Greg Sagstetter named to All-USA College Academic Second Team
Greg Sagstetter, a Virginia Tech junior and a University Honors student pursuing dual degrees in philosophy and political science with a minor in Africana Studies, has been named to USA Today's All-USA College Academic Second Team. Sagstetter was selected from a field of more than 600 students nominated by colleges and universities throughout the United States. The All-USA selections met the criteria for outstanding scholarship and leadership and for extending their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.
“Greg is incredibly intelligent, deeply thoughtful, and completely committed to making this a better world,” said Joe Pitt, chair of the Department of Philosophy. “He is one of the most mature and exciting undergraduates I have known in 35 years of teaching. He will make this a better world -- we need more like him.”
Sagstetter is incredibly active on-campus, as well as in the greater community. He has logged over 3,000 hours as a firefighter/EMT with the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department over the last six years. In that time, he has obtained certification from the National Fire Protection Association in every area possible, including firefighting, hazardous materials operations, airport rescue & firefighting, and heavy & tactical rescue (vehicle extrication, bus and truck extrication, structural collapse, trench rescue, confined space rescue, rope rescue, and swift water rescue). In addition, Sagstetter trained with FEMA for emergency response to terrorism and has also been certified by the United States Department of Justice for the Chemical Protective Clothing Team, and by OSHA for blood-borne pathogens.
At Virginia Tech, Sagstetter assists the Office of Judicial Affairs as a permanent committee chair and was appointed to the subcommittee for sexual misconduct. He is also an associate justice for the Undergraduate Honor System, and serves as the Honor System’s representative to the Commission on Student Affairs. As a student judicial committee chair, Sagstetter is responsible for articulating to affected students the rationale behind committee decisions. "Greg is exceptional at this," said Frances Keene, director of the Office of Judicial Affairs. "He gives the information to other students kindly, honestly, and clearly. He has also sought out opportunities to challenge my staff and me on the philosophy and purpose of the Virginia Tech Judicial System and does not hesitate to research our system and then engage in meaningful discussion."
Academically, Sagstetter has served as an undergraduate teaching and research assistant, and assisted in the development of a senior-level course in Fall 2004 titled, “The Philosophy of Terrorism.” He spearheaded the production of the “Technical Rescue Resource Guide” for Montgomery County, in which all rescue equipment was carefully inventoried to facilitate assistance in specific emergencies. He also traveled to Japan over winter break last year, collecting data for papers on Western Aesthetic Concepts and the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
Sagstetter is a peer educator for Sexual Assault and Violence Education by Students (SAVES), and has worked with The Clothesline Project, as well as other community awareness projects for the Virginia Tech Women’s Center. He is also an ambassador for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, a mentor to freshman honors students, and treasurer of the Philosophy Club. A perennial Dean’s List student with a near-perfect GPA, Sagstetter has received numerous other awards while at Virginia Tech, including induction into Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and Who’s Who. He also received the Response to Pentagon Award for 9/11.
Sagstetter, who will graduate in May 2007, is the son of Janet Poole of Sterling, Va., and Frank Sagstetter, of Reston, Va.
