Class of 2030 Welcomed, Alumni Honored

The Fall 2026 Convocation officially opened the academic year and featured a keynote from this year’s distinguished teaching award winner.

Washington College welcomed the 242 students entering as the Class of 2030 with a collection of speeches emphasizing the values at the core of a Washington education and the kinds of social bonds that they can develop that build community and lead to fulfilling lives. 

“We believe higher education should equip and inspire students to become citizen leaders in this country and in our global society, and all of us do our part to see that goal achieved,” said College President Bryan Matthews ’75 M’86 P’12. “We do that in part by staying connected to our heritage, but we also never stop innovating to bring the unique value of the liberal arts into the future.” 

Matthews mentioned three specific examples of that innovation happening at Washington College this year and encouraged not only students, but everyone connected with the College to look for opportunities to get involved in them: a faculty-authored book on teaching information literacy as civic practice; the launch of the Warehime School of Business with this, its first class; and the Hogan Institute, which begins its programming this fall.  

While Matthews sought to connect the Class of 2030 with what is new on campus, Vice President for Enrollment Management Johnnie Johnson took some time during Convocation to help students, faculty, and staff get an idea of who these new students are. They come from nearly 20 states and eight other countries, and while students don’t declare majors until their sophomore year, the most popular areas of interest in the new students’ applications were business management, environmental science, psychology, biology, education and engineering. As a class, their average high school GPA was above 3.7. 

Sociology professor Rachel Durso served as the keynote speaker for the event, continuing the tradition of the featured speaker being the winner of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award announced at the previous Commencement. With a relatable approach drawing examples from her personal and campus lives, Durso shared insights from her field that allow people to lead fulfilling lives, Watch her speech on the Washington College YouTube channel. 

Following Convocation, attendees were all invited to an “Open for Business” reception sponsored by the Warehime School of Business. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College got to see renderings and models of the Warehime building, which is beginning construction this fall. 

“I loved seeing the excitement of the Class of 2030 as they begin their Washington College journey alongside the launch of our new School,” Warehime School Founding Dean Caddie Putnam Rankin said. “I left the reception energized by what we are building together and incredibly excited for all that lies ahead as we work toward opening our new building in Spring 2028.” 

Alumni Awards

In addition to welcoming new students, the Fall Convocation features the celebration of a number of awards. The Alumni Horizon Ribbon Award recognizes alumni of the past 15 years who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, service, or scholarship and who embody the Washington College ideal of citizen leaders. It went to two winners this year: Dr. Billie Ricketts Brice ’13 and Phaedra Michelle Scott ’14.  

Academic Awards 

The academic achievements of members of the sophomore and junior classes and of members of the Greek life community are also celebrated at Fall Convocation.

ALUMNI MEDAL  

The Alumni Medal is awarded to the members of the Sophomore Class who achieve the highest academic average for the year. The award went to 10 students:  

• Sophia Clark  
• Sophia Cost  
• Emelie Cummins  
• Kathryn Hoffmaster  
• Calynn Nelson  
• Johna Nguyen  
• Emily Polio  
• Tyler Rice  
• Aaron Rodenhausen  
• Katelyn Tribbitt    

 

VISITORS AND GOVERNORS MEDAL  

The Visitors and Governors Medal is awarded to the members of the Junior Class who achieve the highest academic average for the year. The award went to five students:   

• Olivia Allen  
• Katrina Callahan  
• Annabella Goglia  
• Audrey MacNair  
• Zachary Tipton  

 

PANHELLENIC COUNCIL AWARDS   

The Inter-fraternity – Panhellenic Council Award is held annually by the sorority and fraternity achieving the highest scholastic average for the preceding year.   

The fraternity with the highest average is Kappa Sigma.  

The sorority with the highest average is Alpha Omicron Pi.