News

Garrett Mikulka was recently named Lee University’s 2020 Charles Paul Conn Award recipient.

The Charles Paul Conn Award is given to a Lee senior who demonstrates the greatest promise of achievement in graduate or professional studies after graduating from Lee. Established in 1996, the award is named in honor of Lee’s 16th president. Each department may nominate one student for the award. From these nominees, a winner is selected by a faculty vote.

“Being nominated, let alone selected, for this award was truly a surprise to me,” said Mikulka. “I am honored to be this year’s Charles Paul Conn Award recipient.”

Mikulka graduated from Lee in December 2019 with a degree in English literature with a minor in writing. He is a current fellow at Indiana University, pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature, after which he plans to seek a tenure-track professor position.

While at Lee, Mikulka received the Presidential Scholarship, the McNair Rising Scholar Award, was a Hicks Scholar, and served as student worker for Dr. Chad Schrock in the Department of Language and Literature.

“Garrett is the most academically specialized and profession-ready student I have taught in a 15-year teaching career at four institutions,” said Schrock, associate professor of English.

Mikulka is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, an international collegiate English honor society and one of the largest members of the Association of College Honor Societies. He also received the Christianity and Literature National Undergraduate Critical Writing Award.

The university will recognize Mikulka for this honor during commencement exercises later this summer.