Apr 06, 2022
By University Communication
Students and staff were honored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln at its annual Ivy Day ceremonies on April 2. Three of the honored students included computer science majors Ryan Hruby, Vivian Jacobitz, and Abigail Seibel, who were all inducted into the 118th class of the Innocents Society.
The event, co-sponsored by Mortar Board and the Innocents Society, recognized outstanding contributions of students selected to serve in the two senior honorary organizations, as well as the achievements of current members and notable underclassmen and seniors.
Ceremonies took place at Sheldon Museum of Art and concluded with the traditional planting of the ivy by the 2022-23 presidents of the societies — Grace Farson of Papillion for Mortar Board and Bhagya Pushkaran of Lincoln for the Innocents Society.
Aaron Davis, motivational speaker, coach, trainer and attitude expert, delivered the keynote address. Davis is a Husker alumnus and was a member of the 1994 national championship Nebraska football team. As a young boy helping his father work in the evenings as a janitor, he learned the importance of having a “champion attitude” no matter one’s role or title. He is the president of Aaron Davis Presentations, a consulting and coaching firm, and a partner in two software companies. He has also authored three books and co-authored two others.
An honorary membership in the Innocents Society was presented to Erin Burnette, director of the Nebraska Business Honors Academy.
Honorary Mortar Board memberships were presented to Randy Hawthorne, product manager at Nelnet and a nonprofit leader; and Kenji Madison, associate director of Big Red Resilience and Well-Being at Nebraska.
The Innocents Society inducts 13 new members each spring, with selection based on leadership, academic achievement and service to the university and greater community. The Innocents Society was founded in 1903 to promote the spirit of the university and is the chancellor’s senior honorary. It is uniquely Nebraskan.
New members of Mortar Board are tapped into the Black Masque Chapter each spring by Mortar Boarders wearing black masks and robes. The 26 new members were selected on the basis of advancing scholarship, leadership and service.
View the full list of inductees in Nebraska Today.
More details at: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/innocents-society-mortar-board-members-inducted-for-2022-23/