Elizabethtown College officially began the 2024-25 academic year at the annual Convocation ceremony on Friday, Aug. 23 in the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being.

This year’s ceremony combined elements of the traditional Convocation and Induction ceremonies into one event to welcome the newest class of Blue Jays during New Student Check-In Day. The event also featured a recognition of newly tenured and promoted faculty and served as a kickoff to the the College’s 125th anniversary year. 

View photos from the ceremony.

During the event, members of the College’s leadership, including President Betty Rider, addressed the incoming students and their families, faculty, and staff. President Rider offered advice to the newest class of Blue Jays – one of the largest-ever groups of incoming students at the College.

“I encourage each of you to get involved in something new, whether it is a club or organization, a course you have not previously considered, or an internship you may not feel qualified for,” Elizabethtown College President Betty Rider said during her Convocation Address on Friday. “These experiences may just help you find out who you really are meant to grow into!”

Etown’s academically accomplished incoming class totaling 549 first-year and new transfer students was celebrated and recognized as a group. Highlights of the class include:

– An average first-year student GPA of 3.73 

– A total of 102 domestic students of color and international students

– Students hailing from 15 U.S. states and 11 foreign countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Netherlands, and Zimbabwe

– 136 students accepted into the Honors Program at Elizabethtown College

–  Seven incoming Stamps Scholars (The Stamps Scholarship program recognizes and rewards exceptional students who exemplify leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service, overcoming obstacles, and innovation)

View the full Fall 2024 Incoming Class Profile

Also recognized at Convocation were newly tenured and promoted faculty effective in the 2024-25 academic year, as well as winners of the Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence, the Polanowski Prize for Excellence in Faculty-Student Advising and Mentorship, and the Ranck Prize for Research Excellence.

Newly Tenured and Promoted Faculty

  • Najiba Benabess, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Economics 
  • David R. Bowne, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Biology 
  • Terri R. Dennehy, D.Ed., OTR/L Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy 
  • Tara Lynn Moore, Ph.D. Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor of English 
  • Elizabeth A. Newell, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Biological Anthropology 
  • Brenda L. Read-Daily, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Engineering 
  • Petru Sandu, Ph.D. Promoted to Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management
  • Lauren E. Toote, Ph.D. Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry

Faculty Prize Winners

2023-2024 Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence Recipient

Elizabeth D. Dalton, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology 

2023-2024 Polanowski Prize for Excellence in Faculty-Student Advising and Mentorship Recipient 

Debra L. Wohl, Ph.D. Professor of Biology 

2023-2024 Ranck Prize for Research Excellence Recipient 

Michael D. Silberstein, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy