LG
Lyle German
  • criminal justice
  • Class of 2015
  • New Egypt, NJ

Lyle German of New Egypt Graduates from Lebanon Valley College

2015 May 13

Lyle German of New Egypt, N.J., was among the 498 students who graduated at Lebanon Valley College's 146th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 9. The 381 graduating seniors were joined by 32 doctor of physical therapy candidates, 44 master's degree candidates, and 41 students who graduated in December 2014 and have now formally received their degrees.

German received a bachelor of arts in sociology and business administration. German was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Matthew Sayers of Annville, assistant professor of religion, was the Commencement speaker. He encouraged graduates to seek knowledge and truth by employing courage, laughter, and compassion. "If freedom is found in truth, then each step taken in search of truth grants us not only more knowledge, but more freedom," Sayers told the audience. "You will never be completely free from the influence of your bodies, nor from the pressures of your culture, but the more you know of your body and your culture, the less they determine who you are and the more you do. The search for truth will grant you freedom. Scrap by precious scrap."

Sayers earned the privilege of speaking at Commencement after being honored at last year's ceremony with the College's top teaching honor for a full-time faculty member, The Thomas Rhys Vickroy Award.

Dr. Timothy Peelen of Lebanon was named this year's Vickroy Award winner. Dr. Peelen, an associate professor of chemistry, has spent the past 10 years facilitating student research, and mentoring students who have continued on to work in industry and attend top-tier graduate programs. He has been awarded four nationally competitive external grants that total more than a half million dollars, including one from the National Science Foundation to support multiple LVC science students in a highly immersive 10-week international undergraduate research experience in Budapest, Hungary over the next three years.

Dr. Michael Green, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty, said Dr. Peelen "embodies the ideal of the teacher-scholar model at Lebanon Valley College, combining excellence in the classroom with impressive high-impact undergraduate research." A former student commented, "He is very willing to facilitate students in developing careers and paths beyond the confines of LVC's undergraduate degree, and often has realistic insight to where the student can flourish."

The top student award, the H. Anthony Neidig Award, went to Benjamin Carpenter, a chemistry major from Lebanon, Pa. Carpenter's advisor, Dr. Marc Harris, wrote that "He has already demonstrated his academic abilities, his character as a mentor and leader, and he has the promise to become a true innovator in the scientific community. Ben is that exceptionally talented and dedicated student that every faculty member dreams of mentoring."

Carpenter has completed four years of undergraduate research and presented at multiple research conferences. He received a first place award for his research presentation at the 15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences hosted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He spends time tutoring other students in all fields of science both at the College and in the Annville-Cleona community. This fall, Carpenter will enroll in a Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he plans to study organometallic chemistry.

Denise Williams of Lebanon, an adjunct instructor of education, won the Nevelyn J. Knisley Award, which goes to part-time and adjunct members of the College faculty. Along with her work at the College, she teaches language arts at Northern Lebanon Middle School and has received numerous teaching awards. She was inducted into the Lebanon County Educational Honor Society, and finished as a finalist for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award in 2013. A former student described Williams as "a very passionate, kind, energetic, and engaging teacher, she clearly has experience applying the information she covers in a modern day classroom and brings that experience and confidence with the material to every lesson."

In addition to the annual awards, the College presented two special degrees. Shelly Yakus, a recording engineer who has recorded and produced hundreds of recordings for music icons during a distinguished career of more than 40 years, received an honorary Doctor of Music degree. Nicholas Pantalone '15, a 2011 graduate of Cedar Cliff High School, received a degree in memoriam after losing his fight against a rare cancer in March 2013.

Student Government President Jill Daughterty '15 of Red Lion concluded by comparing college to a scrapbook that evokes memories. She said, "We're leaving here. Leaving behind the place we've called home. A place where we came in unsure of the friends we would make, unaware of the amazing experiences ahead, and un-expecting of how many people would touch our lives. We leave it all behind, and call it unforgettable."

Download a high resolution photo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lvc1866/16904650574/in/album-72157652220675809/