April 11, 2013
West Chester student named 2013 Ali-Zaidi award winner
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg – Michael B. Jendzurski, a senior exercise science major at West Chester University
of Pennsylvania, has been named the 2013 winner of the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for
Academic Excellence. He will receive $1,000 along with a commemorative medallion for
his achievement.
Kerry Schutte from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Christopher William Smyth
from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania were selected as runners-up for the award.
Each will receive $500.
The Ali-Zaidi Award is presented annually to a graduating senior at one of the 14
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities. It recognizes
outstanding academic achievement and participation in extra- and co-curricular activities.
The award was established by Syed R. Ali-Zaidi, a founding member of the PASSHE Board
of Governors.
Jendzurski of Collegeville, who also will receive a minor in communications studies
in May, has earned a 3.87 GPA at West Chester. He is the recipient of numerous scholarships,
including the Charles S. Swope Scholarship and Fellowship, the university’s highest
academic and service award; the Russell L. Sturzebecker College of Health Sciences
Scholarship, the top academic award presented by the College; and a PASSHE Board of
Governors Scholarship. He also has received several awards, including the National
Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award for leadership and service and West Chester
University Scholar Athlete of the Year.
A student in West Chester’s Honors College, Jendzurski is a member of Phi Epsilon
Kappa, the national honors fraternity for physical education and health; Omicron Delta
Kappa, the national leadership and service honor society; and Lambda Pi Eta, the national
communication honor society. He has held numerous offices in campus organizations
and has participated in a variety of service projects while at WCU, including Light
the Night, AIDS Walk Philly and Aid to South Africa. He is an Eagle Scout.
Schutte of Concord Township, Ohio, who also will receive a Bachelor of Science degree
in psychology, with a minor in biology, has earned a 3.87 GPA while at Edinboro. She
has received numerous scholarships, including the Dr. Jeremy D. Brown Millennium Leader
Scholarship and William Rothenbach Outstanding Leader Scholarship, and a variety of
other awards, including the President’s Award for Service to the Community and the
Volunteer of the Year Award for The Ophelia Project.
She is a member of Phi Sigma Pi, a national honor fraternity, and has made numerous
presentations at both state and national conferences. Schutte is a mentor for Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Pennsylvania and a volunteer for Expanding Social
Opportunities for Gifted and Exceptional Children.
Smyth of Christiana, who will receive a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with
a concentration in marine biology and a minor in environmental studies, has earned
a 3.82 GPA while at Lock Haven. He has received several scholarships, including the
May Ireland Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship, the Paul and Shirley Klens Scholarship Award
and a PASSHE Board of Governors Scholarship, as well as a variety of awards, including
the 2012 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists Outstanding Student Award.
He has participated in a variety of research projects, including at the Scripps Institute
of Oceanography in LaJolla, California, and the Environmental Science Consortium Internship
aboard the U.S. Brig Niagara. Smyth has volunteered with the Children Actively Protecting
the Environment After School Program and the David School Mountain Serve Alternate
Spring Break trip to David, Ky., and was a Relay for Life team coordinator.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, with about 115,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities
offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000
PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses
in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the Philadelphia Multi University Center
in Philadelphia.