JACKSON, Tenn. — May 6, 2011 — 51ÉçÇø presented more than 70 awards to students, faculty and staff May 6 at the annual Awards Day chapel service.
The Faculty of the Year Award went to history professor Keith Bates. Robbie Graves, Union’s assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions, 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 Luke Allison and Courtney Allen.
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 Brandon Churchill.
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 Samantha Howard.
The Bill Truex Award in Computer Science was presented to Mikias M. Seid.
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 Hunter Bragg.
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 Corey Brawner.
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 Holly Stevens.
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 Michelle Kossick.
The Kyle L. Hathcox Memorial Physics Award, given to a junior or senior either majoring or minoring in physics, was presented to Emilie Huffman.
The Zeta Tau Alpha Award, given to the senior of the May class graduating summa cum laude with the highest rank on the Jackson campus, was presented to Elizabeth A. Davis.
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 Deborah Lilly Lai.
The Engineering Through Service Award was presented to Claire Elmblad.
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 Kayla Hudson.
The John C. Moore Award for excellence in academics and athletics was presented to Kelsey Duling and Micah Gentle.
The Kina S. Mallard Communication Arts Student of the Year Award was presented to Angela Abbamonte.
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 Mary Lou Verbois.
The Greek Scholarship Cups, which are awarded annually to the two social fraternities with the highest average, were presented to the men of Alpha Tau Omega and the women of Chi Omega (for the 64th consecutive 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 Kate Cline.
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 Alisa Techentin.
The Intramural Male Athlete of the Year was Chase Tuggle. The Intramural Female Athlete of the Year was Megan Daniel.
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 Callie Davenport. The Secondary Student Teacher of the Year Award was presented to Anna Jones.
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 David Clark.
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. Ashley Blair, Roman Williams, John Netland and Geoffrey Poore received honorable mention. The award’s winner was Fonsie Guilaran, associate professor of physics.
Academic Excellence Medals were presented by Union 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 – Kelsey Nagy
Major in Biology – Faris Adam Bakeer
Major in Chemistry – Jill Frank
Major in Advertising – Ryan Allen Hoover
Major in Broadcast Journalism – Joel Alex Green
Major in Digital Media Studies -- Jordan James Hatchell
Major in Journalism – Angela Ruth Abbamonte
Major in Public Relations – Rachel Joy Golias
Major in Computer Science – Mikias M. Seid
Major in Engineering – Richard Kyle Harris
Major in English – Elizabeth A. Davis
Major in History – Elizabeth Marie Blevins
Major in Applied Linguistics – Charlotte C. Kline
Major in French – Emily Louise Alm
Major in Spanish – Shannon Leslie Dempsey
Major in Teaching English as a Second Language – Emily Louise Alm
Major in Intercultural Studies – Mikias M. Seid
Major in Mathematics – Kristin Darling Nettle
Major in Music – Anna Elizabeth Choate
Major in Music with a Bachelor of Arts degree – Anna Raines Wicker
Major in Music Performance – Emily Joanne Logan
Major in Music Education – Kelsey Alecia Samples
Major in Physics – Edward Scott Yarbro Jr.
Major in Political Science – Laura Alison Grossberndt
Major in Psychology – Tiffany L. Best
Major in Accounting – Deborah Lily Lai
Major in Business Administration – Kyndal Keoki Bradford
Major in Economics – Brad T. Boswell
Major in Organizational Leadership – Susan Lusk Krigbaum
Major in Learning Foundations – Joy Lanee Howard
Major in Elementary Education – Emily Suzanne Peden
Major in Special Education – Catherine Elizabeth Jenkins
Major in Athletic Training – Clayton Harris Mallard
Major in Physical Education and Health – Roberta Elaine Turner
Major in Sports Management – Kelsey Amanda Duling
Major in Sports Medicine – India Irene Carter
Major in Social Work – Amber Jean Gaylord
Major in Nursing – Mary Lou Verbois
Major in Biblical Studies – Shawn Emrich Chandler
Major in Biblical Studies-Languages – Sarah Daniel Johnson
Major in Christian Ethics – Brad T. Boswell
Major in Philosophy – R. Justin Cole
Major in Christian Studies – Micah Derek Gentle.