Thursday, May 12, 2011

166 to graduate May 21 at Culver-Stockton College
Culver-Stockton College will present diplomas to 166 students in ceremonies on Saturday, May 21, 2011. The 155th Annual Commencement will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the C-SC Quadrangle. COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER: Harold Holzer, one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and political culture during the Civil War era, will be the keynote speaker during the 2011 Culver-Stockton College Commencement Ceremony. Holzer is a noted writer, lecturer and frequent guest on television. In 2000, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He served as co-chair of the commission from 2001-2010. For his work with the commission, Holzer was honored by President George W. Bush with the National Humanities Medal in 2008. The United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is now known as the Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, and Holzer currently serves as chairman of that organization. Throughout his career, Holzer has authored, co-authored or edited 36 books. In addition, he has written some 450 articles for magazines and scholarly journals. Holzer is also a frequent guest on televisions programs, including C-SPAN’s The Washington Journal, Lincoln presented by the History Channel and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, among others. STUDENT SPEAKER: Anna Grgurich of Novinger, Mo., will receive a Bachelor of Arts in media communications. Grgurich is the daughter of Edward and Melanie Grgurich of Novinger, Mo. Grgurich is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society and Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She was also named to the President’s List for eight consecutive semesters for her academic accomplishments. Grgurich will graduate summa cum laude, and will be the recipient of a number of awards during the Honors Day ceremonies to be held May 16. In addition to her academic achievements, Grgurich is also a member of the Lady Wildcats basketball team. FACULTY AWARDS: During commencement, Culver-Stockton will also announce and honor the faculty members who have been selected to receive the 2011 Reuling Prize and the 2011 Helsabeck Prize for Teaching Excellence. The Reuling Prize honors former C-SC president Walter S. Reuling who died in March 2008, and goes to a faculty member selected by his or her peers. The Helsbeck Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member selected by a committee of students, faculty and staff from submitted nominations. Both prizes honor teaching excellence. LOGISTICS: Seating on the C-SC Quadrangle is on a first-come, first-served basis on May 21. Handicapped seating will be available, but those who need special accommodations are asked to contact the Registrar’s Office at (573) 288-6330. A shuttle service will be available from parking lots at the Comfort Inn, County Market, and Nichols Field (baseball). In the event of rain the commencement ceremony will be held in Charles Field House on the C-SC campus. A continental breakfast will be available from 8 to 9:15 a.m. in the dining hall of the Gladys Crown Center. Following commencement, there will be a reception for graduates, families and friends on the Johnson Hall Patio. NURSE PINNING: Pins will be presented to graduates of the nursing program, a partnership between Culver-Stockton College and the Blessing-Riemen College of Nursing, on Friday, May 20 at 2 p.m. at Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, Ill. BACCALAUREATE: Baccalaureate is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20, in Alexander Campbell Auditorium. Dr. Timothy James, C-SC board of trustees member and associate general minister and administrative secretary for the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, Ind., will be the featured speaker. James is a native of Cleveland, Ohio where he previously served as pastor of Fifth Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 1978. He has also served as pastor in Louisville, Ky. James received a Bachelor of Arts from Culver-Stockton College. He went on to earn his a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., and a Doctorate of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Quincy Police Chief honored by Culver-Stockton College
Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley was honored Tuesday, May 10 by Culver-Stockton College for his continued service to the institution. Copley is a charter member of the Culver-Stockton College Criminal Justice advisory council. He also worked closely with Senior Lecturer Mike Bradshaw to develop the C-SC "ride-a-long" program; which pairs criminal justice students with police officers and provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge of the day-to-day responsibilities of law enforcement officials. With the assistance of Copley, numerous Culver-Stockton students have completed internships with the Quincy Police Department, and officers frequently serve as guest speakers for Criminal Justice courses offered at Culver-Stockton. In recognition of his many years of service and support, Culver-Stockton College President Richard Valentine presented Chief Copley with a plaque during Bradshaw’s senior seminar class.

Holtrop, Guymon earn top athletic honors at banquet
Over 300 student-athletes, administrators, coaches and friends packed the Culver-Stockton College cafeteria inside the Crown Center Tuesday night to celebrate the academic and athletic successes of the Wildcat athletic department during a memorable 2010-11 season. Brent Holtrop of the football team and Breezy Guymon of the women's basketball team, were awarded the Male and Female Senior Athlete of the Year awards. The awards were based on their accomplishments over a four-year career at C-SC. Holtrop, a linebacker from Frisco, Texas (Centennial HS), was a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award winner. An English major, Holtrop was a four-year letterwinner on the football team, setting a school record for most tackles in a career with 369 total stops. He was twice named to the All-Heart of America Athletic Conference second team during his career. Off the field, Holtrop was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he worked numerous youth football camps in Keokuk, Iowa, and he participated in the reading program at Canton (Mo.) elementary school. Guymon, a guard from Carthage, Ill. (Carthage HS), was also a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honoree. An athletic training major, Guymon was a four-year letterwinner, though she missed most of her senior season due to a nagging knee injury suffered at the end of her junior year. On the basketball court, Guymon totaled 719 career points, including a career-high 21 points against Hannibal-LaGrange during the 2008-09 season. In addition, with 130 career three-pointers, Guymon ranks fourth on the Lady Wildcat all-time list. She also holds the fourth and seventh spot on the single season top 10 list for 3-point field goals. Off the court, Breezy was the treasurer of the Student Athletic Training Association (SATO) and a supervisor for the C-SC intramural program. She has been named to the President's List three times and the Dean's List four times, and is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society. In addition to the senior athletic awards, the Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Team Awards were awarded to the women’s volleyball team and the men’s golf team for having the highest team grade point average for the 2010 calendar year. Also, the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) handed out three awards during the ceremony. Head football coach Cameron Keller was named coach of the year, Dana Hoffman was named employee of the year, and Jim Rouner was named fan of the year. Finally, numerous athletes, coaches and teams were recognized for winning all-conference honors, coach of the year honors and conference championships or reaching national competitions. Also, all NAIA scholar-athletes for the 2010-11 school year were recognized.