Hiram College

Hiram does it again! For the third year in a row, Hiram College's integrative exercise science students have won the Midwest American College of Sports Medicine (MWACSM) Quiz Bowl competition. Hiram is the first school to ever accomplish this at the Midwest regional level of the competition. Once again, Hiram College will move on to the next round of competition at the National American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in May.

Since all Field Station summer student workers are required to do a research project, the Animal Care & Husbandry department produces a plethora of interesting research posters that are presented at both the College's Celebration of Experiential Learning in September and the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association Conference in November. One research project that spanned departments and will continue to be an on-going project at the Field Station is the Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) research led by senior, Claire Partin.

Lorna Metzger '25, a creative writing major, has always been passionate about getting involved in her community and connecting with other Hiram College students. One of the many reasons Metzger chose to attend Hiram back in 2021 was for study abroad opportunities that would be offered to her during Hiram's unique 3-week term. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself to travel to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Metzger knew she had to go. This started her search for study abroad scholarships and grants. Metzger made it a goal to find outside scholarships for study abroad to front the cost of her academic trip. In her application process, Metzger and Matthew Notarian, Ph.D., assistant professor of classics and director of study abroad, decided on applying for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Hands-on experiences are at the helm of a Hiram College education. This can come in many forms, one of them being students conducting and research projects and then being tasked with presenting their work. In early November, animal-care and husbandry student-workers from the James H. Barrow Biological Field Station joined Hiram's Curator of Animal Programs, Rebecca Moore, at the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitation Association's conference in Columbus, Ohio.

The Garfield Center for Public Leadership prepares students to assume the responsibilities of public leadership by developing expertise in matters of public policy, foreign and domestic, grounded in Hiram's traditional liberal arts education. The 2024 scholars will participate in crisis simulations, seminars, and international travel all while studying timely topics in politics and international affairs.

Hiram is one of a select number of colleges and universities to participate in the prestigious Choose Ohio First Scholarship program. Sponsored by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the program's goal is to increase the number of Ohio students pursuing majors and careers in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). Students accepted and enrolled into Choose Ohio First at Hiram receive benefits such as being entered into a STEM-centered community of fellow scholars, professional development opportunities, scholarship and research engagement, and scholarships for attendance.

Hiram College celebrated its 174th Commencement on Saturday, May 11, 2024. The ceremony welcomed a new class of Hiram alumni as friends, family, and loved ones gathered to celebrate their accomplishments. Commencement exercises included a student welcome from graduating senior Mackenzie Flaherty '24, a political science major with minors in crime, law, and justice and sociology, and president of Student Senate.

As Hiram College's earliest and most festive tradition, Sugar Day continues to demonstrate scholarship, showcasing students' work, research, presentations, and academia. On April 4, 2024, the College celebrated another eventful Sugar Day, welcoming over 150 student presenters representing campus, with 17 events including musical and theatre performances, oral presentations, poster sessions, and a conference social. Sugar Day is organized by the Office of Scholarly Endeavors, a primary supporter and celebrator of student research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across the College's many disciples and majors. The Office houses multiple, non-departmental, specific initiatives and programs that feature significant student research components or emphasis. It also aims to help faculty and staff integrate student research into their own on-going scholarship.

Hiram College is pleased to announce the Spring 2024 Dean's List. Hiram College names students to the Spring 2024 Dean's List for their academic achievements. Dean's List recognition is awarded to students who, during each semester, complete 12 or more hours of graded coursework at Hiram College with a semester grade point average of 3.6.

The start of the spring semester also brought an onslaught of conferences and presentations for many students and faculty across campus. Hiram's emphasis on small class sizes and one-on-one connections with professors means students have more chances to be mentored in their research, often leading them to more public opportunities to flex their presentation and public speaking skills. One professor who places a large emphasis on student's abilities to present their research is Steven Romberger, Ph.D., director, Office of Scholarly Endeavors, associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry coordinator. Dr. Romberger spent several weeks of the past spring semester traveling across Ohio with students Meaghan Stafford '24 and Tayleigh Price '24 to present research and represent Hiram College at several conferences.

During Hiram's term break, four students and Laci Fiala, Ph.D., director of Hiram Eclectic Scholars Honors Program traveled to Purdue University Northwest in Hammond to attend and present at the Mid-East Honors Association Annual Conference. Over 140 students, faculty, and staff from honors programs across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio gathered to celebrate the culture and benefits of honors. The Mid-East Honors Association is a regional organization affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council, both of which Hiram holds membership in.

Annually, the Office of Campus Involvement (OCI) hosts the Student Life & Leadership Awards where clubs and organizations are recognized in various categories, including campus programming, student organization, and campus leadership.

Hiram College's School of Health, Education, Sustainability, and Society hosted its first annual Award Ceremony to recognize outstanding students across the School for their achievements this academic year. The ceremony was opened by guest speaker, Pierra Heard '18, assistant director of enrollment management and strategic initiatives at Case Western Reserve University. Department awards were given in biomedical humanities, sociology, integrative exercise science, criminal justice, and education. The Harry L. Haskins '51 Endowed Scholarship was awarded to two education students. Finally, the psychology department inducted the 2024 class of Psi Chi scholars during the event.

Two Hiram College students were inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa (OK) for spring 2024, the premiere Greek-letter leadership honorary that recognizes the achievements of college students in at least one of these five areas: Scholarship Athletics Community Service/Student Activities Journalism/Student Media Creative/Performing Arts

The Burton D. Morgan Center for Integrated Entrepreneurship at Hiram College annually hosts a series of idea competitions that give students the opportunity to pitch their best ideas. Each fall, the College hosts ideablitz!, an idea generation and development event in which contestants develop an enterprise idea through the creation of a written concept statement. During the spring semester, students examine the feasibility of their concept through the ideabuild! competition.

This year's annual Outstanding Student Employee is Sadie Qualls! Our runner ups are Makayla Thomas and Rafael Rodriguez! Each year, Hiram College observes National Student Employment Week by recognizing our student employees and the invaluable work they perform. It's more important now than ever to appreciate each other and show thanks for jobs well done.

Hiram College graduating seniors in biology were recently inducted into the James Jesse Turner Society. The J.J. Turner Society is named in honor of James Jesse Turner, professor of Biology, 1904-1950, who was a thorough biologist and a versatile teacher. Professor Turner helped establish the national reputation of Hiram College for excellence in the sciences.

The Hiram College Student Body recently elected their 2024-2025 academic year student representatives to serve as President and Vice President of Administration for the Hiram Student Senate. The Hiram College Student Senate is recognized by Hiram College students as the official body for protecting student rights and interests; facilitating student participation in College policy-making; increasing the quality of students' educational and academic experience; upholding the core values of the College in all areas of student life; facilitating communication between students and faculty, staff, and bureaucratic organizations; recognizing and funding student organizations; acting as the active link between the concerns of the Student Body and the administration; representing the student body in College Council meetings and all official college business; and striving to improve the welfare of all students.

The 2024 Annual Juried Student Art Show recently debuted in the Hiram College Gelbke Art Gallery featuring the work of students from diverse art disciplines, including painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, and video. In judging, the juror looked for work that demonstrated a personal expression or vision, technical skill, and an ability to create a cohesive composition. Winners were selected and announced during a recent awards ceremony in the gallery.

On Friday, March 8, Logan Griffin, animal care student worker and salamander researcher at the James H. Barrow Biological Field Station, presented his research on unisexual salamanders, also known as unisexual Ambystoma at the 3-day Vernal Poolooza professional conference in Hocking Hills. Logan was the youngest presenter at this conference, and he was asked to present his research due to the unique nature of it since not a lot of research has been done on these unique specie

Hiram College is excited to announce the accepted students for our fall class of 2024. Throughout their academic journey, students will explore their potential and learn to become their best selves at Hiram. The incoming class will feature students from across the United States and internationally, many though from where Hiram College has successfully drawn in the past, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and California. Learn more about Hiram College's undergraduate programs at https://www.hiram.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/.

The Ohio Student Government Summit was held March 2 and 3 at the University of Akron. The summit aims to bring student governments together from across the state of Ohio. This year's theme was "from blueprints to brilliance," and focused on building connections in your community and building a foundation to ensure the future success of your student government. This year, Hiram's Student Senate was awarded the 2024 Student Government of the Year award. This award is "celebrating a student government that has embodied the pillars of the OSGS 2024 theme and worked to bring about the ideas of building bridges, building foundations, and building beyond within their student government and their campus community."

At the annual Northeast Ohio Housing Officers (NEOHO) Mike Corr RA Conference held on January 27th, 2024 at the University of Mount Union, Hiram College Resident Assistants were awarded the RA Program of the Year Award for their work organizing and hosting the annual Sex Carnival hosted in Booth-Centennial. The Sex Carnival faced off against programs and events hosted by colleges and universities across northeast Ohio. The Hiram College Resident Assistants also took home the Donald Kamalsky Spirit Award. This award is presented at each conference to the residence life staff with highest level of conference involvement, including case-study participants, presenters, philanthropy, and enthusiasm.

The Hiram College Nursing Department recently hosted its annual Nursing Uniform Convocation for sophomore students. This convocation recognizes the dedication to the field of nursing that is held by sophomore students before starting their clinical rotations.

During the 2023 Scarborough School of Business and Communication Celebration and Awards Ceremony, eleven accounting students received awards based on their academic merit and scholarship. Awards included Outstanding Financial Accounting Student, Departmental Honors, Outstanding Online or Partnership Accounting Student, and more.

Two Hiram College students, Rebecca Cotterman and Amanda Murphey, were recently selected to participate in the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association Honors Wind Ensemble. The Honors Festival Weekend, hosted by the University of Findlay, took place January 20-21 and brought together students and faculty from 19 private colleges and universities across the state of Ohio.

Hiram College is pleased to announce the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. Dean's List recognition is awarded each semester to students who, during the semester, complete 12 or more hours of graded coursework at Hiram College with a semester grade point average of 3.6

Hiram College has recently announced the 2023 winners of the annual Lindsay-Crane Creative Nonfiction Contest judged by Raechel Anne Jolie. Contest submissions must fall within the guidelines for the genre developed by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs for creative nonfiction: "Factual and literary writing that has the narrative, dramatic, meditative, and lyrical elements of novels, plays, poetry, and memoirs." The contest was open to all currently enrolled Hiram College undergraduate students.

Hiram College's Zeta Lambda chapter of the National Communication Honor Society's Lambda Pi Eta organization recently inducted two new member in fall 2023. To become a member of the organization, students must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in 60 semester hours, a 3.25 GPA in 12 semester hours of communication courses and be in the top 35% of their graduating class.

Three Hiram College students recently received scholarships to attend the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio based on their merit and dedication to the field of animal care.