Gary Jones, an adult student from Greenville, was awarded this year's Eric A. and Josephine Walker Award. Dr. Eric Walker, former president of the university, founded this award to recognize students from Commonwealth system campuses whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of their campus and to the reputation of the university.

Jones graduated with an associate's degree in business administration in the spring of 2003 and is working toward his bachelor's degree in business at the Shenango campus.

During the last two years, Jones has been active in the student organizations and clubs at the campus, including Student Government Association (representative at-large), Future Executive Society, Bible Club and Drama Club. He was elected president of SGA for the 2003-04 academic school year. Over the last two years, he has maintained status on the dean's list each semester. For the past year, he has been the campus' technical-support tutor for students in the Information, Science and Technology program.

Jones is a graduate of Reynolds High School and Mercer County Career Center, Coolspring Township, where he became a certified combination welder.

He and his wife, Ann Marie, live in Greenville and have three grown children.

This year's Outstanding Adult Student Award was presented to Rickie Simpson, Sharon. This award, established by the Penn State Shenango Advisory Board, recognizes adult students who have overcome difficult circumstances in order to pursue higher education.

Ms. Simpson, who was born in Pittsburgh, was raised in Mercer and graduated from Mercer High School. She is a single mother of six children and seven grandchildren.

During the last two years at Penn State Shenango, Ms. Simpson served as a lab assistant for the campus biology and chemistry professors, was a member of Honors Club, participated in the campus art exhibit through Art Club, and helped with the campus's annual Pre-Exam Jam event.

She recently graduated from Penn State Shenango with the highest grade point average for associate degrees in letters, arts and sciences. She will pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing at Mercy College at St. Elizabeth's in Youngstown.

Ms. Simpson was presented with a plaque and a $300 cash award from the Penn State Shenango Advisory Board at their April board meeting. She also received recognition at the Honors' Convocation dinner in May.

Three students were presented with the inaugural Ann Wansack Award. They are Rosemary Breedlove, Westford; Luke Oskin, Linesville; and Becky Ramp, Greenville.

This new award was made in honor of Penn State Shenango employee Ann "Mom" Wansack for her devotion to the students of the Shenango campus. The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize full-time students enrolled at the campus who are actively involved, through leadership or participation, in the betterment of Penn State Shenango.

Rosemary Breedlove graduated from Penn State Shenango with a bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis in management information systems in spring 2003.

As last year's co-winner of the Outstanding Adult Student Award, Ms. Breedlove continued her involvement at the Shenango campus as an active member in several organizations including the Future Executives' Society (treasurer), SGA (Judicial Affairs), Adult Seeking Knowledge (president), Society of Human Resources Managers (member), and Honors Club (secretary). Ms. Breedlove also worked this year as a work-study student in the Student Affairs Office, assisting in the students' spring break trip and Honors Club's New York City trip.

She was married to the late John Breedlove and has three children and two grandchildren.

Oskin graduated from Linesville High School in 2000. He is majoring in the business program at Penn State Shenango and plans to graduate in the spring 2004.

He is president of Word of God Bible Club. He uses his leadership qualities to reach out to students who need moral support by listening to their concerns and problems. He is an active member of Linesville Methodist Church, where he is a certified lay person. He works for his father's construction business, David L. Oskin Construction.

Becky Ramp graduated from Commodore Perry High School, Sheakleyville, in 1996 and began taking classes at Penn State Shenango in fall 1999. She graduated with an associate degree in human development and family studies from Penn State Shenango in 2001 and continued her education at the campus last year. She will be attending Thiel College this fall, majoring in elementary education with a minor in psychology.

At the Shenango campus, Ms. Ramp was actively involved in several student activities and organizations. This past academic year, she was president of SGA. Through her leadership, SGA supported numerous activities including the student THON organization, which raises funds for kids with cancer at Penn State University Children's Hospital, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, the annual Greenberger Lecture; various other campus clubs and organizations activities; and the Common-wealth College Student Government (CCSG).

As president of SGA, Ms. Ramp was very involved as an honorary member of the campus advisory board and served on several campus faculty/staff searches as well as a variety of committees. Most recently, she volunteered to be the first student director of the Nittany Players for the spring production of "Taming of the Shrew." In 2002, she was awarded the Eric and Josephine Walker Award.

Each recipient of this award was presented with $300.