School news

Wichita State University

More than 1,850 students completed degrees at Wichita State University in spring 2019.

Nathan Z. Price of Fayetteville earned a bacheclor of science in aerospace engineering, cum laude.

Brian S. Gattis of Ozark earned a master of arts in communication.

Bonnie K. Kragel or Prairie Grove earned a bachelor of arts in exercise science, cum laude.

Undergraduate students who have attained a grade point average of 3.9 out of a possible 4.0 received the summa cum laude award; those with an average of 3.55 received the magna cum laude award; and those with an average of 3.25 received the cum laude.

Wichita State University

Jonathan D. McCarty of Bentonville, Miller H. Pleimann of Fayetteville, Nathan Z. Price of Fayetteville, Bonnie K. Kragel of Prairie Grove and Ryan C. Giesen of Rogers were named to the dean's honor roll for spring 2019 at Wichita State University.

To be included on the dean's honor roll, a student must be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours) and earn at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

Westminster College

Krystal Ramos-Irizarri of Bentonville, Zachary Evers of Centerton, John Moorman of Gravette, Sandra Mondragon of Springdale were named to the spring 2019 dean's list for exemplary performance at Westminster College located in Fulton, Mo.

To be included on the dean's list, a student must have a 3.60 semester grade point average with at least 12 hours completed that semester.

The College of St. Scholastica

Stewart Ong of Bentonville graduated from The College of St. Scholastica with a doctor of physical therapy degree during the spring 2019 commencement ceremony May 12 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minn.

Drake University

Ryan Meyer of Bentonville was named to the president's list at Drake University, with a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the Spring 2019 semester at Drake.

To be eligible for the president's list students must have earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring 2019 semester.

Rogers State University

Rogers State University has announced its president's and dean's honor rolls for the spring 2019 semester.

To qualify for the president's honor roll, students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours with a 4.0 grade point average (no grades lower than an "A"). To qualify for the dean's honor roll, students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours with a 3.5 grade point average (no grades lower than a "B").

Lauren Schuldt of Fayetteville, president's honor roll; Kylie McKeever of Fort Smith, president's honor roll; Sydney King of Gravette, president's honor roll; Erol Banuelos of Rogers president's honor roll; Pedro Garcia of Rogers, dean's honor roll; Audrey Maxwell of Siloam Springs, president's honor roll; Carlye Bohannan of Springdale, dean's honor roll.

Rogers State University

Lauren Elizabeth Schuldt of Fayetteville and Carlye Michelle Bohannan of Springdale earned bachelor's degrees from Rogers State University during the university's commencement ceremonies held in May.

Wheaton College

Alexandra Gould of Fayetteville of Teagan Harris of Bentonville were named to the dean's list for the spring 2019 semester at Wheaton College (Illinois).

Central Methodist University

Over 490 Central Methodist University students graduated in May through CMU's main campus in Fayette, extended locations, and online programs.

Kailee Messersmith from Rogers who studied at CMU's main campus in Fayette earned a bachelor of science in computer science and criminal justice

Andre Wesley from Fayetteville who studied at CMU's main campus in Fayette earned a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies

Rockhurst University

Rockhurst University awarded nearly 700 degrees at its 99th annual commencement ceremony Saturday, May 18, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

Lauren Durst of Fayetteville, master of occupational therapy, occupational therapy

Suzanne Remy of Fayetteville, master of occupational therapy, occupational therapy

Jordan Shy of Fayetteville, master of occupational therapy, occupational therapy

Hamilton College

Kimberly Ly of Harrison was recently added to the dean's list at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., for the 2019 spring semester.

To be named to the dean's list, a student must have carried throughout the semester a course load of four or more graded credits with an average of 3.5 or above.

Baylor University

Baylor University has selected nearly 2,800 recent high school graduates as recipients of scholastic awards for the 2019-20 academic year. All of these scholarships are awarded on the basis of class rank and test scores.

Baylor's top award -- the Regents' Gold Scholarship -- provides National Merit finalists, who have indicated Baylor as their university of choice, with a full-tuition academic scholarship to Baylor for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study beginning in fall 2019. This award is augmented by the students' test scores.

Baylor also awarded students with one of four other merit scholarships based on a combination of class rank and test scores:

Reilly Hokanson of Rogers, Bentonville High School, Provost's Gold, Provost's Gold Scholarship, which provides $68,000 to $76,000 for eight semesters.

Madison Phillips of Van Buren, Van Buren High school, President's Gold, President's Gold Scholarship, which provides $80,000 to $88,000 for eight semesters.

Bethel University

Kristina Marie Jones of Fort Smith earned a master of business administration degree during Bethel University's (McKenzie, Tenn.) spring commencement held on May 4 in the Rosemary and Harry Crisp II Arena in McKenzie.

Knights of Columbus

Brynn Hilger, a May honor graduate of Gravette High School, received a $500 scholarship from the Knights of Columbus at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bella Vista. Hilger also received $500 awards from the Women's Club and the Men's Club at the May 19 award ceremony. She is the daughter of Robyn and Jeremiah Hilger.

Cooper Elliott who graduated from Pea Ridge High School with honors was also presented a $500 scholarship. Elliott received this award from the Knights of Columbus in addition to a $500 award from the Women's Club at the same ceremony. He is the son of Sara and Neal Elliott.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Elena Dolitsky of Parthenon was named to the honor roll at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the spring 2019

To qualify for the honor roll, a student must take at least 12 credits and earn a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.3 (out of a possible 4.0).

University of Arkansas

Jenn Mattone, a nurse in Critical Care at Washington Regional, recently earned a doctorate in nursing practice specializing as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner from the University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. Since graduation, Mattone has joined the Washington Regional hospitalist team where she will evaluate and treat hospitalized patients.

Mattone, who has been with Washington Regional since 2013, earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Arkansas. She is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau International.

Maryville University

Maryville University has named Brittney Oakley of Fayetteville to the honors list for the spring 2019 semester, with a minimum grade point average of 3.5 and no single grade below a B-.

Washington University in St. Louis

Anthony Williams of Bentonville and Jessica Wang of Fayetteville have been named to the dean's list for the spring 2019 semester at Washington University in St. Louis.

Williams is enrolled in the university's College of Arts & Sciences. Wang is enrolled in the university's Olin Business School.

To qualify for the dean's list in the Olin Business School, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and complete at least 14 graded units.

Oglethorpe University

Rodrigo Meade of Fort Smith has been named to Oglethorpe University's spring 2019 dean's list, honoring those scholars who achieved at least a 3.50 term grade-point average while earning 12 or more semester hours.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announces its spring 2019 graduates. UA Little Rock honored the spring 2019 graduates during a May 11 ceremony at the Jack Stephens Center.

Local graduates include:

Shazeena Ashraf of Fort Smith, bachelor of science in mathematics

Kevin Barton of Bentonville, master of business administration in business administration

Paige Clayborn of Fayetteville, master of science in criminal justice

Zach Coats of Rogers, master of business administration in business administration

Hayden Depriest of Fort Smith, bachelor of science in biology

James Dorney of Hartman, master of science in criminal justice

Ashley Hidalgo of Springdale, bachelor of business administration in international business

Joyce Hunnicutt of Springdale, bachelor of business administration in management

Veronica Jones of Huntsville, bachelor of applied science in bachelor applied science

Audrey Kelley of Rogers, bachelor of business administration in management

Talia Lambert of Springdale, bachelor of business administration in management

Delilah Lawson of Fort Smith, master of social work in social work

Rachel Lee of Waldron, master of arts in counseling

Jessica Ley of Rogers, bachelor of arts in theater arts

Victoria McCartney of Rogers, bachelor of applied science in bachelor applied science

Taylor Meadows of Fayetteville, graduate certificate in special education k-12

Willow Moyer of Rogers, bachelor of arts in web design and development

Adam Ness of Farmington, bachelor of science in systems engineering

Jamie Norris of Ozark, associate of applied science in nursing

Kaye Pafford of Rogers, bachelor of fine arts in dance performance

Kham Phrakousonh of Van Buren, bachelor of science in electronics and computer engineering technology

Travis Plummer of Waldron, juris doctor in law

Taneya Prunty of Fayetteville, bachelor of arts in applied communication studies

Michael Ragsdale of Gentry, associate of arts in general studies

Kelsey Ratcliff of Fayetteville, bachelor of applied science in bachelor applied science

Joseph Richardson of Bella Vista, master of public service in public service

Andrea Ross of Fayetteville, master of social work in social work

Kira Shepard of Fort Smith, bachelor of arts in criminal justice

Terrika Smith of Bethel Heights, master of arts in counseling

Robert Tran of Fort Smith, associate of engineering technology in electronics and computer engineering technology

Eric Turner of Fayetteville, master of business administration in business administration

Chani Wolf of Springdale, bachelor of science in nursing

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock honors students who have made the dean's list for the spring 2019 semester

Local students include: Evan Alden of Springdale, Shazeena Ashraf of Fort Smith, Amber Atkinson of Delaware, Samuel Baker of Holiday Island, Dalissa Barentine of Van Buren, Ronald Boyd of Fort Smith, Lindsey Carl of Fayetteville, Pablo Centeno of Fort Smith, Tyler Davis of Fayetteville, David Dawkins of Bella Vista, Benjamin Donahue of Fort Smith, Nicholas Engel of Green Forest, Rebecca Farhat of Barling, Selena Gordon of Fort Smith, Betsy Harvel of Booneville, Dalton Harwell of Pea Ridge, Jessica Higgs of Prairie Grove, Robert Hill of Bella Vista, Sabah Ismail of Fort Smith, Hannah Krehbiel of Fort Smith, Talia Lambert of Springdale, Christopher Lewis of Fort Smith, Jessica Ley of Rogers, Katie Matthews of Bentonville, Victoria McCartney of Rogers, Cindy Monterroza of Van Buren, Willow Moyer of Rogers, Adam Ness of Farmington, Mayra Orozco of Fort Smith, Kaye Pafford of Rogers, Jacob Phelan of Farmington, Taneya Prunty of Fayetteville, Kelsey Ratcliff of Fayetteville, Marsharie Reed of Springdale, Kayle Roberts of Huntsville, Roberta Roberts of Huntsville, Madison Sander of Fayetteville, Kristi Stovall of Huntington, Namtip Thepouthay Savathvongxay of Fort Smith, Nalee Vang of New Blaine, Carrie Wiles of Springdale, Jasmine Wilhelm of Ratcliff

To be on the dean's list, UA Little Rock students must earn at least nine credit hours and maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average. The student must not have any D, F, I, or "No Credit" grades on their semester grade report.

St. Olaf College

Ruby Erickson of Fayetteville has been named to the St. Olaf College dean's list for the spring 2019 semester, with a semester grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4-point scale.

Millikin University

Lucia Rossi of Fayetteville has been named to the dean's list for the spring 2019 semester at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill.

Students who attempt 12 graded credits during a fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher earn dean's list honors.

Samford University

Robert Lee of Fayetteville, Harper Whaley of Cave Springs, Madeleine Patten of Rogers, Hannah Lueders of Rogers, Alexandra Lewandowski of Springdale and Christopher Walker of Springdale were named to the dean's list at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., for the spring 2019 semester.

To qualify for the dean's list, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average out of a possible 4.0 while attempting at least 12 credit hours of coursework. Dean's list is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.

Ouachita Baptist University

These local students from Ouachita Baptist University will be included in the latest edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

The students were chosen by OBU's faculty, staff and the 2019 senior class based on their academic performance, leadership in extracurricular activities, community service and potential for success.

David Lundstrum, 22, is a finance and business administration/management double major from Springdale, Ark. A graduate of Shiloh Christian School, Lundstrum was named to Ouachita's Dean's List and is a Ouachita Scholars recipient. He is a member of Kappa Chi men's social club where he served as president, treasurer, athletic director and pledge class president. He also was a member of the Enactus presentation team and Ouachita Student Foundation where he served as fundraising and finance chair. Lundstrum served as a Noonday leader for Campus Ministries and as treasurer for Ouachita's Student Senate, and he volunteered with Ouachita's Tiger Serve Day. He also has worked as a management intern for Sam's Club and as a stock research analyst. Lundstrum plans to work as an operation manager trainee for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., beginning this summer.

Kord Offenbacker, 22, is a Christian studies/Christian ministries and business administration/entrepreneurship double major from Springdale, Ark. A graduate of Shiloh Christian School, Offenbacker is a member of the Ouachita Baseball Team and a beau for EEE women's social club. Offenbacker has served as a Welcome to Ouachita's World leader and as a Refuge speaker for Campus Ministries his senior year. He has volunteered with Ouachita's Tiger Serve Day, with Group Living in Arkadelphia, as a Pruet School of Christian Studies panel speaker and as a tutor at Peake Elementary School in Arkadelphia. He also has interned as a high school pastor for Second Baptist Church of Arkadelphia. Offenbacker plans to attend seminary and pursue pastoral ministry.

Emma Shortes, 22, is an accounting and finance double major from Fort Smith, Ark. A graduate of Greenwood High School, Shortes has been named to Ouachita's President's List. She is a member of EEE women's social club where she served as rush chair, treasurer and spirit leader, as well as a member of the Ary Student Investment Fund team, which earned first place honors at the national Global Asset Management Education (G.A.M.E.) Forum undergraduate competition. She also is a member of Alpha Chi national college honor society and Women in Business. Shortes also placed in the top six teams at the annual Arkansas Governor's Cup Business Plan Competition. She has served as a Welcome to Ouachita's World leader, as the BRIDGES project leader for Enactus and on the Hickingbotham Student Advisory Board. Shortes attended home group at First Baptist Church and Bible study at Second Baptist Church in Arkadelphia. She has worked as a tax intern at Turner, Rodgers, Manning & Plyer, PLLC, and as an assistant coach at Gymnastics Plus. She plans to work as a staff accountant at Hudson, Cisne & Co.

Belmont University

More than 700 Belmont students started their summer off by participating in one of 45 faculty-led Maymester and Summer Study Abroad programs. These short-term programs, lasting anywhere from a week to a month, are led and designed by Belmont faculty to explore one or two certain areas of study, while giving students the opportunity to travel to and discover a new place.

Heather Spradlin of Bentonville studied in Belmont's England, France and Italy program. Madison Weston of Bentonville studied in Belmont's Spain program.

Belmont University Director of Study Abroad Thandi Dinani said Belmont's culturally enriching study abroad programs enhance a student's academic experience. "Classrooms come to life as faculty take students to visit places where history took place," she said. "Whether visiting Nelson Mandela's prison cell in South Africa, walking streets where Jesus walked in Israel or studying chemistry while taking a cooking class in Italy, students see how countries, concepts and cultures have shaped history and impact their world."

National Youth Leadership Forum

Savannah Slinkard, an upcoming senior at Farmington High School, joined outstanding high school students from across the nation in the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Business Innovation, July 22-26 on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The business forum allowed Slinkard and other high school students to kick start their careers as entrepreneurs and innovators at one of the country's premier startup programs.

Slinkard competed against other business-minded high school students in Envision's Entrepreneurial Challenge, a "shark tank" experience. The startup-style Entrepreneurial Challenge took participants along the journey from product idea to launch, tackling challenges and critical decisions.

Slinkard, 16, recently helped launch PigPin, a monthly subscription service for lapel pins. She has played tennis at Farmington High School and is very involved in DECA, an organization focused on preparing future business leaders. She competed in her first Arkansas State DECA Conference earlier this year in Little Rock, placing second in the "independent business plan" category qualifying her for DECAS's International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., in April. She is the daughter of Cliff and Niki Slinkard.

University of Utah

Keegan Stanton of Bentonville graduated from the University of Utah on May 2.

Stanton was among the 8,465 graduates who were honored during the university's 150th general commencement ceremony.

University of Minnesota

Shubhanakar Dharmadhikari of Bentonville, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, was named to the 2019 spring semester dean's list, with 12 or more letter-graded credits while attaining a 3.66 grade point average.

Lawrence University

Katie Weers of Eureka Springs earned a bachelor of music degree in violin music performance from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., in a recent commencement ceremony on the Main Hall green.

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Blakely Carlton Mayhall of Lowell received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering, summa cum laude, during commencement ceremonies held May 17-18 at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

The highest honor, summa cum laude, is awarded to students who have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.8 or above on a 4.0 scale for all courses counting toward the degree.

Fort Hays State University

Three area students graduated from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., in the spring 2019 semester.

Molly Elizabeth Berry of Springdale graduated with a master of science in instructional technology.

Rachel Lea McKee of Rogers graduated with a bachelor of business administration in marketing.

Scott Marquis Pendergraft of Harrison graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science.

University of Central Arkansas

The University of Central Arkansas has selected 75 incoming first-year students as Honors Scholars and 30 incoming first-year students as University Scholars for the fall semester.

The students entering the UCA Norbert O. Schedler Honors College in Conway have an average high school grade-point average above 4.0 and an average ACT college-entrance exam score of 29.

The incoming Honors College class includes 68 students from Arkansas and seven students from out of state. Some of them -- about a quarter of the group -- are the first in their families to go to college.

The University Scholars class includes 26 students from 23 Arkansas cities and four students from out of state.

University Scholars, which is in its second year, is an honors program that operates alongside the 37-year-old Norbert O. Schedler Honors College.

UCA received nearly 900 applicants for the two scholars programs. Candidates were considered based on academic performance, service and leadership potential.

The names and hometowns of each student, followed by their high school name, are as follows:

Honors scholars

Caden Darby, Bentonville, Life Way Christian School

Brianna Frawley, Fort Smith, Southside High School

Thomas Gray, Springdale, Springdale High School

Ashley Hansen, Bella Vista, Pea Ridge High School

Zachary Humphrey, Alpena, Alpena High School

Vivian Norris, Fayetteville, Fayetteville High School

Kathryn Pearson, Fort Smith, Northside High School

Mikelle Porter, Van Buren, Van Buren High School

Kayla Roat, Bentonville, Bentonville High School

Jennifer Self, Bentonville, Arkansas Arts Academy High School

Allison Shook, Rogers, Rogers Heritage High School

Lauren Sights, Greenwood, Greenwood High School

Cameron Triplett, Fort Smith, Northside High School

Terry Uhm, Fort Smith, Southside High School

Delaney Van Wilpe, Rogers, Rogers Heritage High School

Noah Walker, Hackett, Greenwood High School

McKennah West, Ratcliff, Ozark High School

Makenzie White, Fayetteville, Har-Ber High School

Sarah Withers, Berryville, Berryville High School

University scholars

Harrison David, Rogers, Rogers Heritage High School

Sian Fox, Bentonville, Bentonville West High School

Haylee Hawbaker, Siloam Springs, Siloam Springs High School

Autumn Kennedy, Springdale, Shiloh Christian School

Delwin Portillo, Berryville, Berryville High School

Stella Radke, Ozark, Ozark High School

James Youngs, Rogers, Rogers Heritage High School

University of Northern Colorado

Anna Black and Sarah Finley of Fort Smith have been named to the 2018-19 dean's list of distinction at the University of Northern Colorado.

Students who earned this distinction earned a combined GPA of a 3.75 or higher during at least two academic semesters and completed a minimum of 24 semester hours.

Missouri University

Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo., announces Hayden Dixon of Bentonville, Samuel Sisk of Fayetteville, Blakely Mayhall of Lowell, Thomas Lammey of Rogers and Josh Gambill of Springdale made the honor list for the spring 2019 semester.

To be included on the honor list, students must have carried a minimum of 12 hours and had grade point averages of 3.2 or above out of a possible 4.0.

NAN Our Town on 08/15/2019

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