Bumpers College Honors Students at Annual Awards Event

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences recognized student achievements Friday, April 18, at the University of Arkansas. The students were honored during a banquet at the Verizon Ballroom at the Arkansas Union.

Two students received the First Ranked Senior Scholar award, which is presented for achieving a 4.0 grade point average with completion of all coursework at the U of A. The students are Dustin Cowell of Deer, an agricultural business major, and Jessie Hargis of Fayetteville, an animal science major.

The Senior Scholars award went to three students. The Senior Scholar award signifies the highest grade-point average with at least half completion of all coursework at the U of A. They are Brooka Byford of Pottsville, a general human environmental science major; Claire Crews of Jacksonville, an animal science major with a pre-veterinary medicine concentration, and Alejandra Gonzalez of Rogers, an apparel studies major.

Sarah Mayfield of San Antonio received the Presidential Scholar award for the student with the highest grade point average after having earned at least 45 credit hours. She is a junior double majoring in food science and biochemistry.

The Greg Weidemann Bumpers College Alumni Society Scholarship was presented to Victoria Blankenship of Tulsa, a junior majoring in apparel studies. Catharine Kennedy of Hot Springs was named the Bumpers College Alumni Society Ring Scholar. She is a junior majoring in food, human nutrition, and hospitality with a dietetics concentration.

Three students were named Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholars. The awards are presented to outstanding students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees and to an outstanding undergraduate transfer student.

The Distinguished Ph.D. Scholar award went to Christopher Rogers, a student from Harrison majoring in crop, soil, and environmental sciences with a concentration in soil fertility and applied soil physics. His research has focused on both agronomic and environmental concerns in Arkansas rice production.

The Distinguished Master’s Scholar was presented to Carley Calico, a student from Fort Worth, Texas, majoring in agricultural education, communications and technology, As a graduate assistant, she developed a 16-week agricultural communications high school curriculum available to all agricultural science teachers in Arkansas.

The Distinguished Undergraduate Transfer Student Award was presented to Kyle Teague, an undergraduate student from Siloam Springs who transferred from Northwest Arkansas Community College to Bumpers College to pursue a double major in poultry science and agricultural business. While pursuing a full academic schedule and achieving above a 3.9 grade point average in Bumpers College, he has worked 25 hours a week for Cobb Vantress farms as a pullet and hen farm caretaker.

The John W. White Outstanding Student for the year is Maggie Jo Pruitt, a senior from Bergman majoring in agricultural education, communication and technology with a communications concentration and minoring in agricultural business. She is the current Honors Student Board chair, U of A Homecoming Queen and one of 16 national ambassadors for Agriculture Future of America. She is also a former Bumpers College Ambassador and is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She has interned in Gent, Belgium, for the Institute of Agricultural Fisheries and Research and in Edinburgh, Scotland, for Scotland’s Rural College.

The Spitze Public Policy Legislative Internship Award was presented to Samuel Weston Cox, a senior from Jonesboro majoring in agricultural business with a minor in finance who expects to graduate in December 2014. In 2012 he received the Bumpers College Sophomore of the Year award and has served as a Bumpers College Ambassador. He was a member of the 2010-11 Arkansas Razorback football team. He has also worked as an intern for three agricultural entities in the Mississippi River Delta.

Download print quality photos of award recipients at the Flickr site.