Date: October 31, 2003
Contact: Michael Hopkins
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: m-hopkins@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, October 31, 2003—Governors State University announced its 2003 Lincoln Laureate today. Selected for the statewide honor is GSU undergraduate student and Homewood resident Pamela Thompson.
Thompson, a mother of two, is an undergraduate in Health Administration with a minor in Business Administration.
"Pam is a jewel," said Dr. Lorraine Sibbet, GSU's director of Student Life. "She carries a perfect grade point average and is a real leader in the classroom."
According to Sibbet, Thompson is a tireless volunteer. She devotes her time and energies to school districts 153 and 233 as well Governors State.
"The Lincoln Laureate has to be of the highest academic caliber," Sibbet said, "but she also has to be devoted to extracurricular activities and show excellence there, too. Given all that, we simply could not have a better representative that Pam."
Awarded through The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, the Lincoln Laureate is reserved for the best students who attend state colleges.
"I'm honored just to be considered," Thompson said.
She credited her family's support for giving her the freedom to excel both in academic and volunteer activities. "My family is behind me all the way," she said. "Their support has been the backbone of everything I've been able to accomplish."
Thompson was recently inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society, which limits membership to the top 10 percent of a university's undergraduates who have achieved a GPA of 3.2 to 4.0. In the GSU chapter, that criterion has limited membership to students who carry a minimum GPA of 3.9.
Dr. Jay Shen, one of the GSU professors who nominated her, said Thompson was the top-ranked student in his class, one of the hardest courses in the program – Microeconomics.
I've been very impressed with Pam's performance," Shen said. "To be honest, it's hard to resist praising her. She's just that good."
Like most of GSU's students, Thompson is a returning student. Her oldest daughter is a college graduate, and her youngest is in high school. Thompson also works part-time as a registered nurse.
She will be awarded the Lincoln Laureate Medallion in the Old Capital Building in Springfield November 1.
