Outstanding seniors receive Marlin Miller Awards 5/04/06
Andreina Simet, who has a double major in economics and marketing in the College of Business, and Ian Phillips, a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences student with a triple major in history, philosophy and political science, are this year's recipients of the Dr. Marlin Miller '54 Outstanding Senior Awards at Alfred University.They will speak at Alfred University's commencement, which is scheduled for 10 am. Saturday, May 13, in the McLane Cemter on the AU campus. They were chosen for the honor by a campus-wide committee on the basis of their scholarship, extra-
curricular leadership and personal character. Candidates for the award are nominated by faculty and staff.Along with a hand-crafted tile made by Wayne Higby, professor of ceramic art, each will also receive $5,000 in cash, thanks to an endowment created by Robert L. McNeil Jr. of Wyndmoor, PA, a friend and business colleague of Marlin Miller.
While AU has for several years presented outstanding senior awards to the man and woman in each class, in 2004 the awards were named in honor of Miller, a member of the AU Board of Trustees since 1972, a former chairman of the board, and the University's largest donor. Miller is former president and CEO of Arrow International, a medical devices manufacturing firm in Reading, PA."Attaining an education has always been important to me," said Simet, who is the youngest of three children in her family and the only one to have completed high school. "(When) I think back to my childhood, I never envisioned myself where I am today. My experience in Alfred has steered me toward so many opportunities that I wouldn't have otherwise. I have had (the opportunity) to meet different people, learn about a different culture and participate in new activities. I feel like none of these things would have happened if I had not come to Alfred.""Andreina has proven herself to be motivated, professional, hard-working and a great representative of Alfred University," said Kathy Woughter, interim vice president for Student Affairs.As involved as Simet has been in extracurricular activities, she "doesn't let any of her commitments interfere with what she's here for - getting a degree," Woughter said. Simet is a member of the AU chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership society, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the economics honor society, which she also serves as treasurer. She received the Howard R. Neville Award for Excellence in Economics Award, the Lockheed Martin Scholarship, the Wachovia Foundation Scholarship, the Hispanic College Fund Scholarship, the Jonathan Allen Leadership Scholarship and the Leah Pfeffer-Lidsky Scholarship. She was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.She has been a resident assistant for three years, and this year was named the Gibbs Intern at the Career Development Center, working to promote internships for AU students. She has completed internships at Draft New York, Moody's Investor Service and Time Warner Cable, all in New York City.Simet was co-founder of L.E.A.D.
(Let's Explore All Differences); chairs the Student Senate Cabinet for two years; serves as a member of the Women's Leadership Center Advisory Board; helped to organize the ALANA (African, Latin, Asian and Native American) Reunion in 2005; directed Poder Latino's RAICES; served as president of Poder Latino; historian for UMOJA and as a member of the Financial Women's Association Mentoring Program. Simet is the daughter of Maria De LaCruz of Brooklyn, NY, and is a graduate of Murry Bergtraum High School.Phillips, who served two consecutive teams as president of Student Senate, said that during his four years at AU "I have been changed immensely." Of his tenure at Student Senate president, Phillips said he believes his greatest accomplishment is "greater student involvement in decision-making." Another major accomplishment, according to Woughter, was Phillips' efforts to increase the Student Senate budget. By benchmarking AU's budget, student activity fees and the number of organizations supported with comparable figures from peer schools, he was able to successfully argue for an increase in the budget allocation. "This was much tougher than it sounds," Woughter said. "Ian's hard work resulted in a substantial increase in Student Senate funding I am not sure that the students fully understand or appreciate what went into Ian's accomplishment, but I certainly do."She credited Phillips with running meetings "very professionally. He demands that senators respect guest speakers and that they follow the rules of order in getting business accomplished."In addition to his responsibilities as Student Senate president, Phillips has been an orientation guide; a resident assistant; the vice president of the
Residence Hall Council; studio manager for AUTV; and a member of the Student Activities Board, Poder Latino, Pirate Theater, the Game Show Club, the Tastebuds, College Democrats, College Republicans and the Political Science Society.He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society.Phillips is a graduate of Auburn (NY) High School, and is the son of Kathleen Phillips of Auburn and Ben Phillips of Weedsport.
