Milestones

Dean's List

BEREA – Elizabeth Gifford of Mount Vernon, a graduate of Mount Vernon High School majoring in sustainability and management, has been named to the Dean's List for the fall 2022 semester at Baldwin Wallace University, according to Provost Stephen Stahl. The Dean's List recognizes students who earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more graded hours during the semester.

Graduate

BEREA – Elizabeth Gifford of Mount Vernon, a graduate of Mount Vernon High School, has graduated magna cum laude from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, with a bachelor's degree in sustainability and management.

Baldwin Wallace University celebrated the achievements of more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students at the 2022 BW Fall Commencement exercises in December, bringing the total number of BW students who earned a degree this year to more than 800.

Graduates and the assembled family, friends, faculty and staff heard inspiring words from commencement speaker Dr. Jodie Berg, the visionary, award-winning retired CEO of Vitamix, the Cleveland-based global manufacturer of high-performance blending equipment.

Berg encouraged the graduates to "go forth and live with joy," turning the word into an acronym for life. Differentiating joy from fleeting feelings of happiness, Berg shared "how to develop that enduring type of joy in yourself." 

She explained, "'J' is for journey, 'O' is for owning your journey and 'Y' is for yearning for the higher purpose that guides your journey." She also shared that a life of joy does not mean a life without challenges and offered her own examples.

The ceremony also included special recognition for high-achieving undergraduates who graduated in three categories of honors: 14 earned summa cum laude recognition with a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or higher; 12 graduated magna cum laude with at least a 3.75; and another 20 earned cum laude honors with at least a 3.60. Students in the elite Dayton C. Miller Honor Society and Honors Program were also applauded.