97TH ANNUAL HONORS CONVOCATION MARCH 15, 2020 2:00 P.M. HILL AUDITORIUM This year marks the 97th Honors Convocation held at the University of Michigan since the first was instituted on May 13, 1924, by President Marion LeRoy Burton. On these occasions, the University publicly recognizes and commends the undergraduate students in its schools and colleges who have earned distinguished academic records or have excelled as leaders in the community. It is with great pride that the University honors those students who have most clearly and effectively demonstrated academic excellence, dynamic leadership, and inspirational volunteerism. The Honors Convocation ranks with the Commencement Exercises as among the most important ceremonies of the University year. The names of the students who are honored for outstanding achievement this year appear in this program. They include all students who have earned University Honors in both Winter 2019 and Fall 2019, plus all seniors who have earned University Honors in either Winter 2019 or Fall 2019. The William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize recipients are listed, as well – recognizing first year undergraduate students whose academic achievement during their first semester on campus place them in the upper five percent of their school or college class. James B. Angell Scholars – students who receive all “A” grades over consecutive terms – are given a special place in the program. In addition, the student speaker is recognized individually for exemplary contributions to the University community. To all honored students, and to their parents, the University extends its hearty congratulations. Susan M. Collins • Acting Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Honored Students Honored Faculty Faculty Colleagues and Friends of the University It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 97th University of Michigan Honors Convocation. On behalf of the academic leaders on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses, I thank you for joining us today. The Honors Convocation is an important university tradition that recognizes and celebrates the outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students from all three of our campuses. Today we are proud to honor students who exemplify academic excellence. We recognize their intellectual curiosity and their dedication to thinking critically about the material they study. These students have demonstrated a passion for learning — challenging themselves, and their teachers, with tough questions and innovative ideas that stretch the boundaries of knowledge and open new pathways for exploration. The University’s mission statement includes our commitment to “developing leaders who will challenge the present and enrich the future.” The students we honor today give life to that commitment through their purposeful engagement with the world. Today we also honor a group of distinguished faculty members who have joined us for this ceremony. Recently recognized by the University for their outstanding teaching and scholarship, they represent the many individuals in our community who inspire, challenge, and support our students. As we congratulate our students, we also recognize, with deep appreciation, the parents, family members, and friends who have nurtured and supported these impressive students. The University of Michigan shares the pride you feel in their accomplishments. With you, we look forward to the contributions they will make to the future. Congratulations and Welcome! ORDER OF EXERCISES “As we face a future filled with political and environmental uncertainties and increasingly complex problems for which we have no guaranteed solutions, how might we draw on our U-M education to make ethical, meaningful, purposeful decisions—both collective and individual —about how to live?” Carillon Selections Tiffany Ng University Carillonist and Assistant Professor of Music School of Music, Theatre & Dance Prelude University of Michigan Trombone Choir David Jackson Director and Professor of Music School of Music, Theatre & Dance *Processional Trumpet Voluntary Composed by Jeremiah Clarke James Kibbie University Organist and Professor of Music School of Music, Theatre & Dance *The National Anthem Fernando Grimaldo, bass-baritone 2020, Master’s of Music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance Welcome Susan M. Collins Acting Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Honors Convocation Speaker Emily P. Russell Senior, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts James B. Angell Scholar Presentation of Honors Students Susan M. Collins Chris Giordano Vice Chancellor University of Michigan-Flint Susan E. Alcock Provost University of Michigan-Dearborn Robert M. Sellers Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Presentation of Wallenberg Fellowship Susan M. Collins and Thurnau Professors 2 * Please stand Honors Convocation Speaker Timothy A. McKay Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Professor of Physics, and Astronomy Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Professor of Education School of Education Musical Selections Litany Composed by John Musto with text by Langston Hughes Jaime Sharp, mezzo soprano 2020, Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, School of Music, Theatre & Dance University Honors Nicholas Roehler, piano Specialist of Music in Collaborative Piano, School of Music, Theatre & Dance Convocation Address Mark S. Schlissel President Closing Susan M. Collins *The Alma Mater The Yellow and Blue Composed by Michael W. Balfe James Kibbie and the audience (see words on back cover and melody on page 118) *Recessional Toccata from Symphony V Composed by Charles-Marie Widor James Kibbie *Those who are able are asked to stand for portions of the program asterisked (*). At the conclusion of the program, the audience will please remain standing until the platform party has left the auditorium. We are grateful to the Provost’s Council for Student Honors for its role in planning this event. Council members include: Daniel Birchok, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, College of Arts & Sciences, UM-Flint; Brian Blume, Professor of Organizational Behavior/Human Resources and Program Director, School of Management, UM-Flint; Yi-Su Chen, Associate Professor of Management Studies, College of Business, UM-Dearborn; Scott Degregorio, Professor of English Literature, College-Wide Programs, College of Arts, Sciences and Literature, UM- Dearborn; Mika LaVaque-Manty, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Associate Professor of Political Science, Associate Professor in the Honors Program, Director Academic Program, Honors Program and Associate Professor of Philosophy, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Robert Megginson, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Professor of Mathematics, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Dana Muir, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Robert L. Dixon Collegiate Professor of Business and Professor of Business Law, Ross School of Business; Kathleen H. Sienko, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering; Megan Sweeney, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, Associate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and Associate Professor of Women’s Studies, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The Council is sponsored by Vice Provost Robert M. Sellers and coordinated by Assistant Vice Provost Mary E. Boyce. We would like to thank Stephen A. Lusmann, Associate Professor of Voice, School of Music, Theatre & Dance, for his expert assistance in choosing the student soloist for our ceremony. 3 HONORS CONVOCATION SPEAKERS Emily Russell Senior, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Emily Russell, a senior from St. Clair, Michigan, and a James B. Angell Scholar in the Honors Program, is majoring in political science and the Program in the Environment in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Emily has been actively engaged in research on international law, conflict, and peace throughout her time at Michigan. She also strives to make her research findings accessible to broader audiences through storytelling and playwriting. For her honors thesis on postcolonial security force structure and state violence, she searched The British Library archives in London in person; interviewed scholars, journalists, and militants throughout India; and worked as a research associate at the Trivedi Centre for Political Data in New Delhi. She also examined links between disarmament and human rights as an intern at the Icelandic Human Rights Centre in Reykjavik. In 2019, she received a Davis Projects for Peace Fellowship, which she used to cofound Playwriting for Peace, a summer-long creative arts workshop for secondary students in Pristina, Kosovo. Emily writes for the Michigan Journal of International Affairs and The Michigan Daily. She has authored several plays, including Beat (2020), which won a Hopwood Award. Beat will be performed this spring at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Playfest. Emily, a recipient of the prestigious Beinecke Scholarship for graduate study, plans to pursue a doctorate in political science and advance international peacebuilding through her research. Timothy A. McKay Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Professor of Physics, and Astronomy Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Professor of Education School of Education Professor McKay, a University of Michigan faculty member since 1995,