Emory & Henry University

Emory & Henry Women's Basketball team has tipped off its 2013-14 season, and the Lady Wasps are excited to get the program back to winning. The Lady Wasps were chosen to finish ninth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference by the twelve head coaches in the league. A highlight of the 2013-2014 schedule for Emory & Henry's women basketball team is their winter break tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. called the Cruzin' Classic. On this trip the team will play two games and participate in a three day team bounding cruise to the Bahamas. Those cruising with the Wasps this season include:

Emory & Henry College has announced the recipients of awards of academic excellence for the spring of 2013. Those honored include:

The following local residents were among the 141 students from Emory & Henry College who made the Spring Dean's List:

The Emory & Henry College chapter of Psi Chi inducted seven new members for the spring class of 2013. Psi Chi is a national honor society whose purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology. Inductees for the spring of 2013 include:

One of the most powerful political leaders in California urged Emory & Henry graduates Saturday to envision the world in which they would like to live and then work to create it. Toni Atkins, majority leader of the California State Assembly, reminded students of what is for them a familiar mantra as she spoke of her own dreams and the course she has established for fulfilling them. She delivered her message to 203 graduates and a large crowd of guests assembled on the south lawn of Memorial Chapel. "I made it my mantra," said Atkins, a member of the E&H Class of 1984. "Whether as a career, or a volunteer or through community organizing, I would work towards my dream of creating a world I would want to live in." A native of Roanoke, Va., Atkins' father was a coal miner and construction worker. Her mother was a factory worker and seamstress. They lived in substandard housing without running water or a bathroom. She recalls not having access to healthcare, being looked down upon in school for being poor, and coming out at an early age as a lesbian. "All these things made me dream of and envision a different world," she said. Speaking from experience, Atkins said students who graduate from Emory & Henry leave with a foundation and solid skills to help them reach their dreams. "What Emory & Henry gave to me was a deep understanding of how I could function in a world that up until then I thought wasn't about me. How I could engage and participate fully with meaning and purpose. This place helped me identify direction and purpose." Once named by the Democratic Leadership Council in California as a "rising star," Atkins is a former member of the San Diego City Council and a former interim San Diego mayor. Shortly after being elected to the California Assembly in 2010, she was named majority whip. In 2012, she was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to serve as majority leader. Much of her political reputation is built on the successful work she has done on behalf of the disadvantaged communities in San Diego. She fought for and achieved affordable housing in the cities challenging house market. She has worked successfully on behalf of veterans, the elderly and the homeless while remaining focused on fiscal responsibility. As interim mayor, she earned high praise for her management expertise, her work ethic and her ability to organize disparate factions of the community. She also earned national press attention as the first openly gay leader of a major U.S. city. Atkins urged graduates to believe all good things were possible for them and their world. "Don't think that it is impossible for you to achieve that vision -- I could never have predicted I would end up where I am today. I don't think I even knew such a path existed." Graduates from your region include:

Emory & Henry College has created a chapter of an international English honor society that builds on a tradition of excellence in education in the humanities and the liberal arts, according to the E&H professor who formed the organization. When she came to teach recently in the E&H English Department, Dr. Nicole Crockett was surprised to learn that the college did not have a chapter of the English honor society known Sigma Tau Delta. "I made it a goal to get a chapter started here as soon as possible, especially since Emory & Henry is known for its rigorous academics," said Crockett. "Adding Sigma Tau Delta to our roster of honor societies continues to build on that reputation and allows us to more formally recognize our students' excellence." Beyond offering students recognition for their academic achievements, Sigma Tau Delta students interested in literature and literary pursuits may come together and enjoy books without the pressure of papers and tests. "Now that we have officially partnered with the international organization to charter the Alpha Tau Lambda chapter here at Emory & Henry and inducted our first group of members, we hope to continually increase our membership," adds Crockett. Members of the inaugural class of the Alpha Tau Lambda chapter include the following:

Sixteen upper-level Emory & Henry College art students are exhibiting 25 works in Exchange 81, a collaborative exhibition jointly sponsored by the art departments of Hollins University, Roanoke College, and Emory & Henry College. The exhibit runs through March 8 at Liminal Alternative Art Space Gallery at Community High in downtown Roanoke. The exhibit features more than 70 works from the three liberal arts colleges. The public is invited to an opening reception, Friday, Feb. 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Brian Counihan, director of the gallery and juror for the exhibit, will present awards to the student artists at the reception. The following Emory & Henry student artists are represented by their work in the show:

Four students from Emory & Henry College will participate in The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) 14th annual statewide collegiate Wells Fargo Ethics Bowl on February 10-11, 2013, on the campus of Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va. The Emory & Henry team will compete head-to-head against other highly qualified student teams from Virginia's 15 leading independent colleges and universities, debating a variety of case studies highlighting ethical dilemmas. The Emory & Henry College student team members are:

The following local residents were among the 186 students from Emory & Henry College who made the fall Dean's List:

The faculty of Emory & Henry College established the Honors Program in 2009 to provide an enhanced academic experience for the College's best students. The program includes approximately 70 students distributed across four class years. Members of the first class are now seniors and are preparing their honors thesis or honors projects to graduate with the College's first Honors Diplomas in May 2013. Students in the program: aEUR? are from eleven states and two foreign countries aEUR? carry a cumulative GPA of 3.73 aEUR? have studied abroad in 15 different countries aEUR? have earned prestigious summer internships as well as coveted appointments to semester-study programs in the Fermi National Laboratory and at the State Supreme Court of Virginia aEUR? include institution-nominated candidates for the Rhodes Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship, the Mitchell Scholarship, and the Fulbright Student Fellows Program. Members of the Emory & Henry Honors Program include:

Established in 1991 by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, Inc., of Princeton, New Jersey, the Bonner Scholars Program is the premier scholarship program at Emory & Henry College. The Bonner Program offers 80 scholarships annually in return for eight hours of direct community service and two hours of reflection and participation in enrichment events per week. Projects from the fall semester have included the creation of a "Great Outdoors Learning Dome" in the Sugar Hollow Park in Bristol, Va. Students have served at public schools, the Boys & Girls Club, and the William King Museum in Abingdon, Va. Students have also tutored Washington County, Va. Regional Jail inmates in preparation for GED testing. Students participating in the E&H Bonners Program include:

The following local residents were among the 142 students from Emory & Henry College who made the Spring Dean's List: