The University of Minnesota Morris held its annual Honors and Awards program on Friday, May 12 to recognize student achievements.
Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean Peh Ng noted: "We are proud of the opportunities and access that we provide to our students, but we are even more proud of what the students do with those opportunities and access, both while at Morris and long after they graduate. Tonight’s recognitions—of accomplishments with campus, regional, state, national, and international implications--attest to the wealth of ways in which Morris students excel and make their positive mark in the world."
Chancellor’s Award
Presented annually to an outstanding senior on the basis of academic excellence and contribution to campus life, the chancellor of the University of Minnesota Morris makes the Chancellor’s Award selection after consulting with various campus groups.
Ella VanKempen ’23
Curtis H. Larson Award
The Curtis H. Larson Award is conferred upon the graduate chosen as senior class speaker. The selection is made by faculty and graduating seniors. The award was established in memory of the late Curtis Larson, the University of Minnesota Morris’s first class speaker in 1964.
Dylan Young ’23
Katherine E. Sullivan Scholarship
The all-University Katherine E. Sullivan Scholarship honors high-achieving University seniors with financial support for a fifth year of undergraduate study in another country.
Constance Liker ’23
Morris Student Sustainability Leader Award
This award recognizes students who have displayed exemplary service to advance campus sustainability conversations and initiatives. The efforts of these student leaders have helped to create positive change with leadership that has been a model to others. Sustainability is a big idea that connects with our liberal arts leadership. These students have asked “big questions” and have worked to find solutions.
Noelle Muzzy ’23
Dylan Young ’23
Allen W. Edson Award
Presented annually in recognition of contribution to campus life, the Allen W. Edson Awards recipient is chosen by the senior class, the faculty, and the Functions and Awards Committee. The award honors Allen Edson, superintendent of the University of Minnesota West Central School of Agriculture (WCSA) and Experiment Station on the Morris campus from 1947 to 1958.
Joselin Gonzales Mejia ’23
Mary Martelle Memorial Award
Presented annually to a student and to a staff member deemed to have made outstanding contributions to the quality of Morris campus life, the Mary Martelle Memorial Award perpetuates the memory of Mary Martelle, senior secretary in the Office of Student Activities from 1965 until her death in 1976.
Mariah Thesing ’23
Scholar of the College Award
Scholar of the College Awards are presented annually to students who demonstrate distinguished contributions to scholarship in one or more of the academic disciplines.
Jessica Beaudoin ‘23
Bethanie Belisle ‘24
Briana Dokken ‘24
Joshua Eklund ‘23
Jaeger Gerold ‘23
Ben Giese ‘24
Henry Hubred ‘23
Audrey Le Meur ‘22
Richard Lussier ‘23
Shelby Maloney ‘23
Emily Miller ‘23
Trinity Milne ‘24
Erik Rauer ‘23
Melanie Rittenhouse ‘24
Dean Schmit ‘23
Emma Seurer ‘23
Ruby Wittmayer ‘23
Natasha Zebrev ‘22
Bryan Zepeda ‘23
Edith Rodgers Farrell Memorial Award for Undergraduate Research
Established by the family, students, and friends of Edith Rogers Farrell, late professor of French and undergraduate research advocate, the annual award is granted to a graduating senior whose research is judged by a jury of faculty to be excellent.
Ava Radeke Allroggen ’23
Zoe Kramin ’23
Bill and Ida Stewart Award for Racial Justice Advocacy
This award recognizes faculty, staff, and students who have displayed exemplary service on our campus in support of promoting racial justice, a supportive climate for all people, and positive, lasting change.
Joselin Gonzales Mejia ’23
Ashley M Johnson ’23
Paisley Sierra ’24
Honors Program Recognition
The Morris Honors Program focuses on providing opportunities for curious, creative, and intellectually ambitious students to practice interdisciplinary thinking. All courses in the program are interdisciplinary and are frequently taught by two professors. Students complete the program with an interdisciplinary capstone project and defense, and have an overall grade point average of 3.5 or higher at graduation.
Jocelyn Samani Filiyaro ’22
Stewart T Lindstrom ’23
Morgan A Mithun ’23
Gillian Leigh Orth ’23
Megan Kay Saboo ’23
Dean Lee Schmit ’23
Deanna C Small ’23
Arnold Henjum Scholar-Athlete Award
Presented to a senior male athlete on the basis of athletic excellence and integrity, the award honors Arnold Henjum, professor of education from 1964 to 1992, who made innumerable contributions to Minnesota public education. Recipients must earn a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average.
Cody Nye ’24
Willis Kelly Award
Presented to a senior female athlete who exemplifies the spirit of competition at Morris in women’s athletics, the award is in memory of Willis Kelly, physical education coach and athletic director at Morris for more than 20 years. She was the first director of women’s athletics in 1975 and served as director of men’s and women’s athletics from 1982 until her retirement in 1987. Recipients must earn a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average.
Alyssa Ukestad ’22
Honor Athlete Awards
Selected by a committee of coaches on the basis of academic and athletic achievement, recipients of the Men’s and Women’s Honor Athlete Awards have earned a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Carson Friestad ’23
McKenna Langerud ’23
Cougar Excellence Awards
The Cougar Excellence Awards are awarded each year to one male and one female, fourth-year student-athletes who represent the best of Cougar Athletics: passion, dedication, athletic competitiveness, and academic engagement. Recipients have competed at the University of Minnesota Morris for a minimum of two years.
Alex Baumann ’23
Monica Calderon ’23
William R. Scarborough Memorial Award
Presented annually to a senior in elementary or secondary education, the William R. Scarborough Memorial Award recognizes demonstrated competence and potential for becoming an outstanding member of the teaching profession. The award honors the memory of William Scarborough, former Division of Education chair, who joined the faculty in 1966 and made many contributions to the Morris campus and to public education in Minnesota.
Sarah Curtiss ’23
Art History Book Award
Awarded to graduating art history majors, this award recognizes academic excellence and potential for further achievement in the arts.
Charlotte Dery ‘ 23
Alumni Award for Outstanding English Major
This award is presented to graduating English majors whose performances in English classes have been consistently superior and who have made positive contributions to the discipline or major in and beyond the classroom.
Stewart T Lindstrom ’23
Destiny A Lopez ’23
Keith Carlson Memorial Jazz Award
Presented annually to the most outstanding jazz musicians at Morris, this award is given in memory of Keith Carlson by Jack and Ethel Carlson.
Joshua Engelkes ’23
Brion Dalager Memorial Award
Established by the family and friends of the late Brion Dalager, University of Minnesota Morris music student from 1969 to 1972, this scholarship is awarded annually to students who have demonstrated outstanding ability on a band instrument.
Jaclyn Hawkins ’23
Natalie Benoit Memorial Award
Presented to a junior or senior who demonstrates ability and shows promise as a serious art student. Given by George and Joan Benoit, former Morris residents, in memory of their daughter who was an art major studying at Penn State when an accident took her life.
Gillian Orth ’23
Lois P. Hodgell Printmaking Award
This award honors the late Lois P. Hodgell, professor of art from 1962 until her retirement in 1993. The recipient must show outstanding achievement in printmaking. Presented annually to a student who demonstrates creative potential in the field and technical understanding of a variety of print processes.
Paulina Bekkum ’23
Ray and Dolores Lammers Award in the Language Arts
Established in memory of the late Raymond J. Lammers, professor of theater, and his late wife Dolores, this award is presented to seniors majoring in and demonstrating an outstanding undergraduate career in one of the following disciplines: theater, English, foreign language, or communication, media, and rhetoric. Profesor Lammers was one of the first Morris faculty members and figured prominently in the creation of the theater major and theater program.
Ruby Wittmayer ’23
Olivia Kingston ’23
Joselin Gonzales Mejia ’23
Kiley Rodarmel ’24
Abbott Award in Physics
Presented to a graduating senior physics major with the greatest potential of achieving a professional career in physics or a physics-related field, the award was established by the late Robinson Abbott, professor of biology from 1961 to 1991, and his wife, Rose Marie, who taught Morris biology courses, to recognize the importance Morris played in their lives. All four Abbott children graduated from Morris, three with physics majors.
John Larson ’22
Jay Y. Roshal Award
Presented to a senior student majoring in biology who demonstrates the most promise and interest in a career in the biological sciences, the award is in honor of the late Jay Roshal, professor of biology from 1960 to 1983 and the first University of Minnesota Morris Division of Sciences and Mathematics chair.
Julia Neuharth ’23
Jim Winter Ecology Award
Established by Jim Winter, a native of Morris who earned a B.A. in Biology in 1968 from the UMN Morris and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota, this award provides financial support to juniors and seniors who are interested in attending graduate school to study ecology or in working in the field of ecology and have a background with demonstrated academic success in ecology. Award preference is for students who have conducted undergraduate research, worked and/or volunteered on science projects, or presented a paper at a science conference.
Richard Diedrich ’23
spdf Chemistry Award
The annual spdf Award is given to a senior chemistry major demonstrating outstanding scholarship, potential, and service in chemistry. Chemistry students know that the letters s,p,d,f refer to the internal structure of the atom as determined by experiment and theory. Historically, the letters were nothing but labels for colors of light emitted or absorbed by atoms when the internal structure was unknown.
Jessica Beaudoin ’23
Anthropology Award
The Anthropology Research Award is given to an Anthropology major who has shown exceptional ability for independent research. The award is given to a student with fewer than 90 credits toward graduation and includes monetary support for conducting research or presenting research at a professional meeting.
Ella Kauffman ’26
Chris Berg Memorial Award
Presented annually to an outstanding senior economics major demonstrating academic excellence in that field, this award is presented by the University of Minnesota Morris economics/management faculty in memory of their colleague, Chris Berg, one of UMN Morris's early economics faculty.
Shelby Maloney ’23
UMM Management/Economics Alumni Award
This award is presented to a graduating discipline senior who has achieved academic excellence and has provided service to the discipline and the Morris campus. It is funded through collective alumni gifts to the management/economics discipline.
Signy Mastel ’23
Ted and Judith Underwood Award in History
Presented to a graduating senior with a major or minor in history or a history concentration in the social science major who has demonstrated distinguished academic performance in history, the award is named for Dr. Ted L. and Judith Underwood. Ted served the University of Minnesota Morris as an outstanding scholar, teacher, and administrator from 1967 until his retirement in 1999. Judith completed a degree in education at University of Minnesota Morris in 1971 and pursued a successful career in education in the Minneapolis area from 1973 to 1999.
Dean Schmit ’23
Mimi Frenier Awards in GWSS
This award was established by colleagues, students, alumni, friends, and the University of Minnesota Morris Commission on Women in recognition of Professor Emeritus of History Mariam Frenier’s dedication to Morris and in appreciation for her contributions to the development of the gender, women, and sexuality studies major. It is annually granted to a junior or senior majoring in gender, women, and sexuality studies major in recognition of high academic achievement, and social, political, and civic activism.
Dean Schmit ’23
Gieske Academic Award
Offered annually to outstanding political science majors in their senior year, this award is given to students who have exceptional records of accomplishments at the University of Minnesota Morris as well as strong prospects for success after graduation. The award is in memory of Millard Gieske who was a professor in political science for more than 15 years. He served as acting chair of the Division of the Social Sciences, was a respected leader in many professional organizations, and the author of many political works.
Shelby Maloney ’23
Outstanding Graduate in Psychology Award
The Outstanding Graduate in Psychology Award is given annually to seniors graduating with psychology majors. Recipients who receive this award have excelled in the following areas: scholarship, research experience, and participation in the psychology discipline.
Ava Allroggen ’23
Sociology Book Award
Awarded to an outstanding sociology student, this honor recognizes academic excellence and active engagement in the field of sociology.
Ashley M Johnson ’23