December 1, 2014
College Celebrates Scholarship Recipients, Donors
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.
“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