Georgetown College Celebrates Opening Convocation
Submitted on August 20, 2020
Georgetown College celebrated Opening Convocation on the evening of Tuesday, August 19. The ceremony, the first formal ceremony of the academic year, also recognizes various student, faculty, and staff achievements.
First, Dean of Students, Dr. Curtis Sandberg, introduced SGA President, Zach Dampier to the student body. Speaking to his fellow students, Dampier urged students to adapt, to find new ways of doing things, and to thrive in what will certainly be a unique semester. Afterwards, he introduced this year’s new SGA Executive Council.
The John Walker Manning Distinguished Mentor and Teacher Award, which recognizes faculty who have shown a commitment to Georgetown College and to mentoring students through their academic coursework and their college career, as well as going above and beyond to better the Georgetown College community, was awarded to Dr. Laura Hunt, Professor of Spanish.
Speaking on the announcement of the award, Dr. Rosemary Allen said, “It’s not just an intellectual journey with her—her heart for cultural understanding can be seen in the service learning projects she leads in our own community. Her students’ love for her is in return for the love she shows for them—love that inspired her drive for hours this past spring in the middle of a pandemic to leave a cake on the front porch of every Spanish major within a 2-hour radius in preparation for a graduation party together via Zoom.
“That sort of joy in doing for others is evident in everything she does, from teaching fellow faculty how to manage online courses to showing her students how much fun it is to learn a language, to being a ringleader of the Faculty Fan Club, to having endless patience and compassion for every student and every colleague she encounters.”
A grand occasion, Opening Convocation also featured a ceremony installing President Jones as the 25th president of Georgetown College. Mr. Dave Adkisson, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Mr. Robert Mills, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees, presented President Jones with the chain of office, with President Jones now marked with the 25th chain as Georgetown’s 25th president.
In his Convocation Address, President Jones paraphrased the U2 song, “13,” asking those in attendance and watching from home, “Are you tough enough to be good?” Speaking to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college, he encouraged small acts of kindness, reminding everyone of the impact those small acts have in the world.
After his address, a special moment in the ceremony occurred when Director of Development/Major Gifts Officer, Hanna Kroskie, presented a special gift to President Jones on behalf of faculty and staff of the college. In recognition of his tireless work to guide the college through this unprecedented time, to offer transparency to faculty and staff, and to relieve anxiety and continue to make GC a joyful place to serve, a special podium was presented to him.
The podium, designed and made by Professor of Art, Daniel Graham, represents all that makes Georgetown College unique and will be a feature at events on campus in the years to come. A visibly moved President Jones thanked all for this special recognition before closing Opening Convocation.
A replay of the ceremony can be found below.
