Bumpers College Students Gardner, Mathis Earn National Seed Association Scholarships

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Katie Gardner (left) is an honors student from Fayetteville, and Anna Mathis is the Arkansas FFA state president from Harrison.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two of the 10 national recipients to earn scholarships from the Independent Professional Seed Association are students in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Katie Gardner and Anna Mathis have been named 2019-20 IPSA Scholarship winners and will be recognized at the organization's 31st annual meeting in Kansas City in January.

Gardner is a junior honors student from Fayetteville double-majoring in agricultural business and agricultural communications with a minor in agricultural leadership.

Mathis is an incoming freshman from Harrison who will be majoring in agricultural communications and agricultural leadership.

Gardner serves as a college ambassador, and is a member of the college's Honors Student Board, the Razorback Foundation Executive Board and Razorback Leadership Academy Steering Committee. Gardner is also an Associated Student Government senator and caucus chair for Bumpers College.

Gardner interned this summer in the Office of Communications and White House Press Office. She has also interned at USDA through the Office of the Secretary's One USDA program in Washington, D.C., and served two years as a media intern for Arkansas FFA during the state convention. 

Mathis was named president of Arkansas FFA this spring. She is a 2019 graduate of Valley Springs High School where she was valedictorian. 

Mathis was a member of the National FFA band and was state champion in FFA Prepared Speaking where she advocated for the increased use of GMO products.

Earlier this summer, Mathis was also one of 175 students nationally to receive the 2019 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship. Honoring the legacy and character of the 40th President, the program rewards college-bound students who demonstrate exemplary leadership, drive, integrity and citizenship. 

IPSA was formed in 1989 by a group of seed producers who recognized the need for an organization to represent the unique needs of independent seed companies. The association addresses research and biotechnology issues, and increases awareness of the industry in an increasingly competitive and dynamic business climate. IPSA represents nearly 100 seed companies from more than 25 states, Canada and Mexico, who produce corn, soybeans, small grain and forage seeds.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

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 2.7 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.