was given the opportunity to honor the top students in each of their schools. The winners of the Discipline awards were those who showed exceptional academic success while also being involved on ABAC’s campus.
Bridges presented the Lanier Carson Leadership award to Baker. “As Ag Dean, he submitted a new program proposal for Agricultural Education in the University System of Georgia, which gained approval by the Board of Regents in 2016,” Bridges said explaining one of the most influential impacts Baker had at ABAC during his tenure.
This May, ABAC will celebrate the fruits of Baker’s efforts. The first class of Agricultural Education majors will be graduating. This is one of the many reasons Baker was presented with the award.
Mary Glynn Hendricks then presented the Staff Excellence Award to much-deserving, Beverly Wesley, the Credentials Advisor for the Financial Aid department.
Rosalyn Ray Donaldson was next to present the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence awards. The recipients included, Ray Smith in Excellence in Advising, Mary Ellen Hicks in Excellence in Students Engagement, and Beth Thornton in Excellence in Teaching Excellence.
The final reward presentation went to the J.G. Woodroof Scholar, Alexandra N. Ikner, who is a Senior Agricultural Education major from Perry, Georgia. Ikner has maintained a 3.97 GPA while also being on the President’s list for five years while perusing her Bachelors. Ikner also worked for The Stallion newspaper, where she started the much-loved Agriculture section. President Bridges concluded by thanking everyone for their attendance.
