51ÉçÇø

JACKSON, Tenn. — May 9, 2008 — 51ÉçÇø presented more than 70 awards to students, faculty and staff May 9 at the university’s annual Awards Day chapel service.

The Faculty of the Year Award went to engineering professor Jeannette Russ. Matt Brunet, Union’s director of wellness services, was awarded with the Staff Member of the Year Award.

Others award recipients:

The Barnabas Leadership Award promotes the ideals of servant leadership in the Union community. Recipients are awarded $500 each and asked to designate $100 to the charitable agency of their choice. This year’s recipients were Lydia Bond and Ryan Vincent.

The Bettye and Kermit Whiteaker Freshman Biology Award, which is presented to a freshman biology major or minor with outstanding scholastic achievement and also includes a $500 scholarship for the following academic year, was presented to Kayla Hauss.

The Bettye and Kermit Whiteaker Chemistry Award, which is presented to a freshman chemistry major or minor with outstanding scholastic achievement and also includes a $500 scholarship for the following academic year, was presented to Joey Easterling.

The Broadman and Holman Award, given annually to a graduating senior who is deemed to have the greatest potential for significant contribution to the field of ministry, was presented to Eric Smith.

The Dr. Bill Bouchillon Psychology Excellence Award, given to an outstanding graduating senior with a grade point average of 3.5 or greater in psychology and selected by the psychology faculty, was presented to Brooke Jones.

The Chi Omega Award, which is awarded to the woman of the senior class who has distinguished herself in the behavioral sciences through class contributions and by her scholastic achievement, was presented to Emily Watlington.

The Kappa Delta Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Denise McGee, a 1993 nursing graduate, is given to a non-graduating nursing student with a minimum 3.0 GPA and must be nominated by the nursing faculty. This year’s award was presented to Heather Martin.

The Zeta Tau Alpha Awards, given to the seniors of the May class graduating summa cum laude with the highest rank on the Jackson campus, were presented to Nellene Benhardus, Carol Courtner, April Daigle, Matthew Dawson, Bonnie Duffield, James Gray and Anika Schulte.

The Curtiss E. Scott Business Excellence Award, which is presented to the outstanding senior business major as chosen by the faculty of the McAfee School of Business Administration and the members of the Business Club based on both academic and leadership achievement, was presented to Gray Coyner.

The Fred Delay Memorial Award, for a senior who is an outstanding athlete, a person of high academic standing, unquestionable loyalty and good character, was presented to Candace Cross.

The Georgia Wilson Memorial Award for Clinical Nursing, which is presented to the member of the graduating class who is deemed by the nursing faculty to have been the most outstanding in clinical nursing, was presented to Jennifer Crenshaw.

The Greek Scholarship Cups, which are awarded annually to the two social fraternities with the highest average, were presented to the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the women of Chi Omega (61st year).

The Helen Blythe Creative Writing Award, which is presented by an endowment of 51ÉçÇø’s Women’s Club to the graduating English major who has demonstrated outstanding originality in writing during his or her 51ÉçÇø career, was presented to Renee Emerson.

The Professor James Alex Baggett History Research Award, which recognizes the best original research papers presented in regularly scheduled history courses for the current academic year, was presented to Mary Thompson.

Intramural Male Athlete of the Year – Mickey Armstrong

Intramural Female Athlete of the Year – Kathryn Laughlin

Intramural Male Group Award – Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Intramural Female Group Award – Chi Omega

The Nora Smith Barker Student Teachers of the Year Award is presented to the student teacher chosen who has demonstrated the highest degree of skills and attributes considered characteristic of outstanding teachers and shows the greatest potential for professional achievement. The Elementary Student Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Claire Hamilton. The Special Education Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Ashlinn Boyd.

The Service Through Engineering Award, given in recognition of outstanding service through the application of engineering knowledge, was presented to Jasmine Huang.

The Wolfram Award in Computational Science is sponsored by Wolfram Research Inc. and chosen by the department of mathematics and computer science. It is presented each year to a freshman calculus student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement, enthusiasm, ingenuity and creativity in mathematics. This year’s award was presented to Rebecca Eaton.

The Howard Newell Innovative Teaching Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated creativity and innovation in classroom teaching. Selections are made by a faculty committee. Anna Clifford and Joshua Veltman received honorable mention. First place winner for the award was engineering professor Jay Bernheisel.

Academic Excellence Medals – Presented by 51ÉçÇø to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average in each discipline, provided the student’s GPA in the major is not less than 3.50. A student minoring in a discipline in which there is no qualifying major or in which no major is offered is also eligible for a medal. The following students received medals for academic excellence:

Major in Art – Brynn Whitley Miller
Major in Biology – Kenneth Brian Lewoczko
Major in Accounting – Gray K. Coyner Jr.
Major in Economics/Finance – Marielle Dirkx
Major in Organizational Leadership – Carol W. Courtner
Major in Chemistry – April Dawn Daigle
Major in Biblical Studies – David A. Kartzinel
Major in Biblical Studies (Languages) – Nellene Elizabeth Benhardus
Major in Christian Studies – Robert Randolph Sparks
Major in Philosophy – Cody Daniel King
Major in Theology – Eric Coleman Smith
Major in Public Relations/Advertising – Brittany Nicole Howerton
Major in Broadcasting – Jonathan Clark Huskey
Major in Theater/Speech – Trevor Scott Yarbrough
Major in Digital Media Studies – Alan Glen Knox
Major in Learning Foundations – Bonnie Jean Duffield
Major in Special Education – Megan Elizabeth Moore
Major in Liberal Studies – Jessica May Nelson
Major in English – James Andrew Gray
Major in Engineering – Blake J. Waggoner
Major in History – Mary Elizabeth Johnson
Major in Intercultural Studies – Chelsea Lynn Freemon
Major in French – Katherine Elizabeth Kelley
Major in Teaching English as a Second Language – Laura M. Jackson
Major in Political Science – Marielle Elisabet Dirkx
Major in Mathematics – Matthew Glenn Dawson
Major in Music – Blake Owen McKinney
Major in Church Music – Bethany Joy Jenkins
Major in Music Performance – David Kyle Hancock
Major in Nursing – Teresa Renaldo Collie
Major in Sports Management – Mickey Dale Armstrong
Major in Sports Medicine – Crystal Michelle Eason
Major in Athletic Training – Joseph Clayton Stockett
Major in Physical Education/Health – Christopher Robert Brown
Major in Psychology – Rebekah Marie Long
Major in Family Studies – Kasey Lynn Cobb
Major in Sociology – Sarah Elizabeth Patch
Major in Social Work – Julie Erin Mitchell