Calhoun Students, Faculty Member and President Receive National Recognition

April 30, 2014

Calhoun Students, Faculty Member and President Receive National Recognition

Students honored among nation's top two-year college students as Coca-Cola Scholars

Calhoun Community College students Savannah McCullough, Tiffany Merryman, and Andrew Jordan were recently named 2014 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Scholars. McCullough was selected as a 2014 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Gold Scholar, receiving a $1500 scholarship and special gold medallion. Merryman and Jordan were both selected as Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholars, with each receiving a $1000 scholarship and bronze medallion.

Each year, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars nationally, and providing nearly $187,500 in annual scholarships. Students namedCoca-Cola scholars were selected from the more than 1,700 applications submitted this year. Funding for the scholarships is provided by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

McCullough is a Mathematics major from Madison, Alabama, with a 4.0 GPA.  She serves as a Calhoun Warhawk student ambassador and is active in the Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta honor societies.  Savannah was one of the four nominees from the college for the 2014 All-USA Academic Team.  She serves her community through volunteering for the American Red Cross and serving as a Top Soccer Peer Coach.  Her goal is to eventually obtain her Ph.D. and become a college math professor.  She would like to empower females to seek out careers in math, science and technology-related fields.  

Merryman is a Pre-Med/Biology major from Huntsville, Alabama, who also holds a 4.0 GPA.  She is an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, serving as Vice President of Leadership.  Tiffany was also one of four nominees from Calhoun for the 2014 All-USA Academic Team.  She is active in her community through volunteering her medical expertise at a local doctor's office, serving meals at the Downtown Rescue Mission, and ministering to and visiting local prisoners.  As a brain surgery survivor, her goal is to complete medical school and specialize in the fields of neurology and oncology in order to conquer the disease that changed her life.  She will continue her studies this fall at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, where she has been offered a $3000 Transfer Merit scholarship.

Jordan is a General Education major from Valhermosa Springs, Alabama.  He is an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta honor societies and was one of four Calhoun nominees for the 2014 All-USA Academic Team.  He is active in his community through his involvement in Manna House at his church and serving as a youth group leader and has also volunteered his time through tornado relief for victims of tornados in the past.  His goal is to finish his education at UA Huntsville, specialize in the field of computer science, and start his own business providing innovative and technological solutions for companies in the North Alabama region.  His GPA is 3.961.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society administers the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Program and recognizes Coca-Cola Community College scholars during All-State Community College Academic Team Recognition ceremonies held in 38 states. Calhoun's student scholars will receive local recognition during ceremonies to be held on campus this week for the college's 45^th Annual Honors Day Convocation, Friday, May 2.

"We are so excited and extremely proud to have three of our very outstanding student leaders recognized as Coca-Cola Scholars this year," commented Calhoun President Marilyn Beck. "This recognition of Tiffany, Savannah and Andrew adds to the growing list of Calhoun students who have been honored on the national level for their academic accomplishments," Beck added.

Community college presidents or their designated nominators submit nominations for the Coca-Cola Scholars awards. An independent panel of judges considers outstanding academic rigor, grade point average, academic and leadership awards, and engagement in college and community service in the selection process.

"The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges," said J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. "We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals."

Necia Nicholas, Biology department chair at Calhoun and an advisor for the college's Sigma Lambda Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, was among 30 PTK advisors internationally who honored with the 2014 Distinguished Advisor Award. The Distinguished Advisor Award recognizes advisors who have served at least four years and have made significant contributions to the growth of the individual chapter members, served as the chapter's advocate on campus, and encouraged the chapter to be involved on the local, regional, and/or international level of the organization. Advisors were nominated by their chapters through the Hallmark Awards application process and were selected by a panel of judges from over 75 nominees worldwide.

Calhoun President Marilyn Beck was honored with Phi Theta Kappa's Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, named in honor of PTK's longest serving Board Chair and founder and long-time President of Highline Community College in Washington.  College presidents and campus chief executive officers, nominated by their local Phi Theta Kappa chapter, are selected for this award, which is based on their outstanding support of Phi Theta Kappa.

All awards were presented last week during PTK's International Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,280 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually.

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