This spring, Oglethorpe University proudly recognizes the recipients of its 2026 Alumni Awards, celebrating alumni and faculty whose accomplishments and service reflect the very best of the OU community.
Honorees will be recognized at the Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony on April 17 during Alumni Weekend. Each recipient was selected by the Alumni Board of Directors’ awards and recognition committee for their lasting contributions to both campus and community.
Carillon Award – Dr. Shaniece Criss ’02
Formerly the School Bell Award, the Carillon Award recognizes a member of Oglethorpe’s alumni network, or past or present faculty member, who has made lasting contributions in education, civic engagement, or innovation.
Dr. Criss is a civic leader, public health scholar and associate professor at Furman University, where she directs the Advocacy and Social Policy master’s program. An elected member of the Travelers Rest City Council, she founded the Youth Council Academy. She also hosts “Civically Grown,” a podcast featuring changemakers and their leadership journeys. A Harvard-trained public health researcher with professional experience spanning the Centers for Disease Control, CNN, and ICF International, she is deeply committed to advancing community wellbeing and developing future leaders.
O.K. Sheffield ’53 Young Alumnus Award – Bradley Harper-Firchow ’19
The O.K. Sheffield ’53 Young Alumnus Award recognizes a graduate of the last 10 years who has shown leadership and inspired other young alumni through participation in career, public service, volunteer, or continuing education activities.
Harper-Firchow is a medical student in the Rural Physician Leadership Program at the University of Kentucky. He is excited to improve health outcomes for patients in medically underserved areas, stemming from spending his formative years in Appalachia and the rural Southern U.S. He previously served on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 response as a health communicator, delivering vital public health information to populations placed at increased risk by structural factors.
Belle Turner Lynch ’61 Spirit of Oglethorpe Award – Kelly Napier ’04
The recipient of the Belle Turner Lynch ’61 Spirit of Oglethorpe Award is an alumni member who lives by the Oglethorpe motto: “Make a life. Make a living. Make a difference.,” and demonstrates the attributes of a liberal arts education by exhibiting creativity, purposefulness and a commitment to improving the quality of their community.
Napier has built a career shaped by service, community and advocacy, ultimately finding her calling in elder law after earning her MBA and later her JD from Georgia State University. She co-founded Georgia Estate and Elder Law, inspired by her professional work and personal family experience navigating long-term care. Outside her practice, she is active in her church and the Georgia Gerontology Society, while enjoying time with her wife, Beth, and their four children.
Talmage Award – Dr. William (Bill) Shropshire (H)’10
The Talmage Award is given to an individual who contributes time, talent or financial resources to one or more programs of the university and/or is distinguished in the business, philanthropic or professional world.
Dr. Shropshire served on the faculty from 1979 to 2002 as the Callaway Professor of Economics. In addition to his time in the classroom, Dr. Shropshire served as the Chair of the Division of Economics and Business Administration and oversaw the hiring of many wonderful Oglethorpe faculty, including Bruce Hetherington, Keith Baker, Ron Carlisle, and the current SACS Program Coordinator for Economics Cassandra Copeland. Though Dr. Shropshire retired from teaching in 2002, he was asked to serve as the interim provost, then, in 2008, to join the University Board of Trustees, and, most recently, was made an emeritus trustee in 2025. He and his family have been active members of the community, including his children, who both earned degrees at OU.
In addition to the above honorees, the recently announced 2026 inductees to the OU Athletics Hall of Fame will also be honored on April 17.
Registration is open for both Alumni Weekend and the Alumni Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame Reception and Ceremony. To learn more about attending these events, please visit the Alumni Weekend website.
