Campus News
from the heights
Rice Outstanding
Teaching Award
Commencement 2007!
An estimated 3,500 people attended recordsetting commencement ceremonies in the
Siena Heights University Fieldhouse May 6.
Siena Heights University Professor of Art History
Dr. Peter Barr was this year’s recipient of the
Eileen K. Rice Award for Outstanding Teaching.
The official celebration for students on the
Adrian campus and for students in Siena’s
Southfield, Monroe, Port Huron, Rochester, Ann
Arbor, Jackson, Lansing and Distance Learning
programs had approximately 375 students
participate, a record for the institution founded
in 1919.
His students speak of his interactive and
engaging lectures which make learning
“incredibly fun and interesting” as he exposes
them to a great variety of styles and media.
Barr’s personal passion for art history has
influenced many to pursue careers in this or
related fields of art.
President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD, conferred
degrees on the graduates after delivering a
short welcome and address. This was her first
commencement as President of Siena Heights.
A high point of the ceremony was the awarding
of an honorary degree to a distinguished Siena
Heights alum. Nancyann Turner, OP ’63, received
an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree
during the ceremony. The Adrian Dominican
Sister is a renowned artist who uses her talent
and art therapy skills to help others. Besides
having worked in Walter Reed Hospital in
Washington, D.C., she also works with the
Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, where she
established and has continued to coordinate
a children’s project, the Rosa Parks Children
and Youth Program. This project provides
after-school and summer opportunities for
children in the heart of Detroit to experience
art, music, gardening and the development
of conflict resolution skills. In 2005, the Siena
Heights Alumni Association honored her with
the Saint Dominic Award for her contributions
to the world.
“active shooter” and hostage scenario. Law
enforcement officers applied their advanced
training for response to an active shooter,
while the fire department applied on-scene
triage and transportation. The exercise was
closely supervised and controlled, and no live
ammunition was allowed in the building
during training.
“There was a sense of excitement but also an
underlying sense of sadness,” said SHU President
Sister Peg Albert, who witnessed the exercise.
“It’s better to be prepared than not prepared.
And we want to take a proactive approach to
safety at Siena Heights.”
Other commencement highlights included:
• Amanda Dowdy (photo above), De’Angelo
Boone and Terese Cracchiolo were the
student speakers for the event.
• In its 14th year, the Kente Ceremony was
conducted on Sunday before commencement ceremonies. Africa