Sept. 16, 2011

Morningside College faculty member receives outstanding advisor award

Marty Knepper, a faculty member and the chapter advisor for the National Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society at Morningside College, has been named the Outstanding Advisor of Alpha Lambda Delta for 2010-2011. This award is given annually to the outstanding advisor in the nation.

Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes and encourages academic excellence among first-year college and university students. Since its inception in 1924, the honor society has grown to find homes on more than 270 campuses throughout the United States.

The National Council of Alpha Lambda Delta selected Knepper, professor and chair of English at Morningside, to receive the award. Knepper has served as chapter advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta since 1991, and she served on the society’s National Council as a member-at-large from 2006 until 2009.

During her tenure as chapter advisor, a dozen Morningside College students have been awarded prestigious Jo Anne Trow Scholarships and Stemler Study Abroad Scholarships from the national honor society. Morningside also received the Order of the Torch Award for being a superior chapter in 2001 and again in 2007.

Notable projects of the chapter in recent years include participating in Morningside’s “Trashion Show” program, which is designed to improve awareness of waste and recycling, and visiting freshman orientation classes to encourage academic success among incoming students.  The chapter also is a regular participant in Alpha Lambda Delta’s annual leadership workshop, and is noted for sharing ideas from countless service and leadership projects.

In a letter supporting Knepper’s nomination for the outstanding advisor award, chapter vice president Mary Horton wrote, “At each meeting, Marty tells us all how proud she is of our hard work, community service, and outreach toward the freshman class. She encourages us to continue the work towards the ALD mission.” Kelci Teut, chapter president, wrote, “Three things I think make Marty an outstanding advisor are her constant communication, usefulness in planning and help with administrative tasks.”

Because Knepper was honored as outstanding chapter advisor, a $200 cash prize is being awarded to the Morningside chapter by National Alpha Lambda Delta.