One of the hardest parts of my job as president each year occurs right now. No, it’s not finalizing the budget or making final admissions decisions on next year’s freshman class. It’s not even getting ready for the commencement ceremony at the conclusion of this academic year! (And by the way, we will have a record 320 students processing – thank the Lord we are planning to have the ceremony outdoors this year because last year we had 249 students process and the Carey Center was bursting at the seams!)

The toughest chore on my plate is much more personal and profound: I have to narrow the group of nominees to five finalists, and then select the winner of the President’s Award for the Class of 2009’s most outstanding student.

The President’s Award goes to the student with the most distinguished record of academic accomplishment, leadership, and community service, and who also models our College’s Catholic, Benedictine ideals and mission. We had 22 students nominated. Some were nominated by fellow students and others by faculty or College staff. Some received multiple nominations. One nomination was several pages long and another consisted of six sentences. What made the task before me particularly difficult was the fact that I knew nearly every one of the nominees and didn’t want to exclude any of them. Each student nominated had impressive credentials and no doubt will leave Saint Vincent ready to make a living for themselves and a difference in the world.

Here are the five finalists (and keep in mind, each has a GPA above 3.7) and a few highlights about what made each a finalist:

John Bozek: John is a pre-med major and already has been accepted into medical school. He was co-captain of the men’s cross country team and is currently training to run in the Pittsburgh marathon. He is also a Student Government Association Senator and a member of a couple of clubs. Spring break for him has meant going to Brazil or working with Habitat for Humanity. He has an excellent sense of humor.

Sherrie Dunlap: Sherrie was the 2007 Pennsylvania College Communicator of the Year. A Communications major, she’s editor of our Review and her service project involvement is extensive, including her regular participation in Campus Ministry’s outreach to the homeless of Pittsburgh, as well as stints ranging from working in a soup kitchen in Philadelphia to touching the lives of the poor in Brazil. Perhaps you’ve seen her in one of the musicals our undergraduates perform – my kids love Sherrie and before South Pacific my daughter Marie brought Sherrie a rose. Sherrie has received roses before – she was 2008 Homecoming Queen! She is among the most popular and likeable students on campus.

Mallory Freeberg: Mallory is a pioneer in our new Bioinformatics program and will be the first to graduate (with highest honors) in this major. She interned at Johns Hopkins and likely will be heading to the University of Michigan’s Bioinformatics Ph.D. Program. She has tutored colleagues, is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and has participated in a number of community service projects on and off campus (you might have seen her photo in the local newspaper recently when she volunteered at Sports Friendship Day – for years she has been involved through Best Buddies in developing relationship with individuals with developmental disabilities).

Tara Karns: I have many memories of Tara and her compassionate love for the poor of Calcutta. Tara went on the first trip there and touched many lives and she herself was so touched that upon her return she entered the RCIA program here and entered the Catholic Church the following Easter. She, too, went to Brazil, and previously spent a summer as a camp counselor for adolescents with Down’s syndrome. She was a member of the inaugural class of the Psychology Scholars Program and she received the Psi Chi Regional Research Award for her research work at a national conference. She is president of our College’s Psi Chi chapter, and also was co-captain of the women’s cross country team. Tara has been accepted in the doctoral program in developmental psychology at Bowling Green State University with a full scholarship.

Lauren Ziegenfus: This humble young woman is often the last to know the great impact she has had on others through her trips to South Africa, Brazil (three times, no less), and soon, to Calcutta, as well as Green Meadows here on campus (where she helped found the “Holy Stitchers,” a group that knots shawls, Afghans and booties for the elderly there). Like John, she is pre-med Biology major and will be attending medical school after she graduates. Like Tara, she was co-captain of the women’s cross country team and a member all four years, and also is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta. Lauren has a ready smile and an inquisitive mind and most of all, a heart to serve others, particularly the poor.

After reading these brief bios, you can see why I consider the challenge of choosing only one of these fine candidates as the winner to be among the most difficult I face.

The winner will be announced in the Basilica at the Honors Convocation on April 22^nd.

Regardless of who wins, I am sure each will change the world wherever they go. Today is the anniversary of the day that His Holiness John Paul II went home to God. He left a tremendous legacy to the Church and the world and continues to inspire heroic acts of faith, hope and love. He loved his time as a university student and professor and he had a great affection for the youth.

I think the five finalists for this year’s President’s Award would make John Paul II very happy. While he wrote of Catholic universities in Ex Corde Ecclesiae the following words, these words communicate my feelings about our finalists – and all of our graduates:

“They are for me a lively and promising sign of the fecundity of the Christian mind in the heart of every culture. They give me a well-founded hope for a new flowering of Christian culture in the rich and varied context of our changing times, which certainly face serious challenges but which also bear so much promise under the action of the Spirit of truth and of love.”

Congratulations to this year’s finalists and I look forward to honoring them in three weeks!