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JACKSON, Tenn. — April 23, 2025 — ÃÈÃÃÉçÇø presented more than 80 awards to students, faculty and staff April 23 at the annual Awards Day chapel service.

The Carla D. Sanderson Faculty of the Year Award went to David Thomas, university professor of history.

John Carbonell, associate vice president for human resources, received the Gary L. Carter Staff of the Year Award.

Jason Crawford, professor of English, received the R. Keith Absher Faculty Researcher of the Year Award, which recognizes a full-time faculty member who has made significant and sustained scholarly contributions to his or her discipline and the academy.

Other award recipients:

The Pre-Pharmacy Excellence Award was presented to Sierra Dillbeck.

The Bettye and Kermit Whiteaker Freshman Chemistry Award was presented to Jake Leckrone.

The Bill Truex Award in Computer Science was presented to Meilyn Massie.

The Broadman and Holman Award was presented to Michael Tankersley.

The Bill Bouchillon Psychology Excellence Award was presented to Makenna Tiffany.

The Kyle L. Hathcox Memorial Physics Award was presented to Timothy White and Moses Zhu.

The Curtiss E. Scott Business Excellence Award was presented to Nick Truitt.

The Kina S. Mallard Communication Arts Student of the Year Award was presented to Mattie Grace Washington.

The Georgia Wilson Memorial Award for Clinical Nursing was presented to Cierra Cook.

The Helen Blythe Creative Writing Award was presented to Sarah Adams.

The Dr. James Alex Baggett History Research Paper Award was presented to Audrey Sepulveda.

The Wilberforce Award for Civic Engagement was presented to Jack Brady.

The Service Through Engineering Award was presented to Jewelia Black.

The Dorothy Woodard Myatt Intern of the Year Award was presented to Isabel Phiri for Secondary Intern of the Year and to Morgan Herman for Elementary Intern of the Year.

The Wolfram Award for Computational Science was presented to Abigail Beach.

The John C. Moore Award for Excellence in Academics and Athletics was presented to Mary Scott Tritt and Gray Campbell.

The Fred DeLay Memorial Award, for a senior who is an outstanding athlete, a person of high academic standing, unquestionable loyalty and good character, was presented to Reese Owens.

The Servant Leadership Program Student Employee of the Year awards were presented to Ty Weatherby and Anna Breederland. The Servant Leadership Program Supervisor of the Year was Amanda Chenault.

The Intramural Female Athlete of the Year was MollieKay Grubbs. The Intramural Male Athlete of the Year was Camden Lockett.

The Barnabas Leadership Award promotes the ideals of servant leadership in the ÃÈÃÃÉçÇø community. This year’s recipients were Sarah Skinner and Gavin Kopko.

The Greek Scholarship Cups, which are awarded annually to the two social fraternities with the highest average, were presented to the men of Alpha Tau Omega and the women of Chi Omega (for the 78th consecutive year).

The Howard Newell Innovative Teaching Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated creativity and innovation in classroom teaching. Selections are made by a faculty committee. The award was presented to Phil Davignon, professor of sociology. Honorable mentions were Zachery Halford and DiAnne Malone.

Academic Excellence Medals were presented by ÃÈÃÃÉçÇø to the graduating senior in each major, as selected by the faculty members of the department. The following students received medals for academic excellence:

• Major in Art – Alison Keener-Eskola
• Major in Studio Art – Emily Faith Gray
• Major in Cell and Molecular Biology – Christian Michael Schlehuber
• Major in Conservation Biology – Hettie Marie Peek
• Major in Zoology – Scout Simone Fluet
• Major in Communication Studies – Seth A. Blair
• Major in Journalism – Olivia Eleese Bell
• Major in Public Relations – Emma Jacqueline Coykendall
• Major in Digital Media Communications – Sarah Reese Owens
• Major in Computer Science – Brendan Scott Fields
• Major in Cybersecurity – Hayden Lee Shirley
• Major in Engineering – Jonathan Brewer
• Major in English – Isabella Rhea Cook
• Major in History – Samantha Faye Poore
• Major in Applied Linguistics – Bethany Cate Milton
• Major in French – Bethany Cate Milton
• Major in Spanish – Annalise Olivia Wade
• Major in Mathematics with Honors – Josiah David Hays
• Major in Music with Honors – Natalie Rose McVay
• Major in Music Education – Grace DeAnne Barber
• Major in Commercial Music – William Chase Bodiford
• Major in Composition with Honors – Anna Morgan Guelcher
• Major in Physics – Josiah David Hays
• Major in Political Science – Olivia F. Shaw
• Major in Psychology – Natalie Rose McVay
• Major in Family Studies – Annalise Olivia Wade
• Major in Sociology with Honors – Grace Lucielle Sarver
• Major in Accounting – Julia Lillian Ratliff
• Major in Business Administration with Honors – Nicholas Richard Truitt
• Major in Interdisciplinary Studies – Eliana Lynae Gordillo
• Major in Teaching and Learning – Abbigail Faith Adkins
• Major in Athletic Training – Chloe Louise Jacobs
• Major in Exercise Science – Anna Grace Breederland
• Major in Sport Management – Kirsten Lyn LaVallee
• Major in Nursing – Sophia Hope Keskeys
• Major in Biblical Studies Languages with Honors – Michael L. Tankersley
• Major in Christian Ministry and Missions – Leah Grayce Sutton
• Major in Social Work – Katherine A. Spencer
• Major in Professional Studies – Joel Benjamin Edenfield
• Major in Christian Leadership – Michael Sanders Bright Jr.
• Major in Organizational Leadership – Seeta Habib
• Major in Entrepreneurial Leadership – Dirk Fabian Rouser
• Major in General Studies – Niyinzitiriye Divine

Undergraduate Student Research Excellence Awards were presented to the following students: Natalie McVay, Aiden Starry, Makenna Tiffany, Megan Luckey and Michael Tankersley.

Graduate Student Research Excellence Awards were presented to Grant Gay and Sedona Brown.