University Libraries

The University of Dayton Libraries presents annual awards for international students, teacher education majors and minors, and published student writers. Students apply in the winter term, and a committee for each award selects the winners. This year, each honor includes a $600 award. 

All are welcome to attend the University Libraries Awards and student recognition ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in the Gathering Place, Roesch Library second floor. 

Join us in congratulating these outstanding students, from left in the image: Olivia Dunning, Olajumoke Esther Agboola and Rebecca Sutton.

Olivia Dunning: DR. NICOLETTA HARY AWARD

Olivia Dunning will be a junior this fall majoring in early childhood education. After graduating, she plans to teach in an elementary school in or near Cincinnati and eventually would like to pursue a doctorate. Dunning embodies the Marianist spirit through service in the community, including meal preparation at St. Vincent de Paul, removing honeysuckle at a local park and volunteering with the Artemis Center’s Noble Circle Project. 

Vanessa Winn, a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education, wrote in her recommendation, “Olivia is not only an intelligent and capable student, but also one who seeks to apply her knowledge in meaningful ways that benefit those around her. Her presentation at the Stander Symposium as a first-year is additional evidence of her academic excellence.” Winn added, “Her dedication to uplifting her peers, serving her community and excelling in her studies makes her an outstanding candidate for the Dr. Nicoletta Hary Award.”

The award is named in memory of Nicoletta Mattioli Hary, a University of Dayton librarian for more than 50 years. The award honors a full- or part-time sophomore or junior student with a major or minor in teacher education. Award criteria include financial need, a good academic record, and personal characteristics reflecting the Marianist tradition.

Olajumoke Esther Agboola: REV. THEODORE KOEHLER, S.M., INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AWARD

Olajumoke Esther “Jummie” Agboola of Nigeria is in her penultimate semester of the MBA program. Agboola was recently nominated for an honor in Beta Gamma Sigma, an international honor society for business students in the top 20% of their classes. 

In a letter of recommendation for the Koehler Award, Lisa Shockley, a lecturer in the School of Business Administration, stated, “Jummie thinks broadly and as a leader. Her grasp of the tools and how to use them to evaluate the strategic environment and how to lead a company through change and successful growth reflected the abilities of someone with many more years of experience. Jummie impressed me with a level of insight, commitment and thought which I would normally expect to see only in developing executives.”

Agboola exemplifies the Marainist spirit through contributing to communities in need and working for the benefit of her fellow students: She has served as an ambassador for Graduate Academic Affairs; the chapter secretary for the National Management Association; a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity; and a member of the University of Dayton Assessment Committee.

The Rev. Theodore Koehler, S.M., International Student Award was established by University Libraries Professor Emerita Susan L. Tsui with the honorarium from her 1995 Lackner Award. Award criteria include financial need, a good academic record and personal characteristics that reflect the Marianist tradition.

Rebecca Sutton: BROTHER FRANK RUHLMAN, S.M., AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR LITERARY ACHIEVEMENT

Rebecca Sutton is a senior from Milford, New Jersey, majoring in psychology with minors in music and English. In addition to being in the Honors Program, she is the vice president of ritual and former president of the international music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota. She also plays trumpet for the Pride of Dayton Marching Band, participates on UD’s club gymnastics team and dances with the student organization Life Itself Dance. This month, she presented a psychological research project at the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference in Chicago, and she plans to continue her education and research in graduate school this fall.

Sutton has been a student journalist for the University of Dayton Magazine since the spring semester of her first year. Among many examples of her published work are skillfully written profiles of students and alumni, including "Why We Soar: A Return Home," highlighting the work of Kyla Seaberry Gordon '07, co-chair of the Black Alumni Weekend Committee, and "Teaching Music for All," covering Joseph Barnett, a senior music education major and intern for UD’s New Horizons Music Program for senior adults. In both, Sutton highlights her subjects' passions by weaving her interviews into engaging narratives. 

The Brother Frank Ruhlman, S.M., Award of Excellence for Literary Achievement was established in 1975 by the family of Joseph Poelking Sr. to memorialize Ruhlman, the former director of the Libraries (1936-54), who served UD for over 50 years. The award honors a UD undergraduate who demonstrates excellence in writing that has been published in University publications (electronic or print) within the previous 12 months. 

Congratulations

The awards committees and the faculty and staff in the University Libraries congratulate the honorees and thank all the applicants for their submissions.