SUNY Fredonia has selected Jessica M. Hutchison of Lockport, N.Y., as the 2003 recipient of the Lanford Presidential Prize, which she will receive at the May 17 commencement ceremony. She is completing degrees in psychology and business administration/ marketing, and will graduate with honors in liberal education.
 
As the Lanford Presidential Prize recipient, Ms. Hutchison will receive a bronze medallion from College President Dennis L. Hefner during the ceremony. The prize is accompanied by a cash gift of $2,500. Her previous academic achievements include receiving the Sigma Gamma Phi Outstanding Member Award and Sigma Gamma Phi White Ribbon award of excellence, and being named to the Dean's List and the national Alma Mater Society.
 
Lanford Presidential Prize winners are exemplary students selected for embodying SUNY Fredonia ideals in academic life and student leadership. The highest honor given to a member of the graduating senior class, the prize denotes honesty, integrity, and moral character. The Fredonia College Foundation created the Lanford Presidential Prize through an endowment gift from President Emeritus Oscar E. Lanford.
 
As an undergraduate, Ms. Hutchison was a member of the award-winning group, "Students In Free Enterprise," a College Ambassador, president and founding member of the Sigma Gamma Phi Sorority, a volunteer for many community service projects, including Superdance, the March of Dimes, Breast Cancer Awareness, and the Black Student Union. "I challenge myself to learn as much as I can," she said.
 
Ms. Hutchison has worked as an intern for Student Affairs since August 2002, conducting a statistical analysis and research project on the views of freshmen. She organized and implemented a freshman "Get Connected" program after researching similar programs at other universities. As a freshmen orientation leader, she helped freshmen in scheduling and matriculation, and participated in a workshop for parents. At Fredonia she was a resident assistant, serving as a mentor and advisor to other students.
 
Selected out of 150 applicants, she was invited to participate in the College's Leadership Development program and, as one of its top students, was asked to join the elite Leadership Corps. Ms. Hutchison also served as an intern for the Leadership Development program, developing and executing lesson plans for the leadership class, facilitating discussion in the classroom setting, assisting in the interviewing of the incoming interns, and organizing and developing awards ceremonies and presentations.