KU News Release

April 23, 2007
Contact: Jackie Hosey, University Relations, (785) 864-8858.

Nine KU seniors earn Chancellor’s Student Awards

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas officials visited the classrooms of nine graduating seniors earlier this month to announce that they were Chancellor’s Student Award recipients. The awards recognize the students’ academic, volunteer and leadership accomplishments during their time at KU.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, and Ann Eversole, assistant vice provost for student success, made the presentations April 4-6 to the following award winners:

— Melissa Horen of Overland Park, Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
— Scott R. Ferguson of Leawood and Overland Park, Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award
— Elaine Jardon of Overland Park, Agnes Wright Strickland Award
— Nathan Lee Ladd of Effingham, Agnes Wright Strickland Award
— Nina Mosallaei of Overland Park, Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award
— Andrew J. Olive of Lincoln, Neb., Class of 1913 Award
— Michelle Rissky of Tecumseh, Class of 1913 Award
— Nick Sterner of Shawnee, Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
— Michelle Tran of Derby, Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award

As part of the 135th commencement at KU, Chancellor Robert Hemenway will host a reception to honor the students Saturday, May 19, at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union. The honorees also will sit on a platform with the chancellor during commencement May 20 in KU’s Memorial Stadium, and their portraits will be in the commencement program.

The Chancellor’s Student Awards committee selected the winners from universitywide nominations submitted by students, faculty and staff. The 15-member selection committee includes students, faculty and staff. Winners receive cash prizes, except recipients of the Agnes Wright Strickland Award, which comes with lifetime membership in the KU Alumni Association.

The Class of 1913 Awards annually go to a graduating man and woman who show evidence of intelligence, devotion to studies, personal character and promise of usefulness to society.

The Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award goes to a graduating senior who has demonstrated loyalty to and interest in the university and who has been active in activities and services that benefit other students. The award was established in memory of Alderson, former dean of men and dean of student services.

The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Awards goes to a graduating student who has unselfishly contributed to the university through campus involvement. The award was established in 1993 by Dillard’s family and friends to remember and honor him.

Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Awards annually go to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. The award was established by a group of seniors in 1973 to honor their fellow student, Leffel.

The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award goes to a graduating fraternity or sorority member who has demonstrated commitment to the local chapter, the KU greek community, the university and the Lawrence community. The award was established in 1993 to honor Smith, a former dean of student life.

The Agnes Wright Strickland Awards were established in 1953 in memory of Strickland, a member of the class of 1887. The awards annually go to graduating seniors in recognition of their academic records, demonstrated leadership in matters of university concern, respect among fellow students and indications of future dedication to service in the university.

Brief biographical information about the winners is listed below.

ATCHISON COUNTY
From Effingham 66023
Nathan Lee Ladd, majoring in business management and leadership and international studies, received an Agnes Wright Strickland Award. He is the son of Ray and Cindy Ladd and is a graduate of Atchison County Community High School. Ladd served three terms as president of Kansas Connections — Helping Small Town Students Succeed. He also was elected to the Student Senate for two terms and served as a proctor in Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall for two years. Ladd is a Solon E. Summerfield Scholarship recipient and a University Honors Program student. He was a summer 2005 Kansas Asia Scholar to China and recently completed an overseas internship in Singapore doing market research for a food distributor. He works as an assistant for the Center for East Asian Studies. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society and of Phi Beta Kappa.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Leawood 66224 and Overland Park
Scott R. Ferguson, graduating with majors in finance and business administration, received the Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award. Ferguson is the son of Lisa Sizemore of Leawood and of Ron Ferguson of Overland Park and a graduate of Rockhurst High School. Ferguson was a 2006 Excellence in Community Education and Leadership Award winner and received the 2006 David A. Ambler Outstanding Campus Leader Award. He is president of the Interfraternity Council and has served as a business school representative to the Student Senate. He was the fundraising coordinator for the 2006 Rock Chalk Revue charitable benefit. Ferguson is a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and the Order of Omega and Mortar Board honor societies. He has held internships with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and with Waddell & Reed Financial Services.

From Overland Park 66209
Melissa Horen, majoring in political science, received the Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award. She is the daughter of Jeff and Susan Horen and a graduate of Blue Valley North High School. In addition to her academic work, Horen is the 2006-07 student body vice president, KU Hillel president and was coordinator for the 2006 Big 12 Student Government Conference. She was named a KU Woman of Distinction and a KU Outstanding Woman in a Living Organization in 2006. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She has served as a KU Student Ambassador, on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s advisory board and on the KU Commission on the Status of Women. Beyond the campus, she has worked in internships with KU Hillel Outreach and with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C.

From Overland Park 66210
Nina Mosallaei, majoring in social work, received the Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award. She is the daughter of Saeed and Sedi Mosallaei and is a graduate of Shawnee Mission West High School. She plans to attend KU’s School of Medicine in the fall. Mosallaei is a member of several academic honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Alpha in social work and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She is a Watkins-Berger Scholar. An active Student Senate leader, Mosallaei worked to expand multicultural educational opportunities at KU. Since August, she has been a social work intern with the Jewish Vocational Service in Kansas City, Mo. Her volunteer activities have included serving as an English tutor with Small World English and International Outreach, mentoring in Big Brothers Big Sisters and office assistance for the Douglas County AIDS Project. She has also volunteered at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

From Overland Park 66213
Elaine Jardon will receive a degree in language arts education and is a recipient of an Agnes Wright Strickland Award. She is the daughter of Galen and Marta Jardon and an Olathe East High School graduate. Jardon is co-director for the Center for Community Outreach, which facilitates 14 student-run volunteer programs in Douglas County. She has also worked as a substitute teacher in the Lawrence public schools. Jardon is on the KU Spirit Squad as the Baby Jay mascot and is a cheerleading coach for Special Olympics of Douglas County. She has served in leadership positions in her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and for the past two years has served as community service co-chair for the Rock Chalk Revue charitable benefit. She is in the University Honors Program and a Watkins-Emily Berger Scholar. She is a member of the Owl Society and of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Off campus, Jardon works with Girl Scouts of America, including working as a waterfront director for the Girl Scouts of Mid-Continent Council.

From Overland Park 66223 and Leawood
Scott R. Ferguson. SEE LEAWOOD

From Shawnee 66226
J. Nicholas “Nick” Sterner, majoring in finance and business administration, won a Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award. He is the son of Joe and Marilynn Sterner and is a graduate of Mill Valley High School. Sterner is Student Senate president for 2006-07. Before being elected president, he served as a student senator for two years and as the senate’s community affairs director. He is a member of the Memorial Unions Corporation Board and the Kansas Athletics Board of Directors. Sterner was an intern for KU Endowment and is a state-certified basketball referee. He has been in University Honors Program since his freshman year.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Tecumseh 66542
Michelle Rissky, majoring in biology, received a Class of 1913 Award. She is daughter of Roy and Lorraine Rissky and is a Shawnee Heights Senior High School graduate. In 2006, Rissky was named a KU Woman of Distinction. She has served in several positions for Student Union Activities, including public relations director and Corporation Board member. She worked as a resident assistant at Oliver Hall for two years. She has been in the University Honors Program since her freshman year and is a Watkins-Berger Scholar. She is a member of the National Residence Hall honor society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Derby
Michelle Tran, majoring in Slavic languages and literatures and Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, received the Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award. She is the daughter of Chinh and Lan Tran and is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. Tran was a 2006 Truman scholar, one of 75 selected nationally last spring. In 2005, Tran was named a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow, a program for students interested in foreign service careers. She was also one of two students selected by Oxfam America as a U.S. representative to the Oxfam International Youth Parliament in Hong Kong in December 2005. At KU, Tran has was president of the Dennis E. Rieger Scholarship Hall and was named a Woman of Distinction by the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center. Her many campus activities include serving as coordinator for Lawrence Fair Trade and as the founder and president of KU Carpool, a group that helps commuting students conserve gas through carpools.

NEBRASKA
From Lincoln
Andrew J. Olive, majoring in microbiology, received a Class of 1913 Award. He is the son of Mike and Sandy Olive and is a Lincoln Southeast High School graduate. Olive was a 2006 national Goldwater scholar and a 2006 recipient of an American Society for Microbiology Undergraduate Fellowship. He received an undergraduate research award in microbiology and is a Midwest Student Exchange Scholar at KU. In addition to having his research published as a contributing author in three journals, Olive presented work at the 2005 Great Plains Infectious Disease Conference and at the 2006 American Society for Microbiology conference. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, an associate member of Sigma Xi, a scientific research society, and a member of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars.

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