FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nursing student Shelby Holden of
Sherwood was named as this year’s Presidential Scholar for the College of
Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas.
The university
recognizes one student in each college each year as a Presidential Scholar,
based on grade-point average, other academic accomplishments and faculty
recommendations. The award was established in recognition of the investiture of
James E. Martin as president of the university in 1980. The winner receives
$1,500.
The College of Education and Health Professions will honor
its top students in a ceremony at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, at the
Fayetteville Town Center. The college enrolled 3,560 undergraduate students and
1,198 graduate students for the 2012-13 academic year.
“We welcome the chance every year to honor these students
who have worked very hard and we look forward to meeting their families,” said
Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. “We are
confident these students will represent us well as they go on to serve our
state and nation as nurses, educators, researchers and human service
professionals.”
Holden, a junior in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, is
the daughter of David and Tammy Holden of Sherwood. She is enrolled in the Honors
College and has been on the dean’s list or chancellor’s list every semester. She
has the Chancellor’s Scholarship and Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship
and is a member of the First Year Honor Society and Gamma Beta Phi Honor
Society.
Holden said after graduating she would like to gain experience
working as a critical care nurse, and then attend graduate school to obtain a Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree and become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
Heather Summers, a junior from Fayetteville, and Rachael
Wise, a sophomore from Sherwood, won the Henry G. and Stella Hotz Awards in the
college. The award is presented the top student in the junior and sophomore
classes based on grade-point average and other academic accomplishments.
Summers is majoring in nursing. She is the daughter of Jon
and Kaylynn Toombs and is married to Page Summers. She has been on the chancellor’s
list for three years and received the Winthrop Rockefeller Scholarship and the
University Academic Scholarship. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and is a
senior mentor for new student orientation. Summers won the Hotz Award as a
sophomore, also.
After graduating from the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing,
she would like to work in Northwest Arkansas.
Wise is majoring in childhood education. She is the
daughter of Mike and Frances Wise. She is a member of the National Society of
Collegiate Scholars. Wise is also a Chancellor’s Scholar and a Distinguished
Governor’s Scholar and has been on the chancellor’s list the past two years.
After graduating from the childhood education program, Wise
plans to enter the Master of Arts in Teaching program with a focus on special education.
She wants to pursue a career teaching children with special needs.
The college’s First-Ranked Senior Scholars are Lindsay
Grisham, childhood education; Sarah Holland, communication disorders; Hope
McLemore, community health promotion; and Kayley Lawrence, kinesiology
pre-professional. Caityln Rutledge, childhood education, is a Senior Scholar
this year.
Students graduating from the Honors College are (summa cum laude) Tamara Henschell, Sarah
Holland and Mollie Ironside; (magna cum
laude) Paige Giles, Helen Mashie, Julie Sherrill, Anna Laura Parten,
Miranda Small, Kolbee Gilmore, Lindsay Campbell, Hannah Brunck and Katie Dowdy;
(cum laude) Rachel Allen, Jenna
Burchfield, Erin Dougherty and Jamie Shackelford.
The college will also honor the top students in each
academic program:
- ·Curriculum and Instruction: Ryan Richey, undergraduate, career and technical education;
Samantha Fugate, undergraduate, childhood education; Haley Lane, Master of Arts
in Teaching, childhood education; Maggie McGriff, doctoral, curriculum and
instruction; Scott Dunn, master’s, educational leadership; Mark Lewis,
educational specialist, educational leadership; Kara Lasater, doctoral;
educational leadership; Christina Tudor, master’s, educational technology;
Nicole DeMarea, undergraduate, elementary education; Trevor Cooper, M.A.T.,
secondary education; and Ashley Parnell, master’s, special education.
- · Education
Reform: Jennifer Ash, best conference paper; Charlie Belin, best original
research paper; and Anna Jacob Egalite, graduate student of the year.
- · Educational Statistics and Research Methods: Ki Lynn Matlock, doctoral.
- · Eleanor
Mann School of Nursing: Dawn Larabee, Betty Battenfield student award;
Hilary Bowling, graduate student award; Kristen Bertschy, student caregiver
award; Nathan del Rio, student manager award; Sharie Kirk, student teacher
award; Angela Chang Chiu, Arkansas Nurses Association District 9 Award; and Helen
Mashie, Pi Theta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society Award.
- · Health,
Human Performance and Recreation: Kathryn Johnson, master’s, athletic
training; Zachary Bates, undergraduate, community health promotion; Rebekah
Archie, master’s, community health promotion; Rachel Avants, doctoral,
community health promotion; Evan Branscum, undergraduate, exercise science;
Laura Morgan, master’s, exercise science; Jennifer Vincenzo, doctoral, exercise
science; Kyle Gibbons, undergraduate, kinesiology P-12; Christian Kowalchuk,
master’s, physical education; John Thomasson, doctoral, kinesiology-pedagogy;
James Bloxham, undergraduate, recreation and sport management; Heather Royal,
recreation and sport management; and Shannon McCarthy, doctoral, recreation and
sport management.
- · Rehabilitation,
Human Resources and Communication Disorders: Sarah Holland, undergraduate,
communication disorders; Aimee Jones, master’s, communication disorders; Jill
Berta, Chi Sigma Iota award, counselor education; Kathleen Rice-Guter,
master’s, counselor education; Aneeqa Ishtiaq, doctoral, counselor education;
Lauren Gentry, master’s, higher education; Ashlie Hilbun, doctoral, higher
education; Wynosia Donaby, master’s, human resource and workforce development
education; LaTonya Jackson, doctoral, human resource and workforce development
education; Paul Shrum, master’s, rehabilitation; and Melissa Wilkins, doctoral,
rehabilitation.
The college will also recognize its Distinguished Doctoral
Fellows: Jeffery Dean, Albert Cheng, Aneeqa Ishtiaq, Clay Johnson and Alexandra
Vasile; and Doctoral Academy Fellows: Alexandra Boyd, Sarah Burks, Anna Jacob
Egalite, Martin Lueken, Jonathan Mills, Rachel Avants, Christopher Carver,
Cassandra Dominick, Shannon McCarthy, Michael Merrie, Kelley Rhoads, Cole
Shewmake, Jennifer Taylor-Medeiros, Raymond Woodcock and Ginney Wright.