Taryn Brennan honored for writing excellence

2015 Apr 6

RIT's College of Liberal Arts honored student achievement in writing with the presentation of the 2015 Henry and Mary Kearse Distinguished Lecture and Student Writing Award Ceremony on April 3.

Awardees included Taryn Brennan, international and global studies major from Portland, was awarded the Stanley McKenzie Endowed Writing Prize. Her essay, “Remnant Racism: The Role of Containment Practices in Institutions of Learning,” earned her first place.

"The students who are being honored today have done some outstanding work for the various departments in the College of Liberal Arts," said Dean James Winebrake. "One of the proudest moments in any faculty member's career is to see their students honored."

It was the 35th year the awards have been presented. Faculty committees in each department within the College of Liberal Arts select student awardees from a variety of disciplines whose work embodies the ideals and standards of excellence, creative endeavor and scholarship.

Associate Dean Babak Elahi said the honors reward the intellectual demands of the craft of writing. "It's a real treat every year to recognize these students," he said.

The awards were created in 1980 thanks to a donation from Henry J. Kearse, founder and president of the construction firm H.J. Kearse Inc., and his wife, Mary, a longtime member of RIT's Nathaniel Rochester Society.