University of Jamestown Honors Convocation Recognizes Academic Excellence and Leadership

The University of Jamestown’s highest undergraduate honor went to two seniors at its 87th annual Honors Convocation, a ceremony that also put Jamestown and Spiritwood students, faculty and staff in the spotlight.

Held April 16 in Harold Newman Arena, the convocation opened with remarks from Dr. Ernesto Fundora, the university’s 2025 Professor of the Year. Fundora mixed humor with a direct message for students, telling them, “We prepare you for the world as it will be when you arrive to lead it.” He urged students to think beyond the next job and consider how they will lead with courage, integrity, faith and purpose when they get there.

That theme matched the university’s motto, Lux et Veritas, or Light and Truth, which framed the ceremony as a recognition of both academic achievement and character. The event’s centerpiece awards, the President’s Key, went to Justin Proulx, who is graduating in Business Studies and Behavioral Health, and Malina Reynolds, who is graduating in Exercise Science and Psychology. The honor is reserved for the highest-ranking undergraduate seniors who have completed at least 100 credits at the University of Jamestown.

The convocation also underscored the university’s role in the broader Jamestown community through awards that reached beyond the classroom. Xavier Baker of Jamestown received the Psychology Department Outstanding Senior Achievement Award, while Mara Bjornson of Spiritwood earned the Nurse Leadership Recognition Award. Those recognitions tied the ceremony to students whose names are already familiar in Stutsman County circles, not just on campus.

Faculty and staff were honored as well. Nicole Hochhalter, RDN, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, was named Alpha Chi Professor of the Year for her work with students and her efforts to expand facilities and programs. Lexi Lueck, an assistant registrar, was named Staff Person of the Year for her adaptability and positive influence on campus culture.

The university posted a recording of the ceremony to its YouTube channel and made the event program available online. The 2026 convocation continued a pattern seen in 2025, when Honors Day also recognized Fundora as Professor of the Year and Gabe Martinez as Staff Person of the Year, reinforcing a long-running tradition of honoring achievement, service and leadership at one of Jamestown’s most visible institutions.