Purdue’s top students to be recognized at 2017 commencement

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University will honor some of its highest academic-achieving graduating seniors May 12-14 during commencement ceremonies.

The university’s top female and male students are Cameron S. Mann from the College of Agriculture and Peter C. Boyd from the College of Science.

Mann, of Cloverdale, Indiana, who majored in agricultural communication and agribusiness in the College of Agriculture, has been awarded the 2017 Flora Roberts Award. The award is presented annually to the outstanding senior woman to honor scholarship, leadership, character and service to the university community. The award is made possible through a bequest from Flora Roberts, a member of the Purdue class of 1887. The recipient receives a $500 award, medallion and her name inscribed in the award marker on Purdue Mall.

Boyd, of Saint John, Indiana, who majored in actuarial science in the College of Science, has been awarded the 2017 G.A. Ross Award. Boyd will also be getting degrees in mathematics, statistics, and applied statistics. The award is presented annually to Purdue's outstanding graduating senior man. G.A. Ross, a 1916 graduate, stipulated that the award go to a graduating senior man demonstrating high standards of academic achievement, outstanding leadership, strength of character and contribution to Purdue. The recipient receives a $500 award, medallion and his name inscribed on the award marker on Purdue Mall.

Mann and Boyd, along with the following student awards, will be recognized at the May 2017 commencement ceremonies.

The France A. Córdova Award for Leadership in Action was awarded to Nicole R. Sebahar, of Schererville, Indiana, who is a doctor of pharmacy candidate in the College of Pharmacy. This award honors graduating students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership during their Purdue careers. The students must have held successful leadership roles at Purdue, working in partnership with staff and faculty to move the university forward, while maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The award winners receive a certificate, a cash award and their name inscribed on a plaque.

The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts was awarded to Megan K. Morris of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, who majored in visual communications design in the College of Liberal Arts. The prize is awarded to an outstanding senior who has demonstrated excellence and the highest standards of proficiency in the visual or performing arts. The late Louis Sudler, a Chicago businessman and supporter of the arts, endowed this award. The recipient receives $1,000 and a certificate.

Bahar C. Dhowan, of Mumbai, India, who majored in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, received the Martin C. Jischke Outstanding International Student of the Year Award. This award was established by president emeritus Martin C. Jischke to honor an international Purdue student who demonstrated leadership qualities and achieved academic accomplishments through further research, publications or presentations, and participated in service projects. The award is granted to a graduating senior who has attained a minimum 3.0 GPA, demonstrated leadership qualities, achieved academic accomplishments and participated in service projects. The recipient receives a cash award along with their name inscribed on a plaque in Schleman Hall.

The three students who were awarded the Charles O. McGaughey Leadership Awards are Eren Bozbag, of Istanbul, Turkey, who majored in industrial engineering in the College of Engineering; Trevor A. Peters, of Fishers, Indiana, who majored in mass communication in the College of Liberal Arts; and Rajiv Samagond, of Fremont, California, who majored in industrial management in the School of Management. Samagond is also getting a degree in computer science.

McGaughey, a 1939 Purdue graduate, established the awards to honor students for leadership potential. To be eligible for these awards, students must have completed a minimum of two years of full-time study at Purdue and achieved at least a 3.0 graduation index. Recipients are selected on the basis of their contributions to the university and the community. Each honoree receives a crystal paperweight commemorating the award and $3,345 as an acknowledgment of their superior leadership abilities, scholarship and appreciation of basic American values.

The two students who were awarded the Amelia Earhart Scholarship are Karen J. Kukla, of Crown Point, Indiana, who majored in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering; and Scott M. Sage, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who majored in marketing and management in the Krannert School of Management.

This scholarship was reinstituted in 1999 after Doreen Buranich Simmons, a 1971 Purdue graduate, committed to see the scholarship return to Purdue after learning of its demise in the 1970s. Her gift became the catalyst for Joan Russell Dudding to honor the university and Amelia Earhart by funding the scholarship on an ongoing basis. The Amelia Earhart scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior with a GPA of 3.20 or higher who demonstrates leadership, determination, ability and potential in academic and/or community activities.   

Writer: Kelsey Schnieders, kschnied@purdue.edu

Source: Christine DeHahn Pass, senior assistant registrar, 765-494-6163, dehahn@purdue.edu