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HONORS COLLEGE PROJECTS LARGEST, MOST DIVERSE INCOMING CLASS IN RECENT YEARS

The University of Central Arkansas Norbert O. Schedler Honors College anticipates its incoming 2017 class to be one of the largest and most academically competitive in recent years, but also the most diverse class in the program’s 35-year history.

This year the Schedler Honors College will welcome 90 new students. The incoming class will be comprised of 75 freshmen and 15 sophomore scholars. The incoming freshmen have an average high school GPA of 4.12 and an average ACT of 30, while the sophomore scholars have finished their first year of college with average GPA of 3.8. A quarter of these students come from ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in higher education nationally.

Honors College Interim Dean Patricia Smith said that the 2016 incoming class set a record for the proportion of entering minority students and this year’s class is on track to exceed that number.

“It is our belief that to foster excellence and prepare culturally competent leaders, our program must create an environment of inclusiveness and respect for all members of our community,” Smith said. “Our efforts to recruit a more diverse applicant pool will have a positive impact on all of our students.”

The number of applicants has risen significantly each year for the last three years, and this year’s process resulted in the largest applicant pool in the 35-year history of the Schedler Honors College with more than 800 prospects, of whom 172 underwent interviews on the UCA campus.

“We have remained optimistic about our enrollment and the preparedness of our incoming freshman class for UCA. Our Honors College is no exception,” said UCA President Houston Davis. “This is more evidence to support our belief that our incoming freshman class will supersede many of our previous years’ enrollments in numbers and quality.”

Acceptance into the Schedler Honors College comes with access to UCA’s top scholarship, access to a living-learning community in Jefferson W. Farris Honors Hall, and participation in a unique interdisciplinary curriculum with ample opportunities for service learning, project-based education, collaborative work, undergraduate research, travel abroad opportunities, and internship support. Students in the Schedler Honors College average approximately 1,000 cumulative hours of community service annually.

All members of the incoming class were selected using a holistic admissions process that factors in the applicant’s academic performance, service, and leadership potential. The process has been held up within the national collegiate honors community as one of the most thorough admissions processes in the nation.

The sophomores are admitted through a process the Schedler Honors College refers to as the Track II process. This process allows for students who did not begin the program as freshmen, but who have strong academic records in their freshmen, year to apply to join the Schedler Honors College as sophomores.

Established in 1982, the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College at UCA has become one of the most full-featured in the nation and is a leader in providing enhanced educational opportunities in a living/learning environment designed to develop students as citizen-scholars.

The names of the selected students are as follows:

First NameLast NameCityStateClssification
TiffanyAguilarRogersARFreshman
EmilyAllenMcGeheeARFreshman
KyleAshcraftCabotARFreshman
AustinAshleyLittle RockARFreshman
CortneyBanningFort SmithARSophomore
AllisonBarnesPearcyARFreshman
SophieBarnesLittle RockARSophomore
RachelBeardenSherwoodARSophomore
TristanBrassLittle RockARFreshman
AshleyBrittainArkadelphiaARSophomore
ChaseBurnhamBryantARFreshman
JenniferCaleFayettevilleARFreshman
DanielaCastilloSpringdaleARFreshman
KatieChenowethVan BurenARFreshman
MollyCottinghamHooksTXFreshman
RachelCurtisAlexanderARFreshman
GraceDavenportRussellvilleARFreshman
AmandaDibeeBentonvilleARFreshman
AmberDiPersiaHot SpringsARFreshman
CatherineDobryNorth Little RockARFreshman
AustinDormanBentonARFreshman
MicahDuncanPrairie GroveARFreshman
Kenn-MatthewDuranLittle RockARFreshman
WilliamDuranRussellvilleARFreshman
PeytonEarpSpringdaleARFreshman
SarahEnglishSpringdaleARFreshman
AshlynEstesViloniaARFreshman
OliviaFlemingLittle RockARFreshman
LaurynFordConwayARFreshman
HarperFosterFayettevilleARSophomore
FranciscoGomezConwayARSophomore
NelsonGravesRussellvilleARFreshman
GraceGroveJacksonvilleARFreshman
MargaretHackerJonesboroARFreshman
MadelineHagaFort SmithARFreshman
AshleyHallSalemARFreshman
JaelynHamiltonConwayARFreshman
JaredHamiltonGrand PrairieTXSophomore
JaronHamiltonGrand PrairieTXSophomore
CasandaHarrisSumterSCSophomore
ZackeryHaynieMaumelleARSophomore
MadisonHenshawLittle RockARFreshman
JavierHernandezRogersARFreshman
TommyHuynhFort SmithARFreshman
IanIsomConwayARFreshman
JosephIvyDoverARFreshman
AlexisJohnsonBentonvilleARFreshman
KaitlynJohnsonLittle RockARFreshman
EdrianaJonesMckinneyTXFreshman
CassidyKendrickJacksonvilleARSophomore
AutumneKendricksWardARFreshman
LauraLaneTaylorARFreshman
BrandonLocknarFort SmithARFreshman
AustinMaloneMaumelleARFreshman
LayneMartindaleTexarkanaTXFreshman
HannahMayampullyDallasTXFreshman
AudreyMcCalisterFayettevilleARFreshman
LaurenMcHenryViloniaARFreshman
MaryMcKayConwayARFreshman
BlakeMitchellAustinARFreshman
DeNeciaMoorePoplar GroveARSophomore
HaleyMortonSheridanARFreshman
PresleyMullinsCabotARFreshman
HalahNelsonTexarkanaARFreshman
VinczOngBentonvilleARFreshman
KatelynPackBarlingARFreshman
SarahParsonsWynneARFreshman
RodneyPurvisMenaARFreshman
AlexaRamickLonokeARFreshman
SamuelRevisConwayARFreshman
DaniellaRodriguezLittle RockARFreshman
DevynRuizCedarvilleARFreshman
CallieSelfRussellvilleARFreshman
AaronSewardEdgemontARFreshman
CarolineSloanLittle RockARFreshman
DanielSmithLittle RockARFreshman
DylanThompsonBryantARSophomore
LanaThurmanBlevinsARFreshman
DanielTimothyConwayARSophomore
TaylorUmbargerRogersARFreshman
LouisaUtleyLittle RockARFreshman
AlyssaVanSickleLittle RockARSophomore
SarahVaughanEureka SpringsARFreshman
SarahWeaverWynneARFreshman
BookerWhiteMayflowerARFreshman
AbigailWikoffLittle RockARSophomore
MarloweWilsonKailuaHIFreshman
AnnaWolffBentonARFreshman
LillieWrenLittle RockARFreshman
DaltonYatesWynneARFreshman
NathanielYoungFort SmithARFreshman
Posted in: Campus News, Press Room on May 22, 2017