Chancellor's Scholars who were recognized at the Student Honors Awards Ceremony were (from left) Emily Sharp of Gassville, Ashley Nacole Russ-Deaton of Jonesboro, Kyle Richie of Paragould, Alexi Lamm of Jonesboro, and Mitchell. L. Nail of Biscoe.

ASU Chancellor Robert L. Potts announces Chancellor's Scholar award winners

April 9, 2007 -- Dr. Robert L. Potts, chancellor of Arkansas State University, today announced the winners  of the Chancellor’s Scholar Awards for 2006-2007.

Potts presented the awards during the 74th Annual Student Honors Awards Ceremony, an annual event hosted by the university to recognize ASU’s most outstanding graduates.

The award is presented to the graduating senior in each college who has the highest overall grade point average.  Graduates from August and December 2006, as well as those graduating in May of this year, were eligible.

Recipients and their respective colleges were Mitchell L. Nail of Biscoe, Agriculture; Gregory C. Williams of Paragould, Business; Amy C. Leadem, Tucson, Ariz., Communications; Shakhrukh Ismonov of Starkville, Miss., Engineering; Alexi Lamm of Jonesboro, Fine Arts; Emily Sharp of Gassville, Humanities and Social Sciences; Ashley Nacole Russ-Deaton of Jonesboro, Nursing and Health Professions; Brandi Knight of Paragould, Sciences and Mathematics; and Kyle Richie of Paragould, University College.

College of Agriculture
Mitchell L. Nail

Nail will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the College of Agriculture. Nail is the recipient of the 2006 Olen P. Nail Award for the College of Agriculture’s top junior. He has been named to the President’s List for seven semesters. He was a summer intern for Arkansas Farm Bureau in the public relations department. Nail plans to obtain a position in the agricultural communications field.

Mitchell L. Nail’s parents are Jody and Rita Nail of Biscoe. His advisor is Dr. Kim Pittcock.

College of Business
Gregory C. Williams

Williams will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the College of Business. He was named to the President’s List every semester at ASU. Williams was named one of the top ten juniors in the College of Business in 2006, and he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the College of Business honor society.

Gregory C. Williams is the son of Denver and JoAnn Williams of Paragould. His advisor is Dr. Rebecca Carr.

College of Communications
Amy C. Leadem

Leadem graduated in December 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in advertising from the College of Communications. She was named to the Dean’s List every semester at ASU. She served as both vice president and secretary of Ad Fed, the student chapter of the American Advertising Federation. She was a member of the ASU women’s volleyball team for three years, and she was active in the Wesley Foundation for two years.

Amy C. Leadem’s parents are Chris and Sue Leadem of Tucson, Ariz.  Dr. Joel T. Gambill is her advisor.

College of Engineering
Shakhrukh Ismonov

Ismonov graduated in August 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering. He plans to pursue a doctoral degree and participate in teaching and research upon graduation. A President’s List student for the 2004-2005 academic year, he was also the winner of the International Student Scholarship for 2005-2006. He was also the recipient of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Student Award, from the nation’s most selective all-discipline honor society, in spring semester, 2003.  

Shakhrukh Ismonov is married to Marguba Turkbaeva and is the son of M. Ismanov of Marianna  and Mukhabbat Ismanova of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Dr. Nathan Edgar is his advisor.

College of Fine Arts
Alexi Lamm

Lamm will graduate in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design from the College of Fine Arts.  After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree. Lamm was the recipient of a Middle East Studies Grant in spring 2006, which funded a study trip to Luxor and Cairo. She attended College Year in Athens in fall 2006 as a full-time student, and she was the recipient of a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in spring 2007. She is currently working with the Ashes2Art project on digital reconstruction of structures at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. Alexi Lamm’s  parents are Dr. Robert and Martha Lamm of Jonesboro.  Kim Vickrey is her advisor.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Emily Sharp

Sharp will graduate in May with a bachelor of science in education degree in Social Science from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She plans to attend graduate school and to teach. Emily is the Department of History’s B.S.E. Award winner for spring 2007. She was named to the President’s List from fall semester 2003 through spring semester 2007, and she was the recipient of the Trustees’ Scholarship, which she maintained from fall 2003-spring 2007.

Emily Sharp is the daughter of Don and Bobbi Sharp of Gassville.  Her advisor is Dr. Gina Hogue.

College of Nursing and Health Professions
Ashley Nacole Russ-Deaton

Russ-Deaton graduated in December 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders, summa cum laude, from the College of Nursing and Health Professions.  She plans to attend graduate school at ASU for a master’s degree in communication disorders and practice as a speech-language pathologist. She was named to the President’s list every semester at ASU from fall 2003-2006. She graduated with highest honors, and was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Ashley Nacole Russ-Deaton is the wife of Joe Deaton of Keiser and the daughter of James and Patricia Russ of Joiner. Dr. Sherri Lovelace is her advisor.

College of Sciences and Mathematics
Brandi Knight

Knight will graduate in May with a bachelor of science in education degree in Biological Sciences from the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Knight was the recipient of the Trustee’s Scholarship from 2002-2007. She was named to the President’s List for every semester at ASU. She was also a member of the Honors College, where she is writing an Honors thesis. 

Brandi Knight is the wife of Daniel Knight of Paragould. Her parents are Ed and Marie Greene of Hot Springs. Her advisors are Dr. Martin Huss and Dr. Tillman Kennon.

University College
Kyle Richey

Richey will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from  University College. He was the recipient of the Trustees’ Scholarship from 2003-2006, he was named to the President’s List for six consecutive semesters, and he was a member of numerous honors groups.

His parents are Gary and Vickey Richey of Paragould. Dr. Herman Strickland is his advisor.

Other 4.0 Students

In the event more than one student in the same college has a perfect 4.0 grade point, the student with the most credit hours receives the award.

Those recognized as 4.0 students and their respective colleges were: Bradley Watkins of Griffithville and Eric Lumpkin of Marion, Business; Megan Hogue of Benton, Deborah S. Johnson of Jonesboro, Sherry Pierce of Corning, and Sara Marzewski of Jonesboro, Humanities and Social Sciences; and Ross Westbrook of Jonesboro, Sciences and Mathematics.

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