MEDIA RELEASES

Ryan Sajder, a graduate of Mountain Home High School, has received the St. Catherine Medal from Dominican University. The special award is presented each year by Kappa Gamma Pi, the National Catholic Honor Society, to a sophomore or junior with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher (on a 4.) scale) and who has demonstrated leadership and outstanding service to the university.

Sajder graduated from Dominican this spring. A double major in Italian and English, Sajder served as president of the Italian Club this year. In this capacity, he planned a Columbus Day parade, oversaw the Cucina Dolce Vita fundraiser, organized a prayer service in Italian and English in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and introduced an Italian Mass in honor of St. Joseph. Reflective of his strong social conscience, Sajder worked with several academic departments to present two documentary films about medical relief workers in Afghanistan.

In addition, Sajder was active in the university’s Honors Council since his freshman year and served as a Eucharistic Minister at Dominican and at his home parish in Arizona. Off-campus, Sajder volunteered as a scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop in Chicago and will spend this summer camping with his troop in the mountains of New Mexico.

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Dominican offers 50 undergraduate academic programs through the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 15 graduate programs through the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the Graduate School of Business and Information Systems, the School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work and the Institute for Adult Learning. In the 2004 issue of America’s Best Colleges, U.S. News & World Report again ranked Dominican University in the top tier of Midwest master’s level universities and as a “best value” for the sixth consecutive year.