Triple Crown in Nationally Competitive Scholarships for University of Arkansas

May. 19, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four University of Arkansas juniors have been named recipients of three of the most prestigious undergraduate awards in the country:  the Harry S. Truman S. Scholarship, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and the Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship. 

Universities may nominate four students for the Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding students in math, science and engineering who are planning to pursue a career in research. All four University of Arkansas students were recognized. Armin Mortazavi of White Hall has been selected as a Goldwater Scholar, and Ailon Haileyesus of Springdale, Stephanie Long of Fayetteville and Lauren Reed of Benton received honorable mentions.

John “Grant” Addison of Cabot is a 2015 Truman Scholar, a scholarship that supports students who are committed to public service.

Elise Clote of Glendale, Missouri, and Michael Reinisch of Dusseldorf, Germany, are both 2015 Udall Scholars. This scholarship is awarded to students who plan to pursue careers connected to the environment or Native American health or public policy. See below for detailed information on each of the awards and the students.

“This is the triple crown in the scholarship world for students applying in the junior year. It would be hard to do better. This points again to a student body, and faculty who support them, that is second to none,” said G. David Gearhart, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas. “The University of Arkansas is very proud of the accomplishments of these students. That they have received this level of national recognition is outstanding, but we know that what they will achieve goes way beyond a scholarship, and we look forward to following their careers in the years to come.”

Only seven other institutions nationwide also had winners for each of the scholarships. They include Arizona State, Brown, Northwestern, Yale, and the universities of Georgia, Iowa, and Kansas.

“This has been a record year for the University of Arkansas,” said Suzanne McCray, director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. “We have a Goldwater Scholar for the 20th year in a row. We have two Udall Scholars, which is a first for the University of Arkansas, we have a Truman Scholar for the fourth year in a row, and we have students who have won all three of these prestigious awards. You are in very elite company when that happens.

“These students are being recognized from the College of Engineering, the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and the Honors College. They represent a wide variety of majors, but they also share a dedication to and enthusiasm for their discipline, and it has helped make them successful at the highest level.”

Goldwater Honorable Mentions

Ailon Haileyesus is a junior honors biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering. She currently researches the effects of traumatic brain-injury-induced changes under assistant professor Kartik Balachandran. Haileyesus plans to pursue a doctorate in biomedical engineering and conduct research that will help advance biomedical healthcare technologies in developing countries. 

University of Arkansas students who are interested in applying for competitive scholarships like the Truman, Goldwater, or Udall should contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at awards@uark.edu.

Contacts

Suzanne McCray, director

Office of Nationally Competitive Awards

479-575-4883, smccray@uark.edu

Laura Jacobs, associate vice chancellor

University Relations

479-575-5555, laura@uark.edu

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