HELENA, MONT. - On Saturday, May 9, 2020, Carroll College conferred degrees on 315 graduates in a virtual conferral ceremony in lieu of what would have been the 110th commencement ceremony of the college.
The ceremony and list of graduates is available for viewing at www.carroll.edu/2020.
In light of the mandates put in place due to COVID-19, Carroll College has rescheduled the in-person commencement ceremony for the class of 2020 until May 16, 2021. However, the virtual conferral ceremony ensures that students are officially declared graduated and are awarded their degrees in a timely manner.
The virtual ceremony included brief congratulatory remarks from President Cech as well as the announcement of the recipients of the annual student, faculty and staff awards. Upon the conclusion of visually sharing the names of the graduates at the end of the virtual ceremony, there was also a special tribute video to the class of 2020.
Selected by her peers, the class of 2020 speaker is Connor Hague of Tucson, Ariz. Hague graduated with a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology. She will deliver her senior address at the full commencement ceremony in May 2021.
The Michael Murphy Award for Outstanding Collegiate Citizenship was presented to two students: Kennedy Bahm of Missoula, Mont. and Emma Nylin of Corvallis, Ore.
While at Carroll, Bahm demonstrated the servant leadership model with a strong work ethic and a compassion for helping others. She led Carroll’s Engineers Without Borders team in Uganda for three years, served as Carroll’s Catholic Relief Services ambassador in Washington, D.C., was as a peer minister with Campus Ministry, as well as serving as a Gold Team member with the Admissions Office. In addition, she was elected student body president her junior year and also spent a season as Halo, the mascot. In the community, she served two years as a Big Sister for Helena-area Big Brothers Big Sisters and worked as an intern at the Office of Consumer Protection and Victim Services under the Department of Justice.
Described as caring, committed to serving her peers, passionate about social justice, and impressive in her willingness to stand up for her peers, particularly the marginalized, Nylin has been involved on campus as president of the Psych Club, a member of the GSA and ASCC, and has served her peers as the ASCC student body president this year. In addition, she has done considerable work to promote sexual assault prevention, as well as address accessibility issues on campus. Off campus, she serves at Shodair Children’s Hospital and has worked with children at Broadwater Elementary providing individual support.
The college’s Bishop Gilmore Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholarship, awarded to seniors who have attained the highest grade-point average after four years at Carroll, was awarded to two graduates: Sara Johnson of Yakima, Wash. and Clarissa Moravec of Spokane, Wash., both biology majors at Carroll.
Several faculty and staff awards were also conferred. The Outstanding Teaching Award recipient was Dr. Anneliese Renck, assistant professor of French, who fosters an environment of openness and learning while creating a diverse, tolerant, and reverent atmosphere for discussion of serious topics. The Distinguished Scholar Award was awarded to Dr. Grant Hokit, senior research associate and professor of biology, for his substantial number of scholarly contributions, as well as being a sought-after teacher, a program innovator, a researcher who aids students in their research and his own, and a strong administrator when called on. The Excellence in Service Award was awarded to Shannon Ackeret, assistant director of global learning, for her work expanding Carroll’s Global Learning programs to include up to 150 options for students as well as her compassion and generosity shown to others.
Carroll College also announced that two retired faculty members, Professor of Mathematics and Engineering Mr. Terry Mullen and Professor of Anthrozoology and Psychology Dr. Anne Perkins have been conferred the title of professor emeritus and emerita for having served the college long and with distinction.