FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Aug 29, 2006

Freshmen, New Transfers Welcomed

Professor of the Year Gail Roberts Delivers Address,

Former Penn Yan Resident Walt Scott Honored

KEUKA PARK, N.Y.—Gail Roberts has studied with the Lakotas, a Native American tribe, for several years.

She shared some of what she learned from the Lakota teachers and elders with members of the Class of 2010 and new transfers at the College's academic convocation today (Aug. 29) in Norton Chapel.

"There was a summer several years ago when I had traveled to learn and participate in an opportunity that I had waited for, for a long time," said Roberts, associate professor of social work and the 2006 Professor of the Year. "I spent several days listening to the elders and learning. Then the moment came for me to do what I had traveled so far to accomplish. Suddenly I was in doubt, afraid. I couldn't do what I had long wished for. I felt unprepared. I hadn't learned enough. I wasn't ready. One of my gentle teachers spoke to me. He said, 'Gail look around. Feel the warmth of the sun. Look at the trees. Feel the wind and listen to the birds. Everything here wants you to succeed.'

 "There will be times over the coming years that you will feel discouraged, afraid, unprepared to do what you have come to do," added Roberts. "At those times, I urge you to walk outside. Turn a gentle circle to the right. Look at the lake and know its nurturing and cleansing proprieties. Notice the trees that stand guardian over this beautiful place. Look at the buildings and the people and be reminded that everything here wants you to succeed."

Also at the convocation, Walt Scott, a former resident of Penn Yan and current member of the Keuka College Board of Trustees, received the Norton-Blyley Presidential Medallion.

 Scott became just the fifth person in Keuka annals to receive the medallion, which bears the images of the two Keuka College presidents (Arthur Norton and Katherine Blyley) and recognizes service to the College "above and beyond an extraordinary high standard."
 
On the occasion of Keuka College's 100th anniversary in 1990, President Arthur Kirk created the Norton-Blyley Presidential Medallion to honor Edith Estey '33, founder of Field Period. Kirk became the second recipient of the medallion in 1996. In 1997, College President Joseph G. Burke presented it to Frank Strong Jr. Strong, a former member and chair of the Board of Trustees, twice served as interim president of the College. In 2003, the medallion was presented to 1960 Keuka graduate Esther Yoder, a member of Keuka's governing board since 1993 and current chair. 

Scott, who resides in Pittsford with his wife, Eleanor, served on the Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2003. He rejoined the group in 2004 and serves as secretary. Scott took on a leadership role in the Shaping the Future: One Graduate at a Time campaign, helping it become the most prolific fund-raising drive in Keuka annals.

A longtime supporter of Keuka athletics, Scott is a founding member of Stormwatchers, the College's sports booster club, and an original member of the advisory board.

A retired Eastman Kodak Co. executive, Scott is a member of the Keuka Lake Association and Keuka Lake Foundation and is a former chairman of both organizations. He is a former director of the Center for Environmental Information and former vice president of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Association.

Keuka College is the national leader in experiential, hands-on learning.

Office of Communications, Keuka College, Keuka Park, New York 14478

Print news release | News release archive | Return to previous page | Keuka.edu | Office of Communications