Two U of A Students Chosen as Truman Scholars

Russell Cothren

Victoria Maloch and Danielle Neighbour are congratulated by Chancellor Joe Steinmetz.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Victoria Maloch of Magnolia and Danielle Neighbour of Lenexa, Kansas, both juniors at the University of Arkansas, have been selected as 2016 Harry S. Truman Scholars.

Maloch is an honors agricultural business major with a minor in agricultural communications in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Neighbour is an honors civil engineering major and Spanish minor in the College of Engineering and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Maloch and Neighbour are two of 54 Scholars selected from 47 U.S. colleges and universities to be awarded the prestigious scholarship this year. Both will receive $30,000 to be used toward their graduate studies. Truman Scholars are selected on the basis of their academic success, leadership skills, and the likelihood of their becoming public service leaders.

“The achievements of our two newest Truman Scholars are really quite remarkable,” said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. “This award recognizes their extensive service records, their ability to initiate change, and their deep commitment to serving others throughout their careers. They have been impressive representatives of the University of Arkansas and will be of the Truman Foundation as well.”

The Truman Foundation alerted Chancellor Steinmetz that Neighbour and Maloch had been selected and encouraged him to surprise the two students with the news in keeping with the foundation’s tradition. Each of the students were invited to speak to the Executive Committee, coming through separate doors and were immediately surprised with cake and congratulations from the chancellor and vice chancellors as well as the scholars’ deans, department chairs, faculty mentors, and advisers.

The 2016 Truman Scholars will assemble May 24 for a leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and they will receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, on May 29.

VICTORIA MALOCH

Victoria Maloch

Maloch is a University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Scholar. In 2014-2015 she served as secretary of the National Future Farmers of America Organization. At the U of A she has been involved with the Volunteer Action Center, Student Alumni Board, Associated Student Government, and Young Democrats. She is politically minded, and has worked in the offices of Congressman Mike Ross and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and also volunteered on several state congressional campaigns.

Upon graduation, Maloch intends to study for a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in agricultural law, and she ultimately hopes to help shape agricultural law and policy.

“I am completely honored and humbled by the Truman Scholarship Foundation's vote of confidence in me and my potential to become a change agent in public service in the future,” Maloch said. “Receiving this honor reaffirms my commitment to a life of service through public policy. Endless thanks are due to the amazing support system that has been built for University of Arkansas students. None of this would have been possible without Dean Lona Robertson in the Bumpers College who saw something in me as a freshman and pushed me toward this goal. My academic advisers and two of my biggest mentors, Dr. Jennie Popp and Dr. Jefferson Miller, and all of my other agricultural business and agricultural education and communications professors have been instrumental in making these kinds of opportunities possible.”

DANIELLE NEIGHBOUR

Danielle Neighbour

Neighbour is an Honors College Fellow. She is on the executive board of the Arkansas student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Chi Epsilon, an honors society. She is currently researching water purification methods for natural disaster relief in developing urban areas. During a summer in Ecuador, Neighbour helped develop safe drinking water systems for indigenous villages in the Amazon. In January, she participated in the U of A Global Community Development trip in Vietnam, where she evaluated rainwater catchment systems.

After completing her studies at the University of Arkansas, Neighbour will pursue a master’s degree in water resources and environmental engineering. She plans to work in developing nations to help implement stable drinking water systems.

“I'm incredibly honored to have been named a Truman Scholar,” said Neighbour. “During the application process, I've learned so much about myself, but more importantly, I've realized how many people have supported and believed in my desire to make a difference – especially my mentors, Dr. Micah Hale, Dr. John White, and Dr. Kevin Hall. Their continued investment in me pushed me forward. I'm also incredibly grateful to the nationally competitive awards office and the Space and Planetary Sciences Center for all they have done on my behalf. Finally, I'm thankful to the Truman Foundation for believing in my lofty goal of solving the world water crisis, and am eager to continue working to alleviate water scarcity issues in developing nations.”

U OF A TRUMAN SCHOLARS

Victoria Maloch and Danielle Neighbour are the University of Arkansas’ 20th and 21st Truman Scholars overall. Six University of Arkansas students have been selected as Truman Scholars in the last five years. There have been more Truman Scholars from the University of Arkansas than any other university in the SEC. In addition, the U of A was one of only six institutions with multiple winners this year, the others being Princeton, Alabama, Notre Dame, Vassar, and Yale.

The University of Arkansas was selected as a Truman Scholarship Honor Institution in 2002 for student commitment to service and its record with the Truman Scholarship Program. Recent University of Arkansas Truman Scholars include Grant Addison, history and political science, 2015; Cicely Shannon, economics, 2014; Nathan Coulter, political science, 2013; and Mike Norton, agricultural business and poultry science, 2012. The University of Arkansas had two Truman Scholars in the same year once before in 1999 when Megan Ceronsky and Angie Maxwell were selected.  

University of Arkansas students who are interested in applying for the Truman Scholarship should contact the office of nationally competitive awards at awards@uark.edu or 479-575-3771.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.