Washington State University recently notified more than 450 Washington high school seniors of their eligibility for Regents Scholarships, ranging from $6,000 over two years to $45,000 over four years.
The students represent the third cohort of Regents Scholars. They were evaluated and selected by 72 faculty reviewers chosen by Provost Robert Bates after nomination by WSU’s college deans and members of the Regents Scholars Selection Committee.
The Regents Scholars Program is managed through a steering committee of staff and faculty from Scholarship Services, Admissions, the Honors College, Marketing Communications and other departments. Charged by the president and provost with operating the program, the committee includes work groups, such as the selection committee, that manage specific areas of the program, said Kay Brothers, WSU coordinator of scholarship services.
“As this program grows, it’s important to recognize the tremendous contributions of our faculty in selecting and recruiting these top students,” said Bates.
The selection process began in early fall, when Bates and Vice Provost Doug Baker convened the faculty reviewers and distributed the scholars’ nomination materials. Over 2 weeks, each faculty reviewer volunteered six to eight hours reading the nominating materials of 15-16 students. Nominating materials include an application from each student, a letter from the school principal and another academic reference, and a school transcript.
Each student’s materials were reviewed by three faculty members.
“I was extremely impressed by the backgrounds of these students and the quality of their accomplishments in high school,” said faculty reviewer Terry Umbreit, director of the School of Hospitality Business Management.
Faculty assessed the student nominating materials using six criteria:
1. Academic strength
2. Communication skills
3. Leadership
4. Volunteer or community involvement
5. Activities
6. Outstanding awards and accomplishments
In each category, readers were asked to award one of five marks, ranging from “moderately qualified,” the lowest, to “exceptionally qualified,” the highest.
Reviewers were also asked to spread the score, said Brothers; that is, they were to use all five of the scores among their 15-16 students.
This is because there’s a tendency for a reader to be more strict or less strict and score most students similarly. But if all of a faculty reviewer’s scores are similar, none stands out.
“These really are outstanding students,” Brothers said. “So it takes a fine teasing out to see who are the most outstanding students.”
In addition, reviewers were asked to identify up to two of their students who really stood out for their exceptional qualifications.
“All the students named as Distinguished Regents Scholars (those 25 eligible for $45,000 over four years) were identified as exceptional by at least one reviewer,” said Brothers.
The time reading was well spent, said faculty reviewer Wes Leid, professor of animal sciences in the Honors College. “We have these students in our classes, we know what will be expected of them, and we want the best students we can get.”
“The Regents Scholarships have given us both the money and prestige to attract top students who before weren’t always interested in coming to WSU,” said reader Michael Kahn, professor of molecular biosciences.
This years faculty reviewers are:
Tariq Akmal, College of Education, Teaching and Learning
LeRoy Ashby, College of Liberal Arts, History
Amari Barash, College of Liberal Arts, Music
Tina Bayne, College of Nursing, Nursing
Kay Brothers, OSFA/OSS
Margaret Bruya, College of Nursing, Nursing
Lori Carris, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Plant Pathology
Pat Carter, College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences
Ken Casavant, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Ag Econ
Jessica Cassleman, University Honors College
Roger Chapman, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Natural Resource Sciences
Gary Collins, College of Sciences, Department of Physics
Sheila Converse, College of Liberal Arts, Music
Sandra Cooper, College of Sciences, Mathematics
Jane Cote, College of Business and Economics, Accounting/Vancouver
Rod Croteau, College of Sciences, Institute of Biological Chemistry
Zheng-min Dong, College of Liberal Arts, Foreign Languages
Stergio Fotopoulos, College of Business and Economics, Management/Decision Sciences
Larry Fox, College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Science
David Gaylord, College of Sciences, Department of Geology
Elwood Hartman, College of Liberal Arts, Foreign Languages
Larry Hiller, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Hort/LA
Daniel Holbrook, College of Liberal Arts, Philosophy
Greg Hooks, College of Liberal Arts, Sociology
Marian McDonnell Horton, College of Pharmacy, Pharmacy
David Hutton, College of Engineering and Architecture, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Ella Inglebret, College of Liberal Arts, Speech and Hearing Science
Carol Ivory, College of Liberal Arts, Fine Arts
Mike Kahn, College of Sciences/College of Agriculture and Home Economics, School of Molecular Biosciences/ Institute of Biological Chemistry
Ken Kardong, College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences
Diane Kelly-Riley, Writing Program
Hal Kerr, College of Business and Economics, Finance
Alexander Khapalov, College of Sciences, Department of Mathematics
Kim Kidwell, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Crops and Soils
Peter Larson, College of Sciences, Department of Geology
Tien-Tsung Lee, College of Liberal Arts, Communications
Wes Leid, University Honors College
Nick Lovrich, College of Liberal Arts, Political Science
Nancy Magnuson, College of Sciences, School of Molecular Biosciences
Francisco Manzo-Robledo, College of Liberal Arts, Foreign Languages
Beth Marshall, College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences
Ursula Mazur, College of Sciences, Chemistry
Kathy Meyer, College of Liberal Arts, History
Darcy Miller, College of Education, Teaching and Learning
Ruth Newberry, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Animal Science
Tom Okita, College of Sciences, Institute of Biological Chemistry
Bob Olsen, College of Engineering and Architecture, Associate Dean
Arlene Parkay, College of Liberal Arts
Brad Pate, College of Sciences, Physics
Chris Paxson, College of Business and Economics
John “Skip” Paznokas, College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences
Patrick Pedrow, College of Engineering and Architecture, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Kirsten Peters, College of Sciences, Geology
Kathleen Potter, College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology
Jayanti Ray, College of Liberal Arts, Speech and Hearing Sciences
Ana Maria Rodriguez-Vivaldi, College of Liberal Arts, Foreign Languages
Mary Sanchez-Lanier, College of Sciences, School of Molecular Biosciences
Debbie Sanders, College of Business and Economics, Accounting
David Stock, College of Engineering and Architecture, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Ken Struckmeyer, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Hort/LA
Barry Swanson, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, NutritionGary Thorgaard, College of Sciences, School of Biological Sciences
Steve Tomsovic, College of Sciences, Physics
Harry Turtle, College of Business and Economics, Finance
Terry Umbreit, College of Business and Economics, School of Hospitality Business Management
Christopher von Baeyer, College of Liberal Arts, Music
Libby Walker, University Honors College
David Watkins, College of Sciences, Department of Mathematics
Scot Wherland, College of Sciences, Chemistry
Lori Wiest, College of Liberal Arts, Music
Mike Wolcott, College of Engineering and Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ralph Yount, College of Sciences, Chemistry
