KU celebrates student success in spring semester
While the ultimate celebration of Kutztown University students’ successes took place May 13 and 14 with spring commencement ceremonies, KU’s students stood out in both their academic and extracurricular activities throughout the semester.
Chambliss Awards
KU’s most prestigious student awards, the Chambliss Student Academic Achievement Awards, were presented to six accomplished students on April 8.
Established in 2004 through a donation by former KU professor Dr. Carlson Chambliss, the awards recognize the individual achievements of a select group of graduating seniors.
This year’s recipients were Vanessa Maybruck, Allentown,
mathematics and mathematics education dual major with a minor in biochemistry, gold medal; Isaac Reiter, Fleetwood, mathematics major, gold medal; Kayla Argen, Cresco, sport management major, silver medal; Corey Potter, Reinholds, geology major, silver medal; Rylee Derr, Lititz,
majors in special education and elementary education; copper medal; Shani Trebatoski, York, art education and crafts major, copper medal.
Startup Challenge
Also in April, KU students Shantal Ewell and Kevin Smyth won the $10,000 first-place prize in the annual State System Startup Challenge, sponsored by Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. Ewell, an MBA student, and Smyth, a master’s in Student Affairs student, created a business plan for the Schedula Degree Planner, an online platform that would create a personalized degree plan for students.
Rock Ensemble
KU’s Rock Ensemble I recently received two 2022 Downbeat Student Music Awards, and a singer in the ensemble, Delacey Lora, has been named Best Singer in the Pop, Rock and Blues category.
The Downbeat Music Awards are the equivalent of a student Grammy Award and are considered the highest, most important and most competitive honors in the collegiate music field.
Softball
KU’s talented studentathletes brought home the PSAC softball championship in May. The team continued through the NCAA Division II tournament and eventually ended their historic season in Super Regionals.
The team reached the Super Regional round for the fourth time in program history and registered its seventh 40-win season.
Men’s rugby
With their win May 30 in the Collegiate Rugby Championship Men’s Premier National Cup final, KU’s team claimed the first national championship in program history.
KU has been a qualifier for the CRC sevens tournament every year since 2013 except 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. The team finally reached the top of the mountain after having been agonizingly close before as two-time national runnersup in 2014 and 2015.
Learn more about Kutztown University and all its academic and extracurricular offerings at www.kutztown.edu.