Fifty graduating seniors have been named University Scholars and will be honored at an upcoming ceremony.
“The University Scholar Awards recognizes students who have achieved academic excellence as well as good scholarship,” said Brenda Bender, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and chair of the University Scholar sub-committee.
The award ceremony to honor the University Scholars will take place during Chapel April 16 at Chapel on the Hill. Family and friends of recipients, as well as faculty members, are welcome to attend.
In order to be named a University Scholar, a student must have maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher, have demonstrated knowledge and skill in their research and have earned 90 hours toward their degree.
“Every department is allowed to designate one student, and there are about 27 departments on campus,” Bender said. “Then there are an additional 23 awards that are at-large.”
All nominations for the awards are collected by a faculty senate and are evaluated by a sub-committee of senators. This year’s sub-committee consisted of Bender, Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Dr. Denise Barnett, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
“After we request that nominations be made, we read through the nominations and make decisions about which students receive awards and then put together the program for the Chapel,” Bender said.
Jenna Johnson, a junior English and vocational missions major from Tucson, Arizona, is one of this year’s award recipients. Johnson said she was surprised to learn she was a recipient, but is honored.
“I think that these awards demonstrate what unique connections can be made between professors and students at ACU,” Johnson said. “Knowing that a professor cares for you as an individual makes the award that much more humbling and honoring that someone you respect nominated you.”
Though Johnson did not expect the nominations, she expressed gratitude toward her professors.
“Be engaged in classes and take advantage of the opportunity you have to learn from the professors that put a lot of effort into their teaching,” Johnson said.
This year’s scholars are:
Lucas Mansano de Costa
Connor Osburn
Stephanie Day
Jamie Gordon
Jessica Kelley
Stephanie Fink
Jacob Woods
Lydia Brown
Dominique Rideout
Mitchell East
Jenna Johnson
Victoria Sun
Aubrey White
Ana Arango
Grayson Hurst
Joye Schuster
Molly Clemans
Christina Wise
Chris Campbell
Aric Tate
Sarah Holley
Madeline Orr
Marissa Jones
Daniel Block
Margo Herrera
Brance Armstrong
Sarah Taylor
Meaganne Lewellyn
Lexi French
Linsday Snyder
Colton McCoy
Alikay Wood
Megan Wixon
Molly Walker
Jordan Miller
Jaclyn Barker
Janessa Beach
Austin Lemmons
Julie Brinkman
Dulce Mancine
Kalyn Prince
Kyle Levenick
Levi Ritchie
Krista Cukrowski
Alayna Klassen
Kaitlin Pegoda
Katlin Sehres
Elizabeth Rockwell
Taylor Hunt
Caleb Pierce
