December 1, 2014

College Celebrates Scholarship Recipients, Donors

Dr Murphy

Dec. 01, 2014 | As the College of Health Professions highlighted its most recent scholarship recipients and the donors who make those scholarships possible, it celebrated having more endowed scholarships than ever before.

Twenty endowed scholarships were awarded to students for 2014-2015 out of 38 total scholarships. An endowed scholarship has enough funding to be awarded permanently from the interest the endowment generates. For Dean Douglas Murphy, Ph.D., the endowment also is a symbol.

Denise Andert

2. Denise Andert (center), a student in the dental hygiene program, was the inaugural recipient of the Virginia Goral Endowed Scholarship.

Foster

Kaleigh Foster (holding certificate), a student in the cytotechnology program, was the inaugural recipient of the Eulalia S. Araoz Endowed Scholarship.

“Almost all of the endowed scholarships were established by donors who have close, personal connections with the college — former faculty members, family members of faculty or students, etc.,” he said. “We are thankful for gifts that honor theses close connections.

“Any support of scholarships for our students is invaluable, even transcending the monetary value of the philanthropy since it continues long after these students graduate and enter their professions.”

Scholarships help offset the costs of tuition/fees, books and supplies and living expenses for students. The dean cited examples of students he had visited with, one a dental student and the other a health professions student at another university, who faced student loan debt in six figures — in one case $400,000.

“The students I’m talking about are responsible citizens. They’re not living high on the hog or buying new cars while going to school,” Murphy said. “And they’re finishing their degrees in a timely manner.  It’s just that professional education is very expensive and students are not able to hold down part-time jobs while they’re going to school.”

Scholarships help bright, hard-working, highly motivated students avoid at least some student loan debt and enable students to overcome that financial handicap much earlier, he said.

Two more scholarships were endowed in the past year:  the Eulalia S. Araoz Endowed Scholarship and the Virginia Goral Endowed Scholarship.

Also, for the first time the college honored recipients of the College of Health Professions scholarships that are funded by donations during its annual phonathon.

CHP scholarships and recipients for the 2014-2015 academic year are:

COLLEGE-WIDE SCHOLARSHIPS

Arkansas Hospital Auxiliary Association Scholarship — Tiffany Santini

James O. Wear, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship — Sarah Patterson

Neal and Clara Spain Endowed Scholarship — Zachary Robertson

Ronald H. Winters, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship — Mandi Bauer

Walter S. Nunnelly Scholarship — Kellie Flaherty

College of Health Professions Scholarships — Beth Anderson, Hailey Bednar, Mary Crigler, Rebecca Dycus, Ashley Fairchild, Molly Keltner, Meredith Levisee, Juanita Montelongo, Layla Qedan, Drew Siebenmorgen, Kaitey Willingham, Tianyuan Yao

DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL HYGIENE

Ann Bowers Hurst Endowed Scholarship — Joanna Akins

Alice Marie Kelly Kuntz Endowed Scholarship — Mandi Bauer

Arkansas State Dental Hygienists Association Endowed Scholarship — Micah Lewis

Center for Dental Education Scholarship — Sydney Holyfield-Hathcock

Delta Dental Plan of Arkansas Endowed Scholarship — Dana Clark

Virginia Goral Endowed Scholarship — Denise Andert

DEPARTMENT OF IMAGING AND RADIATION SCIENCES

DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY

Terry J. DuBose Endowed Scholarship — Layla Qedan

DEPARTMENT OF IMAGING AND RADIATION SCIENCES

RADIOLOGIC IMAGING SCIENCES

Dr. and Mrs. W.R. Brooksher, Jr. Endowed Scholarship — Zachary Robertson

Jeremy L. Overstreet Memorial Scholarship — Jonathan Chancellor

Joseph R. Bittengle Memorial Endowed Scholarship — Holly Gibbs

Kenneth C. Pederson Memorial Scholarship — Molly Keltner

DEPARTMENT OF LABORATORY SCIENCES

CYTOTECHNOLOGY

Eulalia S. Araoz Endowed Scholarship — Kaleigh Nicole Foster

Wanda L. Culbreth Endowed Scholarship — Jeri Danielle Byrd

DEPARTMENT OF LABORATORY SCIENCES

MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES

Bobby Morgan Endowed Scholarship — Kwan Yee Katherine Li

Jerry Brummett Endowed Scholarship — Jennifer Fairbanks

Kathleen M. Mugan Endowed Scholarship — Jennifer Fairbanks

M. Gene Hall Memorial Endowed Scholarship — Jesus Eduardo Jacobs, Elizabeth Harris

Paula Peacock Memorial Endowed Scholarship — Elizabeth Harris

DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMIC MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

John Shock, M.D. Endowed Scholarship — Cayla Troyer

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES

Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association Scholarship — Veronica Sumner

Ruth M. Allen, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship — Ashley Fairchild