Lycoming College awards Chieftain, departmental recognition at Honors Convocation

Lycoming College awarded graduating senior Francine Bacon the College’s top honor of Chieftain during the annual Honors Convocation ceremony on Sunday, April 13, to an audience of students and their families, as well as faculty and staff. Bacon was recognized for her leadership and for dedication to academic excellence, community service, and cocurricular activities.

First presented in 1952, the Chieftain Award is the highest honor given to a graduating senior who has contributed the most to Lycoming College through support of school activities, has exhibited utmost dedication and outstanding leadership qualities, has evidenced good moral character, and whose academic rank is above the median of the preceding senior class.

Bacon, a criminal justice major from Burlington, N.J., with minors in psychology and sociology, has embraced the field of criminal justice and epitomizes Lycoming’s dedication to enhanced academic experiences. She was accepted into and attended the prestigious National Education for Women’s Leadership institute, completed a prominent internship with the Philadelphia Justice Project for Women and Girls, and worked as a research assistant on-campus for a criminal justice reentry study.

Bacon was initially recruited to play basketball at Lycoming and was a member of the women’s team for two years, as well as a member of Fellowship for Christian Athletes, a student life manager, a student senator, and a class of 2025 treasurer. Bacon was a member of the Black Student Union all four of her years on campus and served as both vice president and the head of the Black History Month Committee her senior year. She also tutored for Introductory Sociology, Human Services, and Sociology of Race and Ethnicity.

Bacon made Dean’s List, and was a Trustee’s Scholarship recipient, as well as a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta and the Alpha Phi Sigma honor societies. She regularly volunteered with the Community Alliance for Progressive Action (CAPPA), and participated in Service Saturday at Rider Park, and the annual Spring Clean Up. Her paid community service involved working as a Student Life Manager and as a campus tutor.

Her service learning experiences included a criminal justice practicum at the Lycoming County Public Defender’s Office; an Internship with the Philadelphia Justice Project for Women & Girls; the food accessibility survey as part of a human services course; a survey to detect and reporting child abuse for a criminal justice research methods course; and a research experience for the Pennsylvania Reentry Council with Kerry Richmond, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice and criminology.

“While her experiences are impressive, Francine also stands out in the classroom. She is engaged, thoughtful, motivated, and cares deeply about social issues,” said Richmond.

Lycoming extends its congratulations to Bacon and to all of the Chieftain nominees, including Aiden Brown ’25, music and creative writing double major from Prince Frederick, Md.; and Benjamin Fry ’25, biology: ecology major with minors in both chemistry and environmental science from Forksville, Pa.

During the ceremony, Lycoming College also recognized a number of remarkable students who attained high levels of academic achievement and scholarship during the 2024-2025 academic year. Those recognized include:

Accounting

• Durant L. Furey III Award – Joseph Lorson ’25
• The Charles J. Kocian Award – Sadiyyah Crawford ’25
• Wehr Financial Accounting Prize – Joseph Lorson ’25
• Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP Prize for Tax Accounting – Logan Rakestraw ’25
• The Professor Logan A. Richmond Accounting Prize – Owen Magee ’26

Anthropology/Sociology

• Durkeim Prize in Sociology – Camryn Quelet ’25
• Durkheim Prize in Anthropology – Dillon Hutchinson-Thomas ’25, Riley Lewis ’25

Archaeology

• Faculty Prize for Excellence in Archaeology – Amelia Thompson ’25, Cole Clark ’25

Art

• Alfred Kohler Studio Artist Award – Julia Martin ’25
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Photography – Iscah Rintelman ’25
• Roger D. Shipley Award – Alteriek Clark ’25
• Faculty Award for Achievement in Fine Art – Nidhi Sobrun ’25
• Digital Art Award – Sora Ikeda ’25

Astronomy/Physics

• Fundamentals of Physics Award – Akash Tejveer Dwarka ’28, Sarah Bach ’28, Regan Jury ’27
• Principles of Astronomy Award – Sarah Bach ‘28
• E.D. Award for Department Service – Alison Koval ’25
• Фυσίκα Award in Astronomy/Physics – Justin Strube ’25, Alison Koval ’25

Biology

• Biology Department Academic Excellence Award – Sarah Lanphear ’25
• Biology Service Award – Benjamin Fry ’25, Jacob Fellinger ’25
• Williamsport Rotary Club Endowed Prize – Jacqueline Snyder ’25
• Freshman Biology Award – Elizabeth Zellers ’28, Tuesday Ungard ’28

Business Administration

• The Financial Management Award – Matthew Baldridge ’25, Michael Lavinio ’25
• The General Management Award – Taylor Chrisenberry ’25
• The John G. Hollenback Award – Kennedy Marsh ’25
• The Marketing Management Award – Eleanor Norton ’25, Marabeth Boardman ’25
• The Charles J. Kocian Award – Kennedy Marsh ’25

Chemistry & Biochemistry

• American Chemical Society Outstanding Chemistry Major Award – Juan Martinez ’25
• The A.I.C. Student Honor Award – Ashley Yoh ’25
• Trask Chemistry Prize – Marshall Stoner ’25
• Byron C. Brunstetter Science Award – James Johnson ’25

Corporate Communication

• The Department Award in Media Literacy – Ryan Farrell ’25

Criminal Justice/Criminology

• Criminal Justice Society Prize – Francine Bacon ’25, Dioselyn Banos ’25
• Hoover Memorial Prize – Harmonie King ’25, Alexandra Jones ’25

Economics

• The 2025 Economics Excellence Award – Preyashi Wozageer ’27
• The 2025 Robert W. Rabold Economics Excellence Award – Sheadon Ludwig ’26
• The 2025 Roger W. Opdahl Economics Excellence Award – Logan Rakestraw ’25
• The Charles J. Kocian Award – Miya Knippenberg ’26
• The John A. Streeter Memorial Award in Economics – Harsh Fokeer ’26

Education

• Leadership Award in Education – Anna McKeta ’25

English

• Dan Gustafson Award – Sarah Lanphear ’25
• The Metzler Prize – Avery Rosan ’27
• The Phoebe R. Lyon Prize – Ella Rossman ’25
• The President's Prize in Poetry – Aiden Brown ’25
• The G.W. Hawkes Prize in Prose – Caylin Dimisa ’25

Film and Video Arts

• Faculty Excellence Award – Julia Albert ’25
• Film and Video Arts Award – Anna Kauffman ’27

Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies

• Holly Elizabeth Hurlbert ’97 Endowed Fund in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Prize – Haley Schafer ’25

History

• Richard L. Mix '51 and Miriam S. Mix Research and Writing Prize in History – Areesha Mian ’25
• Robert Ewing Senior Prize in History – Mackenzie Holmes ’25, Michael Hummel ’25
• Larson Morris Piper History Fellowship – Amanda Charowsky ’27, Andrew Hines ’26, Emma Mitcheltree ’27

Humanities Research Center

• The Meghan C. Andrews Award – Emma Mitcheltree ’27

Mathematical Sciences

• The Benjamin C. Conner Prize in Mathematics – Hannah Saar ’25
• The Charles J. Kocian Award – Hannah Saar ’25, Oreoluwa Aiyegbusi ’25
• The Elisha Benson Kline Prize – Ashley Yoh ’25

Modern Language Studies

• Phil G. Gillette Prize in Modern Foreign Languages (French) – Soumayyah Gaujee ’26
• Phil G. Gillette Prize in Modern Foreign Languages (German) – Chloe Shendge ’26
• Phil G. Gillette Prize in Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish) – Kaitlynn Mangrum ’25
• The Emilia Pardo Bazán Prize in Critical Writing – Amelia Thompson ’25
• Paul A. MacKenzie Discovery Prize – Evelyn Stong ’26

Music

• Dr. Will George Butler Band Award – Ava Williamson ’26
• Michelle Bohlin Award in Theater & Music – Adin Hinojosa ’25
• The William T. and Ruth S. Askey Music Prize – Aiden Brown ’25
• The Williamsport Civic Chorus Award – Anna Glantz ’26

Philosophy

• Arthur Faus Memorial Prize – Michael Lavinio ’25

Political Science

• The C. Daniel Little '53 and Jeanne Louise Little '82 Award in American Politics – Gabrielle Abriatis ’25
• Richard L. Mix '51 and Miriam S. Mix Prize in Political Science – Joseph Dotolo ’26
• The Charles J. Kocian Award – Rei Saar ’25

Psychology

• Milton Skeath Award in Psychology – Harmonie King ’25, Cole Sharpnack ’26
• Psi Chi Service Award – Elizabeth Brumbaugh ’25, Nidhi Sobrun ’25

Religion

• Faculty Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Religion – Cole Clark ’25
• Eduardo Guerra Prize in Biblical Languages – Madison Merkle ’28

Theatre

• Overall Excellence in Theatre Award – Shantel Hill ’25
• Theatre Performance/Directing Award – Rachel Wright-Miggett ’25
• Theatre Design/Technical/Management Award – Alexandra Marusko ’25, Alijah Hunter ’25