The 2024-25 Schmidt Prize for Excellence in Student-Faculty Service recipient is Dr. Kurt DeGoede, Professor of Engineering. The award is presented to an Elizabethtown College faculty member to celebrate the development of meaningful and purposeful student experiences through service that creates pathways and preparation for the real world.
DeGoede will be recognized before the Ranck Lecture at the 2025 Etown’s Scholarship and Creative Arts Day (SCAD) on Tuesday, April 22 at 8:30 a.m. in Gibble Auditorium.
“I deeply appreciate this recognition and thank Dr. Schmidt, the donors, and everyone who nominated me for this award,” DeGoede said. “Since 2010, I’ve led student trips to The Gambia and built relationships that have profoundly shaped my life. I’ve felt especially fortunate to watch our students embrace those experiences and carry them forward in powerful ways. Among the many impactful efforts across our campus community in service and experiential learning, I’m proud to play a small role in living out our College’s Educate for Service motto.”
Congratulatory Statement from the 2024-25 Schmidt Prize Selection Committee:
The selection committee commended DeGoede for embodying the College’s Educate for Service motto by developing student-faculty experiences that create pathways and preparation for successful careers. His dedication to service, particularly through his impactful work in The Gambia, has not only fostered deep global connections but also provided students with transformative learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom, equipping them with cultural understanding, professional skills, and a commitment to meaningful engagement.
About the Schmidt Prize:
The Schmidt Prize for Excellence in Student-Faculty Service is an annual award made possible through the generosity of alumna Dr. Mary E. Schmidt ’79 and will celebrate a faculty member creating meaningful and purposeful student experiences through service (i.e. community-based learning, research-intensive courses, field/internship oversight, etc.) that create pathways and preparation for the real world.