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A long standing tradition at Millersville University, the annual Honors and Awards Convocation celebrates the achievements of undergraduate students, alumni and programs.
The 55th annual convocation will recognize individuals for their academic achievements, service involvement and athletic achievements. The Millersville University Alumni Association will present four major awards: the Distinguished Alumni Award, Honorary Alumni Award, Outstanding Volunteer Service Award and the Young Alumni Achievement Award.
The four recipients this year are:
Dr. Melvin Allen ’69 has been named the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. This award, established in 1971, is given to a living alumni member. For almost 40 years Millersville was his home. While a student he founded the Black Student Union, an organization still active on campus. Allen was a professor in the Department of Philosophy from 1969 – 2011. He also spearheaded the University’s Civic and Community Engagement and Research initiative from its inception in 2006.
Dr. Keith Mellinger ’95 has been named the 2013 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient. Mellinger received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Millersville University. Currently, he is an associate professor of mathematics and the chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Mellinger is the recipient of many internal grants and a Jepson Fellowship from the University of Mary Washington, and in 2006 he was awarded a young investigator grant from the National Security Agency. In 2010, Mellinger and a Virginia Tech colleague received the Carl B. Allendoerfer Award, a national writing award, from the Mathematical Association of America.
Dr. Francine G. McNairy, 13th president of Millersville University, was named the 2013 Honorary Alumni Award recipient. Appointed president in 2003, McNairy served as the chief executive officer with oversight of a $167 million budget, 1,000 employees and 8,368 undergraduate and graduate students. Throughout her career, McNairy has been dedicated to public higher education, the growth and development of students, multiculturalism and civic engagement. She has championed faculty and student diversity, global education, economic development within the Lancaster region, accountability and transparency within and external to the University. She retired from the University in January 2013.
Dr. Stephen Kepchar, Jr. ’70 has been named the 2013 Outstanding Volunteer Service Award recipient. An economics graduate of Millersville University, Kepchar was involved in three successive capital campaigns at Millersville, most recently chairing the Soar to Greatness capital campaign cabinet. Kepchar joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in the Lancaster office in 1973, where he is now a senior vice president and wealth advisor. He has more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been active in the community, serving on the board of directors of Student Lodging, Inc., the advisory board of Hospice of Lancaster County and as president of Lancaster Sales and Marketing Executives.
This event will be held on Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. in Marauder Court at the Student Memorial Center and is by invitation only.
