Nursing Student Named Presidential Scholar

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.