Curt McConnell Receives Phi Kappa Phi John Bernard Award

2014 Dec 12

Curt McConnell, a senior environmental science major in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College, is the recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi John Bernard Presidential Scholar Award. McConnell was honored in a ceremony with three other Presidential Scholars on Friday, Nov. 14, at Ithaca College.

At Ithaca College, McConnell performs toxicology research and serves as a steward and tour guide for the Ithaca College Natural Lands. Additionally, he serves as treasurer of the Ithaca College Environmental Society and acts as both a teaching and lab assistant for courses in chemistry and earth science.

The John Bernard Presidential Scholar Award is given to a current student at Ithaca College who is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Its chapters are on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Each year, approximately 30,000 members are initiated.

The first requirement of eligibility for a Presidential Scholar Award is that the student be a member of Phi Kappa Phi, which means they were in the top 5 percent academically of their junior class. The student must be selected by a faculty member or administrator for nomination and the award recipients are then chosen from the pool of nominations by Ithaca College's Phi Kappa Phi Executive Committee. The criteria used by this committee include grade point average, academic awards and honors, breadth of study, achievement in outside activities, and service to the profession and/or the community.