Student, Faculty, Staff Awards

Awards recognizing accomplishments of students, faculty and staff of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the U of A System’s statewide Division of Agriculture were presented at an Honors Day Luncheon Thursday in the Arkansas Union's Alltel Ballroom.

Student Awards

Britanny Adams, the daughter of Jeff and Jeannie Bonds of Jonesboro, received the Senior Scholar Award and one of two John W. White Outstanding Student Awards. She was selected to be the Commencement Speaker at the Bumpers College Commencement program at 1 p.m., May 12, in the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center. Adams is a food science major and plans to pursue graduate studies.

John Christopher “Chris” Looney, the son of Dr. Charles Looney of Camden and Cathryn Looney of Monroe, La., also received the John W. White Outstanding Student Award. An agricultural business major, he was the U of A mascots, Big Red and Ribby, in 2005-2006. He plans to pursue graduate studies in agricultural economics.

Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholar awards are presented to the outstanding undergraduate transfer student and the outstanding M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students.

The Ph.D. Distinguished Scholar award went to Carol Ojano-Dirain, who received a doctorate in 2006 in cell and molecular biology and is now a program associate in the UA Center of Excellence for Poultry Science. She also received the Sigma Xi Aubrey E. Harvey Graduate Research Award for the graduate student who performed the most outstanding research on the Fayetteville campus during the preceding year.

The M.S. Distinguished Scholar is Burl Seversike of Olympia, Wash. He is receiving a master’s degree in crop management and plans to pursue a doctorate to prepare for a career that will involve working with small-scale farmers.

The undergraduate Distinguished Scholar is Troy Weatherley, son of Dwayne Weatherley of Conway and Deanna Taylor of Enola. He transferred from Arkansas State University-Beebe as an Agricultural Education, Communication and Technology major and plans to teach high school agricultural science.

The Spitze Public Policy Legislative Intern Scholarship provides for a summer internship in the Washington office of an Arkansas senator or congressman. This year’s recipient is Grant Hunt, son of Kirk and Lori Hunt of Brinkley. He is an agricultural business major and plans to attend law school. He has been president of FarmHouse Fraternity and the AgriBusiness Club and was scribe in Alpha Zeta.

The Presidential Scholar award goes to the junior with the highest grade point average: Laura Carpenter, daughter of Jim and Anne Carpenter of Benton. She is an Honors Program student majoring in apparel studies with minors in marketing and French.

The Bumpers College Alumni Society sponsors an annual scholarship and names two Ring Scholars. The scholarship recipient is Jonathan “Brent” Koonce, son of Thomas and Kay Koonce of Little Rock. He is an animal science/pre-vet major. Ring Scholars are agricultural education, communication and technology majors Ronald Koch, son of Ronnie and Joyce Koch of Clarksville, and Melissa Osburn, daughter of Dobbin and Diane Osburn of Mountainburg.

Faculty and Staff

Nancy Jack, assistant professor of animal science, is the 2007 recipient of the Jack Justus Award for Teaching Excellence and the John W. White Teaching Award for Excellence. She developed the Dorothy E. King Equine Program, which includes the popular new equine science minor at the U of A and a number of popular public events.

The Bumpers College Alumni Society Outstanding Advising Award recipient is Kathleen R. "Kathy" Smith, an apparel studies instructor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.

The John W. White Outstanding Team Award went to the Division of Agriculture's Functional Foods Program for research to evaluate and characterize phytonutrients in various foods and ways to improve retention in fresh and processed foods. It also includes extension efforts to increase the benefits of functional foods to consumers. Team members are Luke Howard and Terry Siebenmorgen, food science; Rosemary Rodibaugh, state extension nutrition specialist; and John R. Clark, Teddy Morelock and Brad Murphy, horticulture.

John W. White Award for Research Excellence recipient is Dan Donoghue, associate professor of poultry science. He is a leading authority on drug, chemical and pathogen contamination of poultry.

The John W. White Extension Excellence Award at the state level was presented to John Jennings, Division of Agriculture forage specialist and professor of animal science. The John W. White Extension Excellence Award for county staff members went to VeEtta Simmons, staff chair of the Crittenden County office of the Cooperative Extension Service.

The Outstanding Professional Support Award for non-classified staff  was presented to James A. “Pete” Hornsby, an animal science research associate and manager of the Stocker and Receiving Cattle Research Unit at Savoy, west of Fayetteville.

The  Outstanding Professional Support Award for staff in the state's classified employee system was presented to Division of Agriculture employees Judy Haney with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Roberta Bufford with the Cooperative Extension Service. Haney is an accounting technician in the food science department. Bufford is administrative office supervisor in the White County office of the Cooperative Extension Service.