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