Chancellor’s and Silas Hunt Scholars Part of Incoming Freshman Class

Lauren Leatherby chose the U of A for the opportunities to study abroad.

Maria Lopez-Solis said she was impressed by the diversity of the U of A.

Jennifer Byrne’s Chancellor’s Scholarship has enabled her to channel her energy on her studies.

Kimberly Cribbs said the Silas Hunt Scholarship inspires her to do well in school.

Brad Zeiler chose the U of A after attending Honors Convocation last year.

Jake Ursery has spent two semesters engaged in research with faculty.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This week the University of Arkansas is expecting the largest enrollment in school history, which includes a record number of incoming freshman students. Among those freshmen are 187 from Arkansas who earned Chancellor’s Scholarships and 77 Arkansas students who won Silas Hunt Scholarships. This represents a little more than 70 percent of the total number of these scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen.

Chancellor’s Scholarships provide up to $8,000 per year to cover tuition, fees, and room and board, and are renewable if the student maintains a 3.0 grade point average. Freshman Chancellor’s Scholars are academically in the top 5 percent of students who apply to the university.

Silas Hunt Scholarships provide either $5,000 or $8,000 per year for tuition, fees, and room and board, and are also renewable to students who maintain a 3.0 average. These scholarships are competitively awarded. To qualify students must demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and potential, and be from under-represented communities. To be eligible a student may be a member of an under-represented ethnic or minority group; have interest in a field of study that does not typically attract members of his or her ethnicity or gender; come from an under-represented county in Arkansas; or be a first-generation college student.

The University of Arkansas has awarded 250 Chancellor’s Scholarships every fall since 1999; the first Silas Hunt Scholarships were given in 2004. This year’s incoming freshman recipients will join more than 700 current students who are Silas Hunt or Chancellor’s Scholars. For many of them, these scholarships are the reason they are in college at all, and especially why they are at the University of Arkansas. 

“All I need to worry about now is academics!” said Maria Lopez-Solis, a chemical engineering major from Van Buren, who received a Silas Hunt Scholarship. “With this scholarship the doors of opportunity are wide open for me. All I have to do is run through them.”

“I chose the U of A largely because of the scholarships I got, and the opportunities that I would have,” said Lauren Leatherby of Fayetteville, a senior Honors College student who received a Chancellor’s Scholarship. She has used those opportunities to study abroad in Morocco, Spain, Argentina and Peru and to work at a human rights organization in Washington, D.C. She will graduate with a triple major in journalism, Spanish and international relations, with an emphasis on Middle Eastern studies, as well as minors in Latin American and Latino studies and history.

Jennifer Byrne of Dierks has a similar story: “I chose the University of Arkansas because of the Chancellor's Scholarship. When the burden of finance is removed from education it makes the experience much more valuable. I haven't had to take out excessive loans or try to hold down a full-time job like so many others must and this has allowed me to channel all of my energy toward succeeding.” A junior, Byrne will start law school this year as part of the 3/3 program that enables outstanding students from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences to enter the School of Law after their third year of college. In this program her Chancellor’s Scholarship will help pay for her first two years of law school.

There are many more examples of the way these scholarships have enriched a student’s academic experience: Kimberly Cribbs of Pea Ridge credits her Silas Hunt Scholarship with inspiring her to set her goals high as she pursues a degree in chemical engineering; Brad Zeiler, a junior from Arkadelphia, is working on a degree in psychology, with a minor in Japanese; Jake Usery of Higginson, a biochemistry major, conducted research for two semesters and a summer term, and was able to present his results at the 25th anniversary symposium of The Protein Society.

“The achievements of our Chancellor’s and Silas Hunt Scholars speak for themselves,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment services and dean of admissions. “These scholarships bring great students to the University of Arkansas, at the same time helping make their lives better while developing an ever-growing pool of talented young people for our state.”

When the fall semester gets under way Aug. 22, a total of 262 new Chancellor’s Scholars, and 114 Silas Hunt Scholars are expected to enroll for a total of 376.