43rd Annual Convocation of Scholars Features Diversity and Awards Celebrations
JONESBORO – The 43rd annual Convocation of Scholars at Arkansas State University gets underway in April with events recognizing outstanding students and faculty. Convocation of Scholars is a month-long celebration of the achievements by outstanding students and faculty members.
Convocation of Scholars will culminate with the presentation of the R. E. Lee Wilson Citizenship Award and the Distinguished Service Awards at a campus ceremony on Thursday, April 29. The Wilson Award and DSAs are A-State's top awards for graduating students. While recipients and immediate families will gather for the event at Cooper Alumni Center, others may follow through the livestream.
The 11th annual "Create@State: A Symposium of Research, Scholarship and Creativity," involves scores of students in scholarly and artistic presentations Monday through Wednesday, April 19-21, with the awards ceremony following at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the symposium and awards will be online. More details are available on the Create@State website.
The Excellence in Diversity awards reception will start at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 6, conducted by the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement. The awards recognize the outstanding work of campus stakeholders who have demonstrated the highest commitment to enhancing excellence through diversity. The guest speaker will be Reginald Porter Jr., senior vice president and diversity officer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and a former assistant dean of students at A-State.
Faculty Honors Convocation will be Friday, April 16, beginning at 1:30 p.m. The program will originate in Centennial Hall of the Reng Student Union, and also will be livestreamed.
The first recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal for Research and Creative Activities, the highest award given to a faculty member, will be announced. This new award succeeds the faculty scholarship award that has been awarded since Convocation of Scholars began in 1979. The recipient of the new medal will wear it during Spring Commencement on May 8.
The other Faculty Achievement Awards are in teaching, professional service, and academic advising. Retiring faculty members will be recognized during Faculty Convocation for their service to Arkansas State, and those attaining milestones of service also will be recognized.
The 26th annual Delta Symposium will return to the schedule this year after having to skip 2020 during the early wake of the pandemic. The theme of the April 15-17 academic conference, which will be conducted virtually, is "The Haunted South." The full symposium schedule is online. The Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages sponsors the symposium, with support from KASU, A-State’s public broadcasting service.
The Distinguished Service Awards, Create@State, Faculty Honors Convocation, and Delta Symposium are open to the public through each of their online platforms.
College-wide recognition ceremonies include:
* College of Agriculture honors, April 12-16, with recognition of top students throughout the week on the college's social media.
* University College honors ceremony, online, 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 21.
* College of Sciences and Mathematics honors ceremony, online, 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 21.
* College of Liberal Arts and Communication honors awards ceremony, online, 8 a.m., Friday, April 23.
Departments in the College of Nursing and Health Professions will conduct online award ceremonies at various times, including the white coat ceremony for clinical lab science program graduates and celebration of the health studies graduates, 6 p.m., Friday, April 23; pinning ceremony for nursing graduates, 6 p.m., Friday, May 7; hooding ceremony for graduates of the doctor in physical therapy program, 8 a.m., Saturday, May 8; and pinning ceremony for graduates of the physical therapy assistant program, 1 p.m., Saturday, May 8. Details are on the university calendar.
Other scheduled recognition events conducted by honor societies and departments include: Music Department Honors Recital, online, 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 5; Senior Art Exhibition opening reception, 5 p.m., Thursday, April 15, Bradbury Art Museum; Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society initiation, online, 7 p.m., Monday, April 19; and Career Services’ student employee of the year award program, 12 p.m., Thursday, April 22.
Convocation of Scholars leads into the conclusion of the semester and Spring Commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, in Centennial Bank Stadium.
For additional details and updates on specific events, one may call the respective department or consult the Convocation of Scholars events on the university calendar.
