Yet, when she walks through the School of Communications, she is not stopping by just to study in the Snow Family Grand Atrium; she is entering as editor-in-chief of Phi Psi Cli, �鶹��Ƶ’s student-run yearbook.

Catarius never planned to participate in student media. Her journey began with close friend Molly Moylan ’26, the former yearbook editor-in-chief, during a Winter Term study abroad experience.

“She just kind of talked about it all the time and was like, ‘Do you want to help?’ And I was like, ‘You know what? Sure, why not?’” Catarius said.

Catarius officially joined the staff late, just after Winter Term. She quickly discovered that creating a permanent record of an entire academic year was an ambitious challenge, particularly with a tight-knit crew of only six students

“If you know how much work a yearbook takes to actually interview people, write stories, design pages, do everything, it’s a job for a lot more than like six people. But we got it done, and it was great,” she said.

For Catarius, diving into a field completely separated from her coursework became an unexpected advantage for her.

“I think having something that is outside of my majors and minors is something I can fall back on, and I can have something to be creative with, which is really interesting,” Catarius said.

Leading an expansive 280-page publication has also allowed her to build real-world leadership and time-management skills, while balancing five classes, undergraduate research as an Honors Fellow and multiple student organizations.

“We have to be really organized all the time, and especially the way that we do our yearbook, there’s something every week for us to do,” Catarius said. “It’s also increased my leadership skills because being a leader in something so big and a physical piece of media that will live on beyond my lifetime is something I can’t say I do for a lot of my other classes or extracurriculars.”

Unlike daily or weekly campus news cycles, Phi Psi Cli captures �鶹��Ƶ’s story holistically, from student life and performing arts to traditions, athletics and spiritual life. Now, Catarius is focused on expanding the staff and inviting students from every major to leave their mark on university history.

“We want to try and make it so that everybody can do everything, but not that everybody has to do everything,” Catarius said.

Seeing the yearbook arrive on campus in September made every deadline worth the effort, and Catarius hopes more students take advantage of the hands-on opportunities waiting for them across campus.

“It’s really fun once you get into it and once you get into the flow of things, to see the book come together,” Catarius said. “It’s a nice way for people outside the School of Communications to be introduced to the school without a ton of pressure on them.”

When she arrived at �鶹��Ƶ, she planned to pursue international financial law. But as she considered her future, she began looking for a way to bring those two interests together. She reached out to department chairs across campus, asking questions about different majors and where they might lead.

A conversation with Professor of Public Health and Human Service Studies Cindy Fair helped her find that connection in public health. Studying its sociocultural dimensions alongside finance offered a path toward healthcare administration, a career she hadn’t previously considered.

For Gomez, the ability to explore that path began with the support that brought her to �鶹��Ƶ.

An Odyssey Program Scholar and Business Fellow from Sanford, North Carolina, Gomez receives the John L. Georgeo Scholarship. She credits the scholarship and the Odyssey Program with easing the financial pressure on her family and giving her room to make the most of college.

“I think without that, I don’t even know if �鶹��Ƶ could have been an option for me,” she said.

That support shaped more than her decision to attend. It allowed her to consider opportunities based on what she could learn, including an experience abroad supported by an additional Odyssey grant.

“It’s really nice to be able to go to college and just focus on being at college, not to focus about the financials of it,” she said.

Gomez came to �鶹��Ƶ after earning an associate degree from Central Carolina Community College while attending Lee Early College. The experience helped her develop study habits, explore possible careers and learn how to seek out resources. At �鶹��Ƶ, she continued asking questions and building relationships with people who could help her find her direction.

Her interests came together during an internship with Cura Systems in Singapore. There, she worked with nursing homes transitioning from handwritten records to a digital system.

Gomez helped set up tablets, developed instructions and guided staff through unfamiliar technology. Working with employees from different countries also challenged her to communicate across language barriers and build trust as they learned together.

As the company’s first intern, she had a chance to help shape her role. What began as an unfamiliar assignment became an opportunity to see how business processes and technology could support healthcare work.

“I didn’t ever think I’d be in a technology consulting role, but I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Her time abroad also gave her a clearer sense of herself. While studying in Australia, she began waking early to watch the sunrise and noticed how often people made time to be outside before and after work. She brought that routine back to Charlotte for her next internship, taking morning walks and walking to the office.

The experience helped her become more comfortable on her own and more deliberate about the life she wanted to build.

Back in North Carolina, Gomez applied what she was learning through a practicum with the Alamance County Health Department. Its baby closet provides donated clothing, diapers and wipes to local families. Gomez helped move its handwritten tracking process into a digital format, making information about visits and needed supplies easier to organize.

She has also explored food insecurity closer to campus. Through her PACE job as food justice coordinator in the Office of Environmental and Place-Based Education, Gomez works with Professor of Education Scott Morrison to research how universities help students access meals.

Being part of the Odyssey Program made her aware of the difference financial support can make. It also prompted her to think about students outside the program who might face similar needs. She has researched campus food pantries and meal swipe donation programs, hoping that work can contribute to additional resources at �鶹��Ƶ.

Gomez credits mentorship with helping her turn those interests into action. Business Fellows Director Tina Doss has been a consistent source of guidance, while Morrison encouraged her to become more involved in public health.

Those relationships have shaped how she approaches her own roles in admissions and student government. When younger students have questions, she wants to help them find someone who can answer.

“It’s just advocating for yourself and others is the biggest thing that you have to do,” she said.

After two summer internships with EY in Charlotte, Gomez plans to return to the firm full time after graduation. During her most recent internship, she worked with healthcare and life sciences clients, continuing to connect her finance education with her interest in health.

She also found a network of �鶹��Ƶ alumni at EY who made time to meet with interns and share advice. As she begins her career, she hopes to help develop more formal mentorship opportunities for interns in tax and audit.

The scholarship that helped Gomez attend �鶹��Ƶ gave her the freedom to explore an unexpected direction. The people she met along the way helped her pursue it. Now, she wants to offer that same guidance to students following her.

“I want everyone to succeed, honestly, more than I have,” she said.

The Fellowship program is among the largest award offered to young poets in the United States, it recognizes and provides monetary support to five poets who are between ages 21 and 31 years. Each fellow receives a subscription to “Poetry” magazine, $27,000 and an invitation to submit work to the venerated publication. The Poetry Foundation also supports the fellows’ attendance at the 2026 Dodge Poetry festival, where they will participate in their inaugural reading as a cohort.

“The fellowship is a really big deal for emerging or ‘young’ poets,” said Jones. “This fellowship puts me alongside a long list of gorgeously talented poets, thinkers and people — some of whom I have learned with and from, long admired and respected.

“Personally, this arrival signals that there’s something that is happening in my work that has translated or touched in an intended way. I have applied before with different poems, and this time I think something felt clearer or just more me, in what my current voice and view is. I think receiving this fellowship is a mixture of confidence and curiosity of risk, knowing your work, and the time being right and aligned.”

As part of the application process, Jones submitted a ten-page packet of poems and responses to prompts about her inspirations, what she hopes to do with her work, what she already sees her work doing and how the fellowship will support the work she wants to do.

As a fellow, Jones will read alongside her cohort at the Dodge Poetry Fest in New Jersey this October. The funding she received will allow her to complete upcoming projects, organize a small book tour and host a weekend writers retreat for her colleagues to write, read and think together.

“It feels amazing to be recognized with this honor,” said Jones. “I feel blessed and extremely proud of my work and my follow-through. I applied for this fellowship two other times and this particular time felt so settled for me; there were things I could feel had shifted in the work and that made me feel quite confident going into the application cycle.”

At �鶹��Ƶ, Jones orients herself as a professor and a resource for the ‘real world’ as students consider writing as a career. She also teaches students how to use tools to communicate what they want to say on paper.

“I’m finding ways to show students what it means to do this work on a professional level and to equip them with as much as I can so they may consider writing beyond the classroom and turn it into an art skill,” said Jones. “Poetry influences what and who I bring into the classroom, and it informs how I teach publishing, revising, artistic stamina and the writing life overall.”

For Jones, talent is not all you need to be a writer; you need curiosity, discipline, a willingness to fail, a capacity for play and risk and a community.

“This fellowship is a huge honor,” Scott Proudfit, associate professor and chair of English said. “The Poetry Foundation, which publishes “Poetry” magazine, is the most important organization of its kind. Students will know it because of the foundation’s tremendous digital archive. Basically, anytime you search for a poem online you are directed to the foundation’s website — which is good, because you can trust their version of texts. Not only does Shaina receive significant financial support from the organization, she also gets to present her work at the 2026 Dodge Poetry Festival, a huge honor. �鶹��Ƶ students adore Shaina because she is such a caring and responsive teacher, but, let’s face it, there is also something exciting about learning from someone recognized as a rising star in their discipline.”

Jones is the author of “To Be Named Something Else,” the winner of the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize from University of Arkansas Press. Her work has appeared in “The Pinch Journal,” “Puerto del Sol,” “Foglifter Journal,” “The Offing,” “CRAFT Magazine,” “The Georgia Review,” and “Gulf Coast Journal.”

The Poetry Foundation also wrote a recognizing Jones as a fellow.

The fellowships were established in 1989 by the Indianapolis philanthropist Ruth Lilly and expanded in 2013 with a gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund.

The Poetry Foundation transforms lives through the power of words. Their work aims to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry.

The National Symposium for Predoctoral Research program is an all-expense-paid event to inspire early-career scientists, showcase their research and provide opportunities for networking about graduate school.

“I was excited when I learned that I was accepted into this program,” Roberts said. “I had never attended a program like this before, but I knew St. Jude had a lot to offer.”

Robert’s research is on targeting immune pathways to enhance the oncolytic ability to reovirus against fibrosarcoma. His work focuses on how cancer cells respond weakly to a viral infection, which allows a virus to preferentially infect and kill those cells. Since cancer cells still have a response, research focused on how that immune response could be targeted to improve the viruses’ infectivity and the effect on cancer cells. Specifically, he looked at an immune pathway called the interferon pathway, and a product of that pathway, protein kinase R.

Assistant Professor of Biology Efrain Rivera-Serrano serves as Roberts’ research mentor.

“One of the most rewarding parts of mentoring Alex has been watching him take an idea he developed himself and turn it into a meaningful research project,” Rivera-Serrano said. “His selection for the St. Jude National Symposium is a well-deserved recognition of his scientific curiosity, independence and determination, but also of the incredible growth I have witnesses in him as a young scientist. I couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments, and I am especially excited that this experience allowed him to share his work with the broader scientific community and explore the possibilities that lie ahead in his scientific career.”

At the symposium, Roberts participated in a poster presentation about his Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) research, graduate school panels, student panels, a campus tour, seminars and keynote presentations.

Roberts learned about the research environment at St. Jude, the difference between a master’s and Ph.D. program and how St. Jude is unique compared to other research institutions.

“Researchers at St. Jude have access to incredible technology and data, which allows them to pursue research on a large scale with ease,” Roberts said. “It was really amazing to hear from world-renowned researchers. One researcher was using 10 years of clinical cancer data with artificial intelligence to see how different treatments impacted cancer survival in patients.”

Participating in the symposium inspired Roberts as a young researcher.

“Seeing how the faculty at St. Jude are so driven by the mission of curing childhood cancer showed me the impact research can have on people,” Roberts said. “It inspired me to continue with my research and keep thinking of innovative ways I can drive it forward.”

The application process involved writing a research abstract describing his research, a personal statement about his interest in the St. Jude graduate programs and a cover letter describing his past experiences.

Rainie has been named a to help shape and publish research findings from those surveys and other encounters with civil servants. The goal is to learn more about the ways government workers use AI and the impact on the workings of democracy.

Rainie was a main writer for Northeastern’s Observatory of Public Sector AI new report:

Some of the key findings:

• Many public professionals are just getting started with understanding and using GenAI.
• The biggest barriers to using GenAI in government are not tied to resistance.
• Leadership knowledge gaps about GenAI are a primary bottleneck to its adoption and effective use.
• Public professionals primarily use AI for information and communication tasks, such as research, drafting, editing, and summarizing.

The report was covered in the Boston Globe and other New England media and will become the anchor of several dozen presentations the group gives to government leaders, public professionals and civil society groups.

Rainie’s affiliation with the Burnes Center will bring benefits to the ITDF Center. ITDF and the Burnes Center will co-publish the reports he helps create and promote them to the media and other audiences as joint efforts. He will become one of the Burnes Center’s spokespeople at conferences, in the media and in web events like podcasts and YouTube webinars.

“This is an exciting chance for me to be present at the creation of something that we hope will become an important reference for those who work in the public sector and those who care about government performance,” Rainie said. “This kind of research fits perfectly with the ongoing studies of the Imagining the Digital Future Center, such as our recent reports ,“ “ and “.“ Ultimately, the great hope at the Burnes Center is that researchers here at �鶹��Ƶ and around the country will use these findings from our Observatory in their own scholarship and will want to work with our datasets themselves. I hope to hear from students or faculty members who would like to become involved in the next round of research the Observatory undertakes.”

Rainie says the next wave of research could involve such things as truly longitudinal studies in which specific public servants are tracked as they think about using AI in their jobs; studies that combine these survey findings with administrative records collected by state and local government; and studies that explore the impact of AI use by government employees on such critically important public purposes such as government performance and citizen engagement on policy issues.

Fifteen contestants had six minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible in a competition hosted by none other than Joey Chestnut, the 18-time reigning champion of the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held every Fourth of July on Coney Island. The competition required advance registration and a $50 entry fee, and it drew in contestants from across the state of North Carolina.

�鶹��Ƶ’s Sydney F. & Kathleen E. Jackson Professor of Chemistry won the local competition in Winston-Salem after consuming 14.5 hot dogs – half a frank more than his nearest opponent.

And because Chestnut had a full view of the contest on Oct. 8, 2026, and saw that Karty and his nearby foe were in the lead the entire time, the cheers from the world-famous competitive eater were impossible to miss.

“I did not know Joey Chestnut was going to be next to me the entire competition cheering me on, it was very motivating,” Karty said. “Telling me to find my happy place? During the competition, the only thing going through my mind was to focus on the process and find a rhythm. I was thinking ‘don’t overdo it, but don’t take your foot off the gas’.”

Karty practiced ahead of the competition and tapered his food intake the day before the contest. His strategy included dunking the buns in water and separating the hot dog from the bun to eat separately. Participants had to finish one hot dog at a time.

When the six minutes were up, Karty only knew the race was close. Chestnut’s announcement of his success was unforgettable. For context, in the most recent Nathan’s contest from July, Chestnut himself consumed 70.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes. 

.

“It was a pretty magical evening. Now Joey Chestnut knows me!” Karty said. “I didn’t expect to win. I didn’t expect the trophy. I didn’t expect to take photos for 20 minutes with people from the crowd afterward. All I expected was a meet-and-greet with Joey Chestnut before the competition and to eat as many hot dogs as I could.”

“One time I took my parents, and they took a picture of me, and I said, ‘I will work here one day,’” Achey recalled.

She was right.

On Sept. 24, Achey joined Professional Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) students and faculty via Zoom in Alamance 318 to discuss her career in international publishing and offer advice to students hoping to enter the industry.

After graduating from �鶹��Ƶ, Achey struggled to find her first publishing job. Through �鶹��Ƶ’s Bridges program, she spent a summer in New York City networking with alumni and industry professionals. A connection she made over coffee eventually led to a position at book distributor Baker & Taylor, where she managed sales in Asia. Another professional relationship helped her land a job at Simon & Schuster in 2017.

Today, Achey manages international customers and helps bring English-language books to readers around the world. Her work takes her to major industry events, including the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany and the London Book Fair.

“When I was at �鶹��Ƶ, I absolutely loved my study abroad experience, so I really wanted to couple my love for reading with travel,” she said. “That’s what led me to international sales.”

Achey also introduced students to the changing landscape of publishing. She described how BookTok and other social media communities can generate sudden surges in book sales, recalling one title that sold roughly 1,500 copies overnight after gaining attention on TikTok. She also discussed the industry’s cautious approach to artificial intelligence, particularly AI-generated writing and artwork, while acknowledging the value of AI literacy for emerging professionals.

Throughout the conversation, Achey emphasized that publishing offers careers well beyond writing and editing, including sales, marketing, publicity, production and design. She credited her PWR education with helping her develop communication skills that remain essential to her work, particularly adapting her tone and approach for different audiences.

For students interested in publishing, Achey recommended following industry newsletters such as *Shelf Awareness* and *Publishers Lunch*, pursuing internships and attending readings and events at local bookstores. She encouraged students to connect with professionals on LinkedIn, maintain relationships with alumni and recognize the value of transferable skills gained outside the publishing industry.

Her own career, she explained, demonstrates why networking matters: both of her major career opportunities emerged from relationships she had cultivated.

“Keep immersed in the thing that you love,” Achey told students. “Whatever’s drawing you to the publishing industry, try to keep a part of that.”

She also urged students to take advantage of resources closer to home, including �鶹��Ƶ’s libraries, book clubs, Writing Center and PWR events. Her own Writing Center experience helped her develop the collaborative communication and problem-solving skills she continues to use professionally.

Nearly 12 years after graduating, Achey said her enthusiasm for books remains unchanged.

“I still love going in bookstores and seeing our books,” she said.

The ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, family and friends to recognize Elizabeth McKee ’90, Tiffany Grace Perry ’01 and Stephanie Marken ’08.

Dean of �鶹��Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Hilton Kelly, delivered remarks in Yeager Recital Hall on the impact the recipients have made on their professions and communities.

“These three alumni demonstrate what it means to graduate from �鶹��Ƶ College: the heart of an �鶹��Ƶ education,” Kelly said. “They have used what they learned in �鶹��Ƶ College the College of Arts and Sciences to have impactful careers.”

Elizabeth McKee ’90 – Arts and Humanities

Elizabeth McKee earned her bachelor’s degree in English from �鶹��Ƶ and a master’s in human development and psychological counseling from Appalachian State University.

McKee is the executive director of Leadership Charlotte, where she has served for two decades walking alongside thousands of leaders as they explore their own capacity to create positive change in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. Prior to joining Leadership Charlotte, she served as director of leadership initiatives at the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, where she developed leadership curriculum and programs for undergraduate and master of business administration students.

She has been recognized as a leader in the area including receiving the recognition as one of Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women in the greater Charlotte area

While at �鶹��Ƶ, McKee published poetry and artwork in Colonnades, was involved with intramural water polo, worked in student affairs and worked with a group of students to create and promote a social honor code to accompany the intellectual honor code.

“I’m not sure I knew it at the time, but �鶹��Ƶ taught me about being in a larger community,” McKee said. “It helped shape my ‘real world’ thinking regarding how I want to be in a community and what role I want to play in being a positive force within it.”

Tiffany Grace Perry ’01 – STEM

Tiffany Grace Perry earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from �鶹��Ƶ, a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She then completed seven years of neurosurgery residency training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including an enfolded orthopedic spine fellowship at Duke University. Following residency, she completed a post-residency fellowship in complex spinal disorders at The Cleveland Clinic, where she remained as a faculty member for two years. She also earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Perry is a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She also works with the Los Angeles Rams as a neurotrauma consultant. She is a consultant for Medtronic on anterior and posterior cervical instrumentation systems. Perry leads annual surgical missions to Uganda with a multidisciplinary team from Cedars-Sanai. She is a faculty member with the AI translational medicine PhD program at Cedars-Sanai, working with graduate students to create clinical projects that intersect the progressive power of AI with the clinical needs of medicine. Perry is also a consultant for Medtronic on anterior and posterior cervical instrumentation systems.

At �鶹��Ƶ, Perry was active in the Honors Program, the Lincoln Premed Society, Alpha Omicron Pi, the National Panhellenic Society and Camerata.

“�鶹��Ƶ encouraged me to be curious, explore beyond what was familiar, and say yes to experiences that challenged and shaped me,” Perry said. “�鶹��Ƶ taught me to remain curious, embrace newexperiences and never stop learning. Those lessons have molded not only who I am personally, but also how I approach medicine, leadership, teaching and mentorship. I learned that success is not just about what we accomplish, but about the opportunities we create for others.”

Stephanie Marken ’08 – Social Sciences

Stephanie Marken earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from �鶹��Ƶ and a master’s degree in survey research from the University of Connecticut.

Marken is a senior partner at Gallup leading the U.S. custom research division, which includes research programs Gallup performs on behalf of foundations, agencies, corporations and high education institutions. She is responsible for the strategic direction of Gallup’s research in education, workforce development, climate, technology, and the social sciences, which includes complex, multimode qualitative and quantitative research projects. She previously served as chief methodologist for Gallup.

Prior to joining Gallup, she was a researcher in the education division at Westat, where she worked on large-scale, complex, multimode education studies for the U.S. Department of Education, including the National Household Education Survey, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, Fast Response Survey System, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, and other quantitative and qualitative research projects for education foundations and organizations.

While a student at �鶹��Ƶ, Marken was an intern at the �鶹��Ƶ Poll and in Alpha Omicron Pi.

“�鶹��Ƶ was where I found my voice and where I developed a passion for making sure others are heard,” Marken said. “Any success I’ve had since graduation belongs in large part to the faculty and staff at �鶹��Ƶ who took a vested interest in me when they didn’t have to. In that regard, this award feels like an important example of the lasting impact that highly engaged mentors make, oftentimes without even realizing it.”

Recognizing past deans

The three past deans of �鶹��Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Steven House, Alison Morrison-Shetlar and Gabie Smith, were also recognized at the awards ceremony. Steven House served as the founding dean from 2001-2009 and guided the growth of �鶹��Ƶ’s academic programs. House provided leadership for 17 academic departments and 19 academic programs. The number of �鶹��Ƶ College faculty increased by 50 percent during her tenure as dean and the number of students majoring in liberal arts grew from 37 percent of the student body to over 50 percent. He also helped develop the �鶹��Ƶ College Fellows program.

Alison Morrison-Shetlar served as dean from 2010-2014, where she continued to expand on a tradition of learning-focused achievements. She founded LIFE@ELON and organized the first North Carolina STEM conference at �鶹��Ƶ, where nearly 100 faculty members from North Carolina colleges and universities gathered, making the conference the largest of the state and regional STEM network meeting held across the country.

Gabie Smith served as dean from 2015-2024, providing growth for academic programs and administrative leadership. During her time as dean, she created the bachelor of science in engineering program, developed more than a dozen academic major and minor programs and worked to establish the Innovation Quad. She also enhanced the Fellows and Scholars programs within �鶹��Ƶ College.

Russell B. Gill, who served �鶹��Ƶ for nearly four decades in many academic and administrative roles, including as Distinguished University Professor, Maude Sharpe Powell Professor and dean of arts and sciences, died Sunday, October 11.

Through many leadership roles and with a strong voice of advocacy for excellence, Gill was a forceful architect of �鶹��Ƶ’s academic identity. As the university grew to become a nationally recognized institution, he was among the faculty leaders who insisted that a rigorous liberal arts and sciences foundation remain at the center of an �鶹��Ƶ education, and he helped build the curriculum and standards that continue to define the university.

Gill retired in 2014, and in 2015 was awarded the �鶹��Ƶ Medallion, the university’s highest honor, in recognition of his contributions to �鶹��Ƶ. In 2018, trustees voted to name a residence hall in the Global Neighborhood in his honor.

“Russ embodied the very best of �鶹��Ƶ,” said President Connie Book. “He was a brilliant scholar who never lost his delight in teaching, and a leader who shaped our curriculum, our accreditation and our Phi Beta Kappa chapter with the same care he gave his students. Generations of �鶹��Ƶ alumni, staff and faculty carry his influence with them.”

Gill joined the �鶹��Ƶ faculty in 1976, serving as chair of the Department of Literature, Languages and Communications, the predecessor to the Department of English, from 1983 to 1988.

A respected and accomplished scholar and teacher, Gill instilled a love of learning in thousands of students, whether he was teaching basic composition or 17th- and 18th- century British and European literature. In recognition of his dedication to students and learning, he received the Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1986.

True to his commitment to academic excellence, Gill was a strong voice in the revision of the General Studies curriculum in the 1990s as �鶹��Ƶ moved to a four-credit-hour system. The change was more than administrative: it allowed for deeper, more engaged coursework, and the general studies program he helped develop became the foundation of the �鶹��Ƶ Core Curriculum that every student completes today.

Among his most significant leadership roles at �鶹��Ƶ, Gill was coordinator of humanities and director of General Studies beginning in 1994, and from 1996 to 2000, he served as dean of arts and sciences. He was also Faculty Fellow for the university’s living-learning community initiative.

As a driving force behind the major institutional initiative to establish a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Gill chaired �鶹��Ƶ’s Phi Beta Kappa Steering Committee and served as the first president of �鶹��Ƶ’s Eta of North Carolina chapter in 2010. The chapter stands as a lasting measure of the academic standards he championed.

His influence extended into nearly every group that shaped �鶹��Ƶ’s academic standards. He served on the Academic Council, including two years as chair, and on the Promotions and Tenure Committee. During the university’s reaccreditation, he served on the SACS Steering Committee on Institutional Effectiveness and the SACS Committee on the Centrality of the Arts and Sciences.

In 2006 he was named �鶹��Ƶ’s third Distinguished University Professor by President Leo M. Lambert. In his remarks at the investiture ceremony, Gill marveled at �鶹��Ƶ’s growth in quality and spoke of the personal connections among the people who make up the university.

“You [�鶹��Ƶ community] have created a distinctive institution with arts and sciences at its core, guided by a service ethic in the best traditions of a classical education from Socrates to Milton to our own day,” Gill said. “You are better in personal commitment to excellence, to your fellow humans, and, I also believe, better in creation of community at �鶹��Ƶ itself. There were good old days at �鶹��Ƶ but none better than today.”

Gill is survived by his wife Diane and his five children: daughter Hannah Elizabeth Gill, husband Jeremy Pinkham, grandsons Samuel Gill Pinkham and Louis Corbett Pinkham; son Benjamin Batchelet Gill and wife Natalia; son Nathan Henley Gill and wife Fernanda, granddaughter Hannah Sophia Gill Ortiz, grandson Joseph Benjamin Gill Ortiz; son Joseph Hoskins Gill; and son John Thomas Gill and granddaughter Charlotte Diane Gill Keefe.

A gathering of friends will be held in the coming weeks, and details will be shared when available.

This 150-minute session, titled “Deepening Equitable and Community-Centered Models of Assessment: Practices, Models and Networks,” featured moderated workshopping and extensive discussion related to ethical practices in the assessment of community-engaged learning programs that emphasize the evaluation of outcomes for community partners. Along with Gendle, this session was co-led by:

• Amanda Wittman, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Global and Integrative Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Sarah Stanlick, associate dean of the Global School and Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Mike Bishop, managing director of the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative