The Office of the Provost and the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has recognized nearly 300 graduate and undergraduate students who received nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships, grants and internships during the 2024-25 academic year.

Collectively, these students received award funding in excess of $3 million, marking the conclusion of an exceptional year for U of A students in the nationally competitive awards cycle.

These students were celebrated earlier this month at the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, marking their achievements and the support from their faculty and staff mentors. This year marked the first in which the ceremony was expanded to include graduate students.

Sam Sooter, a Goldwater Scholar, spoke on the importance of faculty and staff mentors and thanked them for their commitment and contributions to student success.

“This event is always a wonderful celebration of the academic enterprise,” said Terry Martin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “It shines a light on the many outstanding awards and recognitions our students have received during the year, and it highlights the partnerships between our students and faculty, which serves as the foundation of the education we provide on this campus.”

U of A students were successful in a wide array of nationally competitive awards this year, winning well-known national and international scholarships like the Goldwater, Gilman and Critical Language Scholarships, and fellowships like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the NASA FINESST Fellowship. There were also finalists for some of the world’s most competitive awards, such as the Rhodes and Truman Scholarships.

In addition to celebrating students and their mentors, Chancellor Charles Robinson presented the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards Gold Medal to a small cohort of faculty and staff for their outstanding support of student success in the awards application process. One department and one community partner are also recognized with a gold medal each year for their contributions to student research and engagement.

“The students at the University of Arkansas are succeeding at the highest levels, and that is due in good part to the excellent support they receive from their mentors," said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment services and dean of admissions and nationally competitive awards. “The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards is pleased to honor those mentors with an outstanding mentor award. And each year, we recognize faculty and staff, as well as a department and a community partner, who have gone the extra mile with Gold Medal awards.”

Gold Medals

2025 Faculty Gold Medals

• Adnan Alrubaye – assistant professor, Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
• Emily Baker – assistant professor, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
• Sarah DuRant – associate professor, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
• Angela Elsass – clinical associate professor, College of Education and Health Professions
• Ellen Leen-Feldner – professor, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
• Charles Leflar – clinical professor emeritus, Walton College of Business
• Alexander Nelson – associate professor, College of Engineering

2025 Staff Gold Medals

• Sarah Draine, director of college access initiative, Multicultural Center
• Jonathan Langley, director of graduate and professional school planning, Honors College

2025 Departmental Gold Medal – Department of Psychological Science

2025 Community Partner Gold Medal – Zero Hour Arkansas

Faculty, staff and departments can only receive the gold medal once. A full list of past Gold Medal Award recipients is available on the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards web page.

Special recognition also goes to the faculty and staff mentors recognized by students as key support to the department and colleges, and to the additional members of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards staff, including:

• Robert Ellis, assistant director
• Matt Halbert, assistant director
• Julia Hooper, graduate assistant
• Drew Schultz, graduate assistant
• Emily Voight, senior associate director

As well as generous support from other offices, programs and academic colleges, including the Office of the Provost, the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange, the Graduate School and International Education, the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Honors College.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy  through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.