The annual Distinguished Alumni Reception recognizes the accomplishments of an exemplary alum from each of the academic programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Those honored are nominated by department chairs, faculty and staff, based on criteria that includes professional accomplishments, awards, philanthropy, service and contributions to the college and university community. In Fall 2017, the Philosophy Department honored Dr. Daw-Nay Evans.
Dr. Daw-Nay Evans earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Mason in 1999. Since then, he has earned a master’s in philosophy from Virginia Tech and received his PhD in philosophy from DePaul University. Currently, he is an assistant professor of philosophy and African American Studies at Lake Forest College, in Illinois, where he was recently named the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Assistant Professor of Humanities. In the spring of 2017 he was the winner of the William L. Dunn Award for Teaching and Scholarly Excellence. Daw-Nay's first book, Nietzsche and Classical Greek Philosophy: Beautiful and Diseased, was published in December, 2016, by Lexington Books.