School news

AVILA UNIVERSITY

Avila University in Kansas City, Mo., graduated nearly 400 students May 9 as part of the university’s 103rd graduating class. The following local students received degrees:

Joshua Benford of Springdale graduated with a BS in Prehealth Professions.

Lesley Clay of Bentonville graduated with a BA in Criminology and Justice Studies.

A total of 396 graduates received master’s and baccalaureate degrees. Due to the current health and safety limits placed on public gatherings, the Class of 2020 will be honored at a special reception during this fall’s homecoming week. Spring 2020 graduates are also invited to walk the commencement stage with their classmates in May 2021.

FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS

Two recent graduates

— Madison Graham of Louisville, Ga., and Amara Tennessee of Roswell, Ga. — have been named Fulbright finalists, joining three other Georgia College students to receive the prestigious scholarship in recent years.

One award constitutes the university’s first Fulbright for a music major and the other to a South American country.

Music graduate Madison Graham will do an English teaching assistantship in the Czech Republic, and Amara Tennessee, who has double degrees in public health and world languages, will do an English teaching assistantship in Columbia, hosting a program on health behavior and attitudes.

Selection for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is rigorous. They receive about 12,000 applications a year. In the U.S., about 1,900 grants are awarded annually in all fields of study in over 140 countries. More than 360,000 Fulbright recipients have participated in the program since its inception in 1946.

OPTOMETRIC SCHOLARSHIP

The Arkansas Optometric Association awarded the 2020 Dr. Milton Webb Optometric Leadership and Service Scholarship to Andrew Murphy of Fayetteville.

Murphy is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and is beginning his second year of optometry school at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn. He was first inspired to become an optometrist when working as an ophthalmic technician at a local eye care center.

The Arkansas Optometric Association annually awards this scholarship to one Arkansas optometry student attending an accredited college of optometry. This scholarship was established in memory of the late Dr. Milton Webb, with a gift from his wife’s estate, in recognition of his lifetime of service to the profession of optometry.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln conferred nearly 3,500 degrees during a virtual graduation celebration May 9. The 3,417 graduates are from 54 countries, 45 states and Puerto Rico, and 250 Nebraska communities.

Local graduates were: Alpena: Kristi Lynn Patterson, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife with high distinction.

Bentonville:

Jacob Lindon Shiohira, College of Arts and Sciences, Bachelor of Science with distinction.

Bentonville: Chloe Caruso Suarez, College of Arts and Sciences, Bachelor of Arts.

Springdale: Grant Tatro Jensen, College of Business, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Springdale: Haley Nicole Nelson, College of Arts and Sciences, Bachelor of Science.

Also, Jacob Lindon Shiohira of Bentonville was among 178 University of Nebraska at Lincoln graduating seniors who completed the requirements of the University Honors Program. Shiohira is in the College of Arts and Sciences.

To graduate from the University Honors Program, students must maintain at least a 3.5 grade-point average, complete a senior project or research thesis and fulfill other curricular requirements. This is the largest number of honors graduates in a single term in the 33-year history of the program.

PHI KAPPA PHI

Haley Mansfield of Bella Vista was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Mansfield was initiated at Missouri State University.

Mansfield is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.

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