Arthur, Houser headline honorees; Johnson marks faculty first

Hanover College’s 89th-annual Honors Convocation saluted the scholastic, artistic and community-oriented accomplishments of undergraduate students and faculty. The event was held April 9 in Fitzgibbon Recital Hall, Lynn Center for Fine Arts.

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More than 40 students were recognized during the program, which features the senior class and faculty in full academic regalia. Creek Arthur ’26, Jennavee Houser ’26, Kylee Morgan ’26 and Elisabeth Walton ’26 earned top honors among the Class of 2026. Faculty members Kate Johnson, Glené Mynhardt and Dee Goertz received awards for outstanding teaching, scholarly creativity and academic advising, respectively.

Arthur, a double major in geology and history, earned the John Finley Crowe Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence. Arthur, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, has served as a participant in nearly 20 campus organizations, ranging from the archery, beekeeping and geology clubs to Green Panthers, Love Out Loud and Hanover Kings and Queens. She has worked as a tutor in the Gladish Center for Teaching and Learning and a circulation assistant in the Duggan Library. This past winter, she presented at the seventh-annual Women in Science Symposium.

Houser, a double major in biochemistry and Spanish, received the Henry C. Long Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence. She was also presented with the Alpha Lambda Delta Award, which is given annually to the senior member of the national honor society with the highest grade-point average, and earned the Distinguished Award in Biochemistry and Distinguished Award in Spanish. Houser has participated as a research intern for the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Medical Physician Engineers, Scientists and Clinicians Preparatory Program. On campus, she has served as a residence hall director, admission ambassador and member of Student Senate.

Morgan and Walton each received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which is presented annually to recognize outstanding service to the campus community and the community at large.

Morgan, a kinesiology and integrative physiology major, is a member of Chi Omega sorority. She has served as a tutor in the Gladish Center and Peer Advisor and as a member of Student Senate, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Dance Marathon. Walton, an environmental geology major, also received the Distinguished Award in Environmental Science during the convocation. She is a member of the Student Senate, Peer Advisor and Richter Tutor, as well as a member of the Environmental Stewardship Committee and Sustainability Council.

Award-winning faculty members Johnson, Mynhardt and Goertz were recognized for their scholarly efforts and commitment to Hanover’s students.

Johnson, a professor of philosophy, was presented with the Arthur and Ilene Baynham Outstanding Teaching Award. Established by the College in 1969, the honoree is selected by a ballot of currently enrolled students and alumni from the past two graduating classes. To be eligible, a faculty member must be in at least the fourth year of teaching at the College.

Johnson is the first woman in Hanover history to receive the Baynham Award three times – earning the honor in 1999, 2015 and 2026. She is one of just five three-time recipients of the faculty’s highest honor. Johnson, whose specialties include existentialism, contemporary continental philosophy and modern, animal and environmental philosophy, joined the campus community in September 1993 as an instructor of philosophy. She was presented with the Stanley Totten Award for Outstanding Service in 2025.

Mynhardt, an associate professor of biology, received the Daryl R. Karns Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity. The award, named for the beloved biology professor who died in 2011, recognizes sustained scholarly or creative achievement. Faculty members nominate colleagues for the award, which are sent to three judges at liberal arts colleges like Hanover.

A member of Hanover’s faculty since 2013, Mynhardt is a specialist in cell and molecular biology, ecology and evolution, and comparative anatomy and physiology. She is the third faculty member to earn both the Karns Award and the Baynham Award, which she received in 2017. In 2024, she was selected by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana, Inc. as a recipient of the PALSave Open Educator Award, recognizing innovation and excellence in support of student success and textbook affordability.

Goertz, a professor of English, was honored as the first recipient of the Bill Tereshko Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. The award is named for recently retired member of the College community who served as teacher, coach and administrator during a 40-year career. The honor recognizes a faculty member with exceptional commitment to providing students with guidance and mentorship throughout their academic journey.

Goertz, who joined Hanover’s faculty in 1991, is a 1997 recipient of the Baynham Award. She specializes in 20th-century literature, literary analysis, drama, poetry and Shakespeare.

89th-annual Honors Convocation award recipients: