President's Newsletter
May 2024
Dear Juniata Community,
Juniata College’s 146th Commencement marked a special moment for our graduating students as they celebrated with a crowd of more than 500 family, friends, trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff. It was my honor to confer their degrees and welcome 334 graduates, including 37 students receiving their master's degrees, as proud alumni. As you will see in the photos below, the day was imbued with pride, both in the accomplishments that led to the moment and in the potential for the future.
Now is a moment to pause and reflect on the 2023-2024 academic year, and to share the outstanding achievements of our faculty and students.
At our Spring Convocation, four faculty members were honored with distinguished teaching and service awards. Alison Fletcher was named the 57th recipient of the Beachley Award for Distinguished Teaching, Matt Beaky was honored with the 35th annual Beachley Award for Distinguished Academic Service, Katie Hildebrand ’01 received the 29th Henry ’57 and Joan Gibbel Award for Distinguished Teaching (for faculty members with fewer than six years of service), and Jared LaGroue was awarded the third annual Eagle Advising Award, which is awarded to a faculty or staff member who has served as an adviser for at least three years.
Juniata's women's lacrosse team ended their season with the first championship in the program's history, winning the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship. Our women's softball and men's tennis teams also qualified for post-season play, competing in the Landmark Conference playoffs.
We are also heading into the end of our giving year, May 31. If you haven’t made your gift to Juniata this year, we encourage you to do so (and ask you to share a reminder with your classmates and fellow alumni). These gifts make a world of difference in the lives of our students!
Please join us in the celebration of another successful academic year and in congratulating the members of the Class of 2024!
Celebrating Student Achievements
St. Andrews Society Scholarship
Brooks Richardson '26 has been awarded a scholarship from the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia. The award will enable him to attend the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland, for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Newman Civic Fellow
Natalie Conterras '25, pictured with her daughter, has been named to the 2024-2025 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows through Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education.
Fulbright English Teaching Award
Moshe Gasson '24 has received a Fulbright English Teaching Award to Luxembourg. Gasson previously taught English through his work as a tutor at Juniata’s Center for International Education and studied abroad in France.
Hiroshima and Peace Summer Program
Three first-year students, Ashley Meza, Jack Polglaze, and Sage Winters, along with faculty and staff from The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College, will attend Hiroshima and Peace, an intensive summer program hosted by Hiroshima City University in Japan. This will be the first cohort of Juniata students to attend the two-week program, from July 29 through August 12. The event marks the 79th anniversary of the detonation of an atomic bomb by the United States over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Juniata College Softball Team Commencement Celebration
Acting President and Provost Lauren Bowen and Acting Provost Dom Peruso conferred degrees upon the senior members of the Juniata College softball team as they gathered with teammates, family, and friends to celebrate their graduation ahead of the college’s ceremony. The team’s Landmark Conference Tournament playoff game was the same day as Juniata commencement. The tournament run ended prematurely, but the team had one of its strongest years with the most conference wins in a single season.
Spring Awards Convocation 2024
Acting President and Provost Lauren Bowen recognized students and faculty for excellence at the annual Spring Convocation ceremony held on May 1, in Rosenberger Auditorium. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Brad Andrew, professor of economics and the recipient of the 2023 Beachley Award for Distinguished Teaching. This celebration honors students with awards and scholarships, many of which are provided through endowments, and recognizes campus honorary societies and the recipients of fellowships. Awards for outstanding faculty are also presented each year at Spring Convocation.
A Month of Celebrations
Through our May Day Awards, the Alfies, Lavender Graduation, EDI Legacies Graduation, and Senior Send Off, the campus came together again and again to celebrate our students and honor their contributions to Juniata!
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