University Libraries

Klick Award

The Klick Award is named after Brother Walter Klick, S.M., who taught at UD for many years and directed the Wohlleben Hall library until its closing in 1970. Retired University Libraries Distinguished Service Professor Nicoletta Hary, longtime curator of rare books and special collections, created the Klick Award with funds from the Lackner Award, which she received in 1990.

The Klick Award is given annually to teacher education majors or minors who have a good academic record, demonstrate Marianist principles through their personal characteristics, and have received a strong recommendation from a faculty member.

Stephanie Soule, librarian/archivist and chair of the Klick Award committee, presented the awards:

Sarah McGrath is a junior majoring in mathematics and adolescent to young adult education and minoring in Spanish. She is in the Honors Program and is vice president of the Collegiate Adolescent to Young Adult Club. She also volunteers with UD Miracle, an organization that benefits Dayton Children’s Hospital. As a member of the women’s fraternity Pi Beta Phi, she visits a local elementary school weekly to read in small groups with students. She also has participated in Service Saturdays and breakout trips and has been a leader for Campus Ministry’s Lighthouse retreats. In her application, she wrote, “To me, each student has dignity, [and] I want to help my diverse students appreciate the depths of their individual intelligence.” In his recommendation, Nick Cardilino, associate director of campus ministry and director for the Center for Social Concern, praised the effort she put into her schoolwork and her commitment to volunteer work.

Kristin Stollger is a junior majoring in early childhood education. She volunteers with Hospice of Dayton’s Camp Pathways as a camp counselor and teaches preschoolers at a child care center in Miamisburg. Matthew Burgy of the Department of Art and Design wrote in his recommendation that she is one of the academically strongest and most artistically passionate students he has taught, adding that she is passionate about working with low-income students and ensuring that they have the opportunities they need to succeed. Stollger wrote that a life goal is to “radically change the lives of young children living in poverty.” She was unable to attend the ceremony.

Koehler Award

2016 marked the 20th year of Koehler International Student Awards. They were established by University Libraries Professor Emerita Susan Tsui, former head of bibliographic management, with funds from the Lackner Award. Tsui, a native of Taiwan, was herself an international student.

She named the award in honor of Father Theodore Koehler, S.M., director of the Marian Library from 1969 to 1986 and the founder and director of the International Marian Research Institute. He was an active scholar until his death in 2001. Koehler was a native of Strasbourg, France.

The award criteria are: good academic record; demonstration of characteristics reflecting the Marianist spirit; and financial need. An honoree must be a returning international undergraduate or graduate student.

Joan Milligan, catalog and metadata specialist and member of the Koehler Award committee, presented the awards:

Manjhunath Ayyampudur, who goes by M.J., is a second-year graduate student from India, studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in renewable and clean energy. He is active in the Hanley Sustainability Institute, helping to organize events and outreach. George Kloos wrote in his recommendation that Ayyampudur is “driven to find a career that will serve humanity.” During his two years here, he has volunteered with the Neighborhood School Center in many roles from classroom assistant to “reading buddy.” Last fall, he helped Dayton Early College Academy build a garden. Balancing his volunteer work and his studies, he also works 20 hours a week at Roesch Library. Kelly Kissock, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, wrote that Ayyampudur’s “sense of caring and the daily joy he brings to his work are true manifestations of the Marianist spirit.”

Father Emmanuel Fale, from a diocese in Cameroon he described as rural and very poor, is earning his Doctor of Sacred Theology degree at the International Marian Research Institute. Fale said he “longed to blend biblical studies with Marian studies,” a desire that brought him to IMRI. Michael Duricy of IMRI wrote in his recommendation that Fale’s character reflects the Marianist tradition well: “He is committed to pastoral ministry in service to the Catholic Church, to the people of God, and to all people of good will. … He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Father Koehler as well-formed Marian scholar.” Quoting Nelson Mandela, who said, “Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world,” Fale said he hopes to continue as an educator when he returns to Cameroon.

Yu Zhao, known to his friends as Joseph, is from China and finishing his first year at UD as a psychology major. He said he anticipates becoming a Marianist priest and is pleased to be among the Marianists on campus, receiving their guidance. A Chaminade Scholar, he participates in the Cross Cultural Connections program and Campus Ministry programs, and he recently became the campus coordinator for the Catholic Life Club of Dayton. Father Thomas Thompson, S.M., of the International Marian Research Institute wrote that Zhao is “an outstanding individual – intelligent and talented. He is sensitive to the needs of others. He spontaneously comes forward and helps out wherever needed. … He is versatile. He has settled in and gained the respect of all.”

Ruhlman Award

Established in 1975, this award memorializes Brother Frank Ruhlman, S.M., director of the University Libraries from 1920 through the 1950s. The Ruhlman Award is presented annually to a UD undergraduate student for excellence in writing in a University publication. The award includes a plaque, a certificate and $250 scholarship.

English Professor Patrick Thomas, a member of the Ruhlman Award committee, presented the award:

Grace B. Poppe is originally from Long Island, New York. She is a senior majoring in English and minoring in photography and Spanish. The editor of Orpheus, a literary and artistic magazine published by University of Dayton students, she also is president of UD's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society. In addition, is a peer writing consultant at the Write Place and is a writer and photographer for the University of Dayton Magazine.

Poppe submitted several pieces that demonstrated her skills in writing on a variety of topics. Her pieces provided perspectives on student life, alumni stories, and local initiatives by UD alumni. In reviewing her submissions for this award, committee members noted that her writing is “smart, funny, and personable.”

Poppe wrote that during her time at UD, she has enjoyed Dayton’s bike trails and poetry culture. After graduation, she plans to serve in the AmeriCorps City Year program as a teaching assistant in New York City Public Schools.

Photo: Library awards honorees, from left: Manjhunath Ayyampudur "MJ," Yu "Joseph" Zhao, Father Emmanuel Fale, Sarah McGrath, and Grace B. Poppe.