Each year, The Citadel Graduate College (CGC) celebrates student excellence in areas of academics, leadership and service during the annual CGC Awards Ceremony. With campus closed, more than 20 deserving CGC students and faculty members are being recognized as a part of commencement. Each year, The Citadel Graduate College (CGC) celebrates student excellence in areas of academics, leadership and service during the annual CGC Awards Ceremony.

The 2020 award recipients include:

Graduate Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership

The Graduate Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership recognizes an exceptional student that has demonstrated academic excellence and leadership while at The Citadel.

Kara Marie Klein
Klein is the director of marketing at The Citadel and earned a MS in Project Management. She’s worked at The Citadel for nine years, leading the advertising, market research and data analysis for the college. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Anne Marie Maghakian
Maghakian received her Master’s Certificate in May of 2019 and is currently working toward her Master’s in Higher Education Leadership. She should be awarded the M.Ed. in 2021.

Thomas Dewey Wise
Wise is the oldest person to earn a degree from The Citadel or The Citadel Graduate College. At 80, Wise has many career and personal accomplishments, including his new Masters Degree in International Politics and Military Affairs which he earned with honors as a member of The Citadel Class of 2020. Wise is an Army veteran who served in Viet Nam and as an appellate attorney for the U.S. Army Judiciary for which he was awarded numerous medals. He was a member of the South Carolina General Assembly, founded a law firm and served as Assistant County Attorney for Charleston County.

Evening Undergraduate Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership

The Evening Undergraduate Student Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership recognizes an exceptional student that has demonstrated both academic excellence and leadership while at The Citadel.

Corey Matthew Byrd
Byrd earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and is pursuing an MBA with The Citadel Graduate College. He is a veteran who served eight years in the South Carolina National Guard and works as a student account representative at The Citadel.

Dawn Wells
Wells graduated with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and completed and internship with Mead and Hunt as a transportation engineering intern. She served as the student president of the Society of Women Engineers Club at The Citadel, was inducted into the Tau beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers student club.

The Office of Military and Veteran Affairs Academic Excellence and Leadership Award

The Office of Military and Veteran Affairs Academic Excellence and Leadership Award recognizes an exceptional student that has demonstrated both academic excellence and leadership while at The Citadel.

Thomas Dewey Wise
Wise founded an international telecommunications company and First Trident Savings Bank. He served on The Citadel Board of Visitors, and on the board of directors of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce as well as holding positions on other boards. Since retiring he has earned Master Gardener and Master Wildlifer titles and devoted more than 500 hours of volunteer service to the county’s master gardener program. He is currently working to finish three books, one of which is an autobiography. (Watch for a full feature story about Mr. Wise on The Citadel Today newsroom Friday, May 15.)

Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Graduate College

The Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Graduate College recognizes a distinguished faculty member that has made outstanding contributions to graduate education on campus.

Jeremy Bennett, Ph.D.
Bennett is the Director of Graduate and College Transfer Programs, and Assistant Professor for the Baker School of Business. Prior to joining The Citadel, he served as the Director of the MBA program at the University of North Georgia.

Charles Lindbergh Award

The Charles Lindbergh Award is presented annually to an undergraduate evening student in civil and environmental engineering for outstanding achievement in civil engineering. This award honors Charles Lindbergh, Ph.D., Citadel Class of 1958. 

Dawn Wells

Hirshey Award

The Hirshey Award is presented to graduate and cadet students exemplifying excellence in education in honor of Charles Hirshey, Ph.D., head of The Citadel Department of Education from 1969 to 1979. Hirshey is a pioneer of graduate education in the Lowcountry and a founding member of what is now The Citadel Graduate College.

Victoria Carle

Colin Thomas Martin
Martin earned a Master of Secondary Education as a member of the CGC Class of 2020. He is a student-teaching intern at Wando High School. Martin will pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry with Carnegie Mellon University.

Scott James Lusby
Lusby, who earned his M.Ed. in Secondary School Administration, is a 21-year veteran of teaching, the last 13 years of which have been in the Beaufort County School District. He has been twice nominated for Teacher of the Year by his schools, making it to the district finals once. Mr. Lusby is also an experienced curriculum writer and teacher evaluator. 

Joseph Castleman Annibale
Annibale graduated with a Master of Education in Elementary Counseling. After graduating from high school, he decided to join the Franciscan Friars. A year and a half later, he moved back home and began working with after-school programs in Charleston County. After working in schools such as Whitesville, Chicora, Buist, Charleston Progressive and Philip Simmons, Joseph decided to enroll in the counselor education program at The Citadel to pursue becoming an elementary school counselor.

Aline Mahan Award

The Aline M. Mahan Award is presented annually to graduates who have demonstrated an outstanding record of scholarship, technical skill and community service in the school psychology program at The Citadel.

Shaniqua Latoya Crews

J. Patrick Leverett Award

The J. Patrick Leverett Award is presented to the year’s outstanding graduate of The Citadel Department of Psychology’s master’s degree program in clinical counseling. This award honors Pat Leverett, who served as a faculty member in the department for 10 years.

John Paul Karabees
Karabees, who graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Counseling in December 2019, came to The Citadel after earning an Associate of Applied Science in Intelligence Operations at Cochise College and a BA in Philosophy at the College of Charleston. He served eight years as a U.S. Army Intelligence staff sergeant and was a member of USA Office of Military Support where he had four deployments and one overseas duty station. During his time in the Clinical Counseling MA program, Karabees also worked as a mental health technician at Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health.

Lauren Adams Teal
Teal has been an exemplary student during her time in the Clinical-Counseling MA program and has lived a life defined by serving others. Lauren enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17 and turned 21 while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, with the job specialty of Military Police. During this time, she was also enrolled as an undergraduate at University of South Carolina with a double major in Experimental Psychology and Criminology and Criminal Justice. While a student at The Citadel, Teal was activated by the Army National Guard for two different states of emergency.

MBA Student of the Year Award

The MBA Student of the Year Award is presented to a graduate who has demonstrated an exceptional record of academic achievement and principled leadership within the MBA Program. A vote of faculty members who teach in the MBA Program determine the award each year.

Anna Bagwell Mullins

MBA Faculty Member of the Year Award

The MBA Faculty Member of the Year Award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the education of their students. A vote of students in the MBA Program determine the award each year.

Michael M. Barth, Ph.D.
Barth is an Associate Professor of Finance in The Citadel’s School of Business Administration. Prior to joining the faculty in 2007, he spent nine years in the Department of Finance and Quantitative Analysis at Georgia Southern University, including two years as the acting department chair.

Business Evening Undergraduate Student of the Year Award

The Business Evening Undergraduate Student of the Year Award is determined is presented to an undergraduate student who has demonstrated an exceptional record of academic achievement and principled leadership within the program. The award is determined by a vote of faculty members who teach in the evening undergraduate program.

Kristie L. Cowart
Cowart is the director of accounting operations for The Citadel. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. She has worked at The Citadel in the Finance Office for 26 years.

Business Evening Undergraduate Faculty Member of the Year Award

The Business Evening Undergraduate Faculty Member of the Year Award recognizes one evening undergraduate professor for their accomplishments. The award is determined by a vote of evening undergraduate students.

Maria A. Aselage
Aselage is a full-time adjunct professor at The Citadel where she teaches marketing and communication classes. She owns and operates HearSay Communications, a Charleston-based boutique communications company.

Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Leadership Studies

The Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Leadership Studies recognizes the top performing Master of Science in Leadership student for their outstanding academic achievement, student engagement and scholarly excellence in leadership studies.

Deborah Anne Barton

Swain Department of Nursing Caring Award

The Swain Department of Nursing recognizes an evening undergraduate student who has exemplified the components of Swanson’s Theory of Caring: Being With, Enabling, Maintaining Belief, Doing For, and Knowing. 

Crystyn Neely Brown

Note: If you are an award recipient and would like your biographical information added to this article, please contact Zach Watson at zwatson2@citadel.edu.