An academic excellence medal is given to one student from each academic discipline.
“The academic excellence medals are determined by each department,” said Susan Hopper, registrar at Union.
In order for a student to be eligible for the academic excellence award, the student must have at least a 3.5 GPA in their major courses and must have earned a minimum of 15 hours in their major here at Union, Hopper said.
The choosing is also based on other criteria established by their department of study.
Outstanding freshmen in some departments also receive awards, and two juniors who embody servant leadership receive the Barnabas award each year. Additionally, one professor is awarded faculty of the year, one staff member receives staff member of the year and at least one professor is recognized for innovative teaching.
Other awards include ones for intramurals, Greek scholarship and creative writing.
Hopper said she believes the chapel brings the Union community together.
One unique award that is given out is the Barnabas Leadership Award. This award is given out each year to two students of the junior class who exemplify servant leadership. It is named after Barnabas from the Bible, who helped aid the apostle Paul in his missionary journeys.
Katelyn Walls, junior Christian thought and tradition and English literature double major, was the female recipient of this award,
“I am honored and humbled to be one of the recipients of this year’s Barnabas award,” Walls said. “In my past three years here at Union, I have looked up to the recipients of this award.”
Walls earned this award because of her leadership skills and her willingness to help others, not only here at Union, but in her church and community as well. Walls has been a small group leader, camp counselor, ministry intern, volunteer at the Dream Center of Jackson and GO leadership team member.
“To have been nominated and chosen to receive it this year means a lot to me,” she said.
Hopper said she values the ceremony because it is a time of celebration for the Union community.
“I think the awards day ceremony is rather significant, since it is a great opportunity for Union to recognize students who have made contributions or achieved certain standards in areas of study and service,” said Hopper.
The awards are as follows:
Academic Excellence Awards:
College of Arts & Sciences
ART: Kristen Grace Witham
ART STUDIO: Megan Marie Kersey
BIOLOGY: Hannah Elizabeth Small
CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: Cara Elise Nance
BIOCHEMISTRY: Phillip Richard Kurtzweil
CHEMISTRY: Matthew Raymond Taw
DIGITAL MEDIA STUDIES: Elizabeth Katlyn Fletcher
ADVERTISING: Evan Joseph Estes
BROADCAST JOURNALISM: Paigh Anne Long
JOURNALISM: Katherine Sue Burgess
MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS: Kathryn Elizabeth Feathers
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Jenaye Lee White
THEATRE: Daniel Thomas Poore
COMPUTER SCIENCE: Stephen Andrew Clement
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Aaron Joseph Parke
ENGINEERING: Matthew James Bentley
ENGLISH: Kalee Marie Hall
HISTORY: Faith Ann Bagley
INTERCULTURAL STUDIES: Chelsea Wyn Meiss
FRENCH: Kayla Marie Carruthers
SPANISH: Amanda Katherine Johnson
TEACHING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE: Lauren Nicole Wood
MATHEMATICS: Jamie Lee Fox
MUSIC BA: Vicki Anne Searl
MUSIC: Jacqueline Paige Tang
MUSIC EDUCATION: William Douglas May
PHYSICS: Michael Hunter Cochran
POLITICAL SCIENCE: Laura Breeann McCuin
PSYCHOLOGY: Emily Gilbert Russell
SOCIOLOGY: Ian Alexander Draper
FAMILY STUDIES: Rachel Elizabeth Wukasch
School of Business
ACCOUNTING: Meagan Elizabeth Phipps
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: Madeleine Grace Hemphill
ECONOMICS: William Richard Walker
College of Education and Human Studies
B.S. ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP: Van M. Jones
SPECIAL EDUCATION: Celia Mae Leatherwood
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: Kensie Lloyd Zills
TEACHING & LEARNING: Amanda Jo Brasfield
ATHLETIC TRAINING: Paxton Kimber Sisson
EXERCISE SCIENCE/WELLNESS: Kyli Elizabeth Hoskins
SPORT MANAGEMENT: Kelly Michelle Robey
SOCIAL WORK: Rebecca Lynn Orosz
School of Nursing
NURSING: Kendall Ruth Heyliger
School of Theology and Missions
BIBLICAL STUDIES-LANGUAGES: Stephen Charles Wunrow
CHRISTIAN MINISTRY & MISSIONS:Lisa Renee Herod
CHRISTIAN STUDIES:Dylan S. Pelley
Other Awards:
BARNABAS LEADERSHIP: Daniel Todd Mathis
Anna Katelyn Walls
WHITEAKER FRESHMAN BIOLOGY: Jonathan Bowman
WHITEAKER FRESHMAN CHEMISTRY: Kathryn A. Baugher
BILL TRUEX AWARD IN COMP SCIENCE: Stephen Andrew Clement
BROADMAN AND HOLMAN: Caleb Eugene Valentine
BOUCHILLON PSY EXCELLENCE: Hannah Kaitlyn McIntosh
KYLE HATHCOX MEMORIAL PHYSICS AWRD: Joshua Mark Edgren
CURTISS SCOTT BUS EXCELLENCE: Camila A. Simas
SERVICE THROUGH ENGINEERING: Joshua George Guthrie
FRED DELAY MEMORIAL : Amy Elizabeth Philamlee
KINA MALLARD COMM ARTS: Jenaye Lee White
GEORGIA WILSON MEMORIAL CLINICAL NURSING: Sarah Elizabeth Moore
GREEK SCHOLARSHIP CUPS Female: Chi Omega
Male: Lambda Chi Alpha
BLYTHE CREATIVE WRITING AWARD: Stephanie Elizabeth Traylor
BAGGETT HISTORY RESEARCH PAPER: Faith Ann Bagley
INTRAMURAL AWARDS
Female Athlete: Richauna Chantel Kidd
Male Athlete: Matthew Derek McSwain
BARKER ST TEACHER OF YEAR
Secondary: Madelyn Carson (graduated in December)
DOROTHY WOODARD MYATT INTERN OF THE YEAR
Elementary: Abigail Marie Orr
Special Education: Emily Caryline Sissom
WOLFRAM COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE: Amy Grace Murdaugh
NEWELL INNOVATIVE TEACHING: Mark Bolyard, James Huggins, Marc Lockett, Michael Schiebout
HONORABLE MENTION: Joshua Veltman and G. Jan Wilms
STAFF OF THE YEAR: Scott Heit
FACULTY OF THE YEAR: Ashley Fitch Blair
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