FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Six incoming University of Arkansas freshmen have been chosen to receive prestigious Bodenhamer Fellowships. They will each receive up to $50,000 for four years of study or up to $62,500 for five years if the student is pursuing an accredited five-year degree program.  The fellowship covers tuition and fees, room and board, the purchase of books and supplies and can help cover costs for study abroad, attendance at professional and educational conferences, research and special equipment.

The 2007-08 class of Bodenhamer Fellows are James W. Burnett III, of Texarkana, Texas; Christopher Hearnsberger of Hot Springs; Jacob Morgan of Arkadelphia; Hannah Moreland of Broken Arrow, Okla.; Abigail Washispack of Conway; and Sarah Withem of Ashdown.

This will be the 10^th class of Bodenhamer Fellows to attend the University of Arkansas. The Bodenhamer Foundation, acting through its trustee, Lee Bodenhamer (BSBA 1957, MBA 1961), established the Bodenhamer Fellowships at the University of Arkansas in 1998. 

Competition for the fellowships is intense. Students must have a minimum score of 32 on the ACT and at least a 3.8 grade point average to qualify for the fellowship. Further, students are required to prepare essays about their academic and community interests, along with letters of recommendation. The Bodenhamer selection committee reads these carefully and interviews the candidates to find students who are intellectually curious, have a passion about a particular subject or social concern and have demonstrated leadership abilities.

“The Bodenhamer Fellowship program has been transformational for our campus, helping the University of Arkansas build a cohort of outstanding student scholars” said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “Lee Bodenhamer’s vision and generosity have not only increased opportunities for students, but have greatly raised expectations for student engagement. These impressive students have certainly risen to the challenge he set for them.”

This summer, before the students began classes, Lee Bodenhamer treated them to a five-day trip to Washington, D.C. The students toured the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, Holocaust Museum, as well as several other significant landmarks. Karon Reese, a Ph.D. candidate in the university’s creative writing department, and her spouse Steven Striffler, a professor in the anthropology department, accompanied the new Fellows on the trip.

The six new Bodenhamer Fellows will be introduced during a reunion event being held to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the Bodenhamer Fellowship Program at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, in the E.J. Ball Courtroom at the School of Law. This will be followed by a dinner at University House.  Bodenhamer alumni are coming from across the country to join in the celebration. Ben Hood, a Fellow from the class of 2002, will travel from Washington, D.C. for the event.  Hood was both a Barry Goldwater Scholar and a Marshall Scholar, which allowed him to complete a Ph.D. at St. Andrews in Scotland.

 “The Bodenhamer Fellowship and the University of Arkansas provided me with educational opportunities second to none,” Hood said. “I studied abroad, completed research, connected with experts in my field and enjoyed the support of faculty who were well known across the country. The superb preparation enabled me to move directly into a Ph.D. program in astrophysics at one of the leading British universities in my field. I am delighted to have a chance to come back and express my appreciation.”

Erin Walker Thompson, also from the class of 2002, will also attend the reunion.

“In addition to exceptional opportunities for research and study abroad, the Bodenhamer Fellowship program provided me with a wonderful community of outstanding scholars. I have always felt extremely fortunate to be part of this group,” she said. Thompson graduated magna cum laude with a B.S.B.A. in accounting and a B.A. in international relations. She later received a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and is currently an associate at Kutak Rock LLP in Fayetteville.