SU Distinguished Freshmen Talk With World Leader for Peace

Taking the opportunity to speak one-on-one with an international leader for peace, SU students in the Deans’ Distinguished Freshmen Program recently attended a reception with Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of the famed Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. Gandhi was on campus to speak about “Non-violence in the Age of Terrorism” as part of the Center for Conflict Resolution’s “One Person Can Make a Difference” series.

Some 50 freshmen are part of the Dean’s Program, a prestigious award for outstanding high school achievement that provides opportunities for academic enrichment and a $3,000 stipend during the first year of college.  Through the program, academic deans introduce students to opportunities for undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, leadership and the arts.  All of the students have a minimum high school GPA of 3.8 and combined SAT score of 1800.

Pictured (from left) are SU freshmen Rachel Wood and Amanda Maruchi-Turner; Dr. Arun Gandhi; SU freshmen Anne Gilbert, Stephanie Velky and Karen Wittkamper; and Dr. Brian Polkinghorn, executive director of SU’s Center for Conflict Resolution.