Eight 2001 freshmen students have been awarded prestigious Sturgis Fellowships at the University of Arkansas, worth $48,000 for four years.

The incoming freshman class for fall 2001 includes Lindsey Barnes of Neosho, Mo., David Deitz and Stephanie Wood of Little Rock, Ginny Fish of Harrison, Erin Grantz of Watson, Okla., Eun Park of Van Buren, Elizabeth Terry of Fort Smith and Leslie Yingling of Winslow.

"The eight selected this year are amazing students. I look forward each year to serving on the Sturgis Fellow selection committee and with good reason. Sturgis Finalists are very accomplished," said Randall Woods, dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "It is a pleasure to interview these articulate, informed and poised young people. The only problem comes when we have to make a selection. Each year that seems to be more and more difficult."

Woods said each student selected to the 2001 Sturgis class has an average ACT score of 33.2 and an average GPA of 4.19.

"These students could have attended any school in the country," he said. "We are delighted they selected Fulbright College at the University of Arkansas. I am confident that in four years as they prepare for graduation and the opportunities that lie beyond, they will be delighted with the decision that brought them here."

The Sturgis Fellowship is made possible by an $8,000,000 endowment from the Roy and Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust to the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Each Sturgis Fellow receives $48,000, $12,000 per year, and provides every student with one of the most prestigious scholarships offered by any university in the country — providing for tuition, room, board and discretionary funds for computers, musical instruments, professional journals, trips to conferences and travel abroad during junior year.

Anna Terry, former Sturgis Fellow and UA class of 2001, said the Sturgis Fellowship definitely plays a role in attracting the brightest and top-achieving students throughout the country.

"The very existence of an academic scholarship such as the Sturgis Fellowship demonstrates that attracting good students is a top priority at the University of Arkansas," she said. "Here, students create their own opportunities - perhaps through independent study or research, through community service, or by playing a musical instrument. I am sure Roy and Christine Sturgis would be proud of the excellent educational environment that their monies have helped foster and support."

The original endowment funded five, four-year fellowships of $40,000. Because of the enormous success of the fellowship in attracting the top students from the region and around the country, the Sturgis Foundation awarded the University of Arkansas an additional $3 million in 1992. An additional gift in 1997 of $2.5 million brought the total endowment to $7.5 million.

Sturgis Fellows have received a vast array of national scholarships including three British Marshall Scholarships, 10 Barry Goldwater Scholarships (for outstanding accomplishments in mathematics and science), four Morris Udall Scholarships, five Harry S. Truman Scholarships, and one Rhodes Scholarship.

Megan Ceronsky, UA class of 2000 and former Sturgis Fellow who has more recently claimed a Truman Scholarship and British Marshall Scholarship, said the Sturgis Fellowship attracted her to the U of A from out of state.

"The Sturgis Scholarship was a terrific inducement for me to leave Minnesota and come to the University of Arkansas," she said. "I had researched and applied for scholarships at colleges and universities all over the country and had not encountered anything like it. I am headed to graduate school at Oxford University in the fall on a British Marshall Scholarship, and I owe a lot of that success to the Sturgis Fellowship and to the attention I received at the U of A."

Lindsey Barnes is a National Merit Scholar and is interested in both chemistry and physics. She was president of the Neosho Key Club as well as her high school's math club. Her parents Larry and Vickie Barnes live in Neosho, Mo.

David Deitz of Mills University High School in Little Rock was valedictorian of his senior class. He is an Advanced Placement Scholar with distinction and plans to major in biology. His parents Mr. and Mrs. Corey Deitz live in Little Rock.

Ginny Fish of Harrison High School has participated in four AEGIS camp programs as well as Arkansas Girl's State. Throughout high school, she was an active participant in Odyssey of the Mind and Future Business Leaders of America. She was the president of the Junior Academy of Science. She loves science and plans to major in microbiology, leading eventually to a career in cancer research. Her parents Mike and Helen Fish live in Harrison.

Erin Grantz attended Battiest High School in Watson, Okla. She is a National Merit Scholar and was an active member of her high school's quiz bowl team. She was president of both the student council and her class, and she plans to major in European Studies or International Relations. Her parents David and Sharron Grant live in Watson.

Eun Park of Van Buren High attended Arkansas Girls' State and was President of Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honors society. She was actively involved in student council, the National Honors Society, the Explorers Program in Medicine and many other organizations. She intends to pursue a degree in biology and plans to eventually become a physician. Her parents Sang and Yung Park live in Van Buren.

Elizabeth Terry of Southside High School in Fort Smith plays the violin and has received numerous superior ratings from the National Federations of Music Clubs. In high school, she participated actively in student council. Her academic interests include European Studies and music. Her parents Nancy and Rex Terry live in Fort Smith.

Stephanie Wood of Central High School in Little Rock has worked with Students Against Hunger, and she has volunteered for the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Children's Hospital and the National Association for Mental Illness. She plans to major in psychology. Her parents Douglas and Tommie Sue Woods live in Little Rock.

Leslie Yingling of Winslow High School is a National Merit Scholar. She was president of the student council during her senior year and president of the National Honors Society. Her academic interests include English and music. Her mother Sarah Sanderson lives in Winslow.