Humanities and Sciences
	On the Thursday before Commencement, Dean Howard Erlich hosted a luncheon recognizing the four recipients of the Dean's Award, which is presented annually to the seniors with the highest grade point average in the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, and social sciences. The four recipients -- Lauri Bauer, history and speech communication; Stacie Lewis, theater arts; Anthony Puglisi, anthropology; and Ozgen Sayginsoy, economics and mathematics -- represent the pinnacle of academic achievement in the school. In addition to Erlich and associate dean William Russell, each student was accompanied to the luncheon by his or her department chair, academic adviser, and faculty mentors. This was indicative, noted Erlich, of his belief that student learning flourishes in the context of institutional, departmental, and individual faculty support and encouragement. Luncheon guests spoke warmly of their students, dwelling upon outstanding achievements, memorable moments, and future plans. Bauer was accompanied by faculty from both her majors: chair Laurie Arliss and academic adviser Ellen Bonaguro from speech communication, and chair Paul McBride and professors Joe Tempesta and Bill Brown from the history department. Arliss dwelled upon Bauer's highly acclaimed, original research in communicative aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Tempesta spoke eloquently of her inspirational impact upon the faculty. He described her as "simply one of the finest students it has been our privilege to work with at Ithaca College." Lewis, accompanied by department chair Greg Bostwick and academic adviser Mary Corsaro, noted that her pursuit of further fame and fortune would begin the Monday morning after Commencement, when she entered rehearsals for her summer roles in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and A Chorus Line. In the fall she intends to work toward Broadway -- indicative, says Corsaro, of her talent and drive to improve and succeed. Puglisi was accompanied by anthropology chair Garry Thomas and academic adviser Jack Rossen. The recipient of numerous recognitions, Puglisi was lauded as a first-class anthropologist. His accomplishments include completion of the first senior honors paper in the department in several years -- a paper that is reviewed and edited in the style of a graduate thesis. He intends to pursue graduate studies after working in contract archaeology, a system that investigates archaeological sites being threatened by federally funded projects. Sayginsoy was accompanied by John Rosenthal and Osman Yurekli of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and by his academic adviser in economics, William Kolberg. Intending to pursue advanced study in economics, Sayginsoy received admittance and scholarships to the finest graduate schools in the United States but ultimately decided to attend the London School of Economics. Outstanding student achievement is our proudest boast, observed Erlich, and this year's luncheon was emblematic of the many outstanding students and dedicated faculty in the School of Humanities and Sciences.