Two Newman University graduates of the class of 2012 have been named recipients of this year’s Harvey J. and Leona J. Ablah Awards. Nicholas Ojile of Andale, Kan., received the Harvey J. Ablah Award, and Bridget Boyum of Andover, Minn., received the Leona J. Ablah Award.
Students in the Newman University Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program were recognized at a pinning ceremony May 12 on the Newman campus. The ceremony honors the completion of coursework and the beginning of two professional internships for students in the program. Upon completion of the internships, students prepare for a December 2012 graduation.
Newman University recognized 24 candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the annual Nurses’ Pinning ceremony held May 11, 2012 on the Newman campus.
Graduates of health care-related programs at Newman University have generated some impressive results over the past year.
Newman officials were notified recently that for the year ending Dec. 31, 2011, graduates of the Newman nursing program had a pass rate of 96.36 percent – the highest pass rate from among all first-time registered nurse candidates educated in Kansas on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for Registered Nurses.
The Newman student pass rate was more than 10 percentage points higher than the Kansas pass rate of 85.88 – an average of all nursing programs in the state – and almost 9 points higher than the national average pass rate of 87.89 percent.
Newman University will hold the Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement ceremony for spring and summer 2012 graduates on May 11 and May 12, respectively. The university will also honor graduating Nursing students on May 11, as well as Occupational Therapy Assistant students on May 12 who have completed coursework and will begin internships.
Newman University honored 13 Native American students from six high schools in the Wichita area at a recent banquet for their participation in a program designed to keep them in school and consider a career in the sciences.
The semester-long program, called the Newman Native American Scholar Program (NNASP), is designed to encourage Native American students to stay in high school and to pursue higher education by making learning a fun and rewarding experience. The program is offered primarily to Wichita and Sedgwick County Native American high school sophomores, juniors and seniors, and is designed to strengthen students’ pre-college science, mathematics and English skills.
The Newman University Steckline Gallery will present “Books and Cardboard Portraits” by artist Deloss McGraw as the final show of its 2011-2012 season. The exhibit, which begins with a Final Friday reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 27, will be on display through May 18. Both the reception and admission to the gallery are free and open to the public.
A Senior Show by Newman students Stephanie Fleming of Chanute, Kan., and Jasmine Ware of Oklahoma City, Okla., will also be featured in the Hallway Gallery just outside the Steckline Gallery. Fleming and Ware will graduate in May with degrees in art.
Newman University student Melissa Baalmann received the prestigious St. Catherine Medal, which is awarded annually to a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated outstanding service to the university, and has established an excellent record for scholastic achievement.
Newman University will again host a Catholic Spring Sports Day between Wichita’s Catholic high schools, Kapaun Mt. Carmel and Bishop Carroll. The two schools will compete in baseball, softball, and soccer beginning at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 21 on the Newman campus at 3100 McCormick.
This fourth annual event will consist of both varsity and junior varsity games, followed by Mass in Fugate Gymnasium, inside O’Shaughnessy Hall on the Newman campus. Mass will be celebrated by both high school chaplains, Fr. Aaron Spexarth and Fr. Ben Sawyer.
Newman University Professor of English Bryan Dietrich, Ph.D. will read from his works at 7 p.m., April 25 at Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas in Wichita. The event is free and open to the public.
Dietrich often writes in the science-fiction/horror genre, and has published poems in The New Yorker, The Nation, Poetry, The Paris Review and many other publications. He has won several prizes and awards, is a five-time finalist for the Yale Younger Poets Series, and has been nominated multiple times for both the Pushcart and the Pulitzer.