U of A Students Receive More Than $4 Million in Nationally Competitive Awards

This spring, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards recognized more than 300 graduate and undergraduate students and their faculty and staff mentors for receiving nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships, grants and internships during the 2025-26 academic year.

Combined, these students received over $4 million in funding, an exceptional figure that highlights both the outstanding work of our students and the deep commitment to their success by the faculty and staff who support them.

“This has been a remarkable year for our students,” said Indrajeet Chaubey, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “They have competed successfully at the highest levels. Their accomplishments reflect a combination of their own amazing talents, their dedication and passion for their work and the tireless support they have received from faculty and staff.”

U of A students were successful in a wide array of competitive awards, including the Goldwater, Truman and Fulbright scholarships. Sam Sooter, a senior in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and Honors College Fellow, was named a Churchill Scholar, the first time a U of A student has been chosen for this highly selective award.

In addition, nine students received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, securing more than  $1.4 million to support their graduate studies and marking the largest cohort of NSF-GRFP winners from our campus in over a decade.

A select group of faculty and staff members also received the annual Office of Nationally Competitive Awards Gold Medal for their significant support of students as they applied for national and international opportunities this year. One department is also selected each year for its collective contribution to student research and competitive efforts. A community partner is also recognized for its support of U of A students.

“We are pleased to recognize exceptional faculty and staff each year,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions and nationally competitive awards. “They support students energetically and effectively, and the results speak for themselves.”

Gold Medals

2026 Faculty Gold Medals

• Gerson Drescher – assistant professor, Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
• Gabriel Diaz Montemayor – associate professor, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
• Erin Hickey – associate professor, College of Education and Health Professions
• William Richardson – associate professor, College of Engineering
• Younghye Song – associate professor, College of Engineering
• Erica Westerman – associate professor, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

2026 Staff Gold Medals

• Kelly Carter, fellowship financial manager, Honors College
• Huda Sharaf, medical director, Student Affairs and Well-Being

2026 Departmental Gold Medal 

Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation

2026 Community Partner Gold Medal 

Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest 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.

Office of Nationally Competitive Awards: University of Arkansas students and recent alumni interested in applying for scholarships and fellowships, and faculty wishing to identify competitive students, should contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at awards@uark.edu or 479-575-3771. More information is available at awards.uark.edu.

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.