Lander’s College of Arts and Humanities Honors ‘Best Among Us’
April 24, 2024
The annual student and faculty awards ceremony for the College of Arts and Humanities underscored that the “arts and humanities are alive and well at Lander.”
Dr. Lucas McMillan, Lander University’s interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, praised the students as “the best among us,” citing their excellence in the classroom and beyond.
“Our students produce work that is accepted by external conferences, associations and galleries,” McMillan said. “We produce and create much in the college – a literary magazine, a newspaper, a radio station, countless works of art and design, and so much music in recitals and concerts.”
Faculty carefully mentor and counsel students in their endeavors toward graduate school or a multitude of careers, he said.
“The message should be clear for all to see: If you join us at Lander, are in a relationship with us to guide you as mentors, then you can be successful,” McMillan said. “We are good at what we do. That is because of our faculty – teachers and mentors, yes, but also creators and scholars in their own right.”
McMillan presented the Dean’s Awards to Catherine Jordan, of Prosperity, and Noah Skinner, of West Columbia.
The Dean’s Awards are given to the students who best represent the values of a liberal arts education through the pursuit of learning through their classroom work, off-campus experiences and campus leadership, McMillan said.
“These students embody academic excellence, but the risks taken by experimentation in coursework, challenges through undergraduate research, semesters away or high-profile internships mean that the GPA is not the most important factor in selection,” he said.
Among the college’s other awards:
Department of Art + Design
Dr. Asma Nazim-Starnes, chair of the Department of Art + Design, presented awards.
Department of English & Foreign Languages
Dr. Jeffery Baggett, chair of the Department of English & Foreign Languages, presented awards.
Department of Media and Communication
Dr. Misty Jameson, chair of the Department of Media and Communication, presented awards.
Department of Music
Dr. Reed Gallo, chair of the Department of Music, presented awards.
McMillan also recognized honor society members of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and scholarship recipients from the college’s departments.
Photo: Recipients of the Dean’s Awards from Lander University’s College of Arts and Humanities are Noah Skinner, left, of West Columbia, and Catherine Jordan, of Prosperity. Photo by Laura Wood
