Families and friends of Capitol students, along with esteemed faculty and staff members, gathered in the Avrum Gudelsky Memorial Auditorium last week at the annual Honors Convocation, to recognize the hard work and academic achievements of the Capitol students within the past year.
This year’s keynote speaker, Brigadier General Peter C. Hinz, the assistant division commander – Support, 29th Infantry Division and chief of staff to the adjutant general for Maryland, addressed students on "The Meaning of Leadership in Today's Society."
General Hinz assists the Commanding General with oversight of divisional units for operational deployments and for units’ attaining and sustaining a high degree of readiness to mobilize and deploy for federal and state missions. His civilian occupation is chief of staff to the adjutant general for Maryland. He also serves as chief of staff for the Maryland Military Department, which consists of the Joint Forces Headquarters, the Maryland Air National Guard, the Maryland Army National Guard, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, and the Maryland Defense Force.
General Hinz was commissioned in 1979 through the Maryland Army National Guard Officer’s Candidate School. Prior to receiving his commission, General Hinz served on active duty in the United States Army which included assignment to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, as a courier specialist for the Armed Forces Courier Service and in the Maryland Army National Guard as an enlisted member of the 121st Engineer Battalion. He has held many unit, battalion, and brigade level assignments and primary staff positions. General Hinz commanded the 121st Engineer Battalion and the 58th Troop Command. He also served as director of facilities for the Maryland Army National Guard. He has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Frostburg State University, and has studied at the United States Army War College.
From a military perspective, General Hinz recounted acts of leadership from the annals of American history, citing those 21- and 22-year-old men who had the weight of the country on their shoulders in 1962, the beginning of the Vietnam War. General Hinz recognized that these soldiers had to deal with changing times and shifting attitudes among U.S. citizens, and as a result the needed to change their leadership strategies and principles.
“Military leadership is no different from leadership in academics, society and family,” said General Hinz. “This student body is at the forefront of change, and difficult times are the true test of leaders. Your accomplishments today mean you already have leadership skills, so I challenge you to take up the mantle of leadership in your life.”
Among the awards recognized were dean’s list students, Space Operations Institute awards, and scholarship recipients. During the ceremony, students with exceptional grades and work ethic were inducted into one of three academic honor societies; Alpha Chi, Sigma Beta Delta, and Tau Alpha Pi. Students earning the title “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” for both undergraduate and graduate programs were also acknowledged.
“Please recognize that they probably could not have reached this pinnacle without you,” said President Wood to the families and friends of the honored students. “Thank you, on their behalf, for being there and providing them the help they needed to climb this ladder of excellence.”