Lori Holleran Steiker, Ph.D., distinguished teaching associate professor in the School of Social Work, will be the keynote speaker on April 12 during the 66th annual Honors Day program at The University of Texas at Austin.
The event, which will begin at 2 p.m. in the Frank Erwin Center, celebrates the high academic accomplishments of 4,113 students from the university. The university’s Tower will be lit orange on April 12 in recognition of the students being honored.
Remarks on behalf of the students will be made during the event by Ashvin Bashyam, a senior in the Cockrell School of Engineering, who was recently named a 2014-15 Hertz Foundation Fellow.
Introduced in 1948, Honors Day is the occasion when students who have achieved academic excellence are honored by administrative officials, academic deans and members of the faculty. It serves as an important prelude to Commencement.
The 2014 honoree listing includes twenty-seven College Scholars and five Distinguished College Scholars from the School of Social Work. To be recognized as a College Scholar, a student must meet a strict set of competitive criteria and rank in the top 20 percent of her or his class. The average grade point average for College Scholars this year is 3.82. In addition to meeting the criteria as a College Scholar, Distinguished College Scholars must rank in the top 4 percent of their class. The average grade point average for a 2014 Distinguished College Scholar is 3.94.
The Honors Day Convocation includes ceremonial elements such as an academic procession, inspirational messages and celebratory music. Faculty guests join student honorees in the procession and are seated next to them at the convocation. All honorees will receive orange and white honors cords they can wear at Commencement. In a special presentation, students recognized as Distinguished College Scholars are invited to the stage to receive commemorative medallions from academic deans.