Students, faculty, staff and alumni were honored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln at its annual Ivy Day ceremonies on April 1.
The event, co-sponsored by Mortar Board and the Innocents Society, recognized outstanding contributions of students selected to serve in the two senior honorary organizations, as well as the achievements of current members and notable underclassmen and seniors.
Ceremonies took place at Sheldon Museum of Art and concluded with the traditional planting of the ivy by the 2023-24 presidents of the societies — Emily Plotnik of Lakeville, Minnesota, for Mortar Board and Brynn Boes of Gretna for the Innocents Society.
Jane Miller, retired president and chief operating officer of Gallup, delivered the keynote address. At Gallup, she oversaw worldwide operations, ensuring that all systems, resources and people were aligned to achieve the organization’s goals. She has served in leadership roles with the Peter Kiewit Foundation, TeamMates Mentoring, Kiewit Luminarium, Omaha Zoological Society, Nebraska Medicine and University of Nebraska Foundation. She received the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership Award and has been inducted into the Omaha Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.
Honorary Mortar Board memberships were presented to Rosalee Swartz, undergraduate program director in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Nebraska; and Angela Garbacz, founder and head pastry chef at Goldenrod Pastries and owner of Goldenrod Grocery.
New members of Mortar Board are tapped into the Black Masque Chapter each spring by Mortar Boarders wearing black masks and robes. The 26 new members were selected based on scholarship, leadership and service.
Cordell Vrbka is from Malcom, Nebraska and is a pre-veterinary medicine and fisheries and wildlife major. His parents are Jake and Becky Vrbka.
See a complete list of honorees at:
More details at: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/innocents-society-mortar-board-members-inducted-for-2023-24/