Samantha Lewis One of Nine Buena Vista University Students Selected for New Academic Achievement Award

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STORM LAKE, IA (02/17/2011)(readMedia)-- Nine Buena Vista University (BVU) business majors have been selected as the first recipients of the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award.

The awards, which range up to $2,500 this academic year, were created by a $750,000 endowment from the foundations established by the late Dr. Harold Walter Siebens and named after the long-time advisor and counsel to Siebens and the foundations. Rae is now retired. The awards were announced last fall at the 25th anniversary celebration of the opening of the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business.

"When the announcement was made, it created quite a stir and 27 students entered the competition for the awards," says Dr. Stan Ullerich, dean of the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business. "In conversations with the students who were selected for the inaugural awards, the business faculty members have urged them to 'think big, creatively, and freely' regarding the use of their award. One student has already reformed his academic road map, his four-year plan, to include an internship and a second major. Several have asked about their developing summer internships and probable academic travel courses to be offered during BVU's 2012 January interim."

The endowment supports annual awards for three pre-qualified, high-performing BVU business majors in each of the second, third and fourth years of school-a total of nine students per academic year. The program is distributing $15,000 in awards this year. In subsequent years, $30,000 will be distributed, which will increase all awards and raise the top award to $5,000 for the highest achieving fourth-year recipient.

The recipients for the 2010-11 academic year are:

4th Year Students

Brianne Sweeden, international business and Spanish, Omaha, Neb.;

Jacob Heying, marketing, Alton, Iowa;

Samantha Lewis, accounting and management, Remsen, Iowa

3rd Year Students

Joseph Pearson, management and environmental science, Marcus, Iowa;

Shelby Bleeker, management, Sioux Falls, S.D.;

Kelsey Reitmeier, marketing and graphic design, Sioux City, Iowa

2nd Year Students

Seth Lindokken, economics and corporate math, Sibley, Iowa

Kyle Auffert, accounting and management, Clarinda, Iowa

Justus McDermott Harris, economics and political science, Boone, Iowa

The competitive program, which is designed to reward business majors who excel in their academic pursuits, is open to students who live in Iowa or adjacent states and who qualify for financial aid. Students may receive the award more than once during their years at BVU.

In addition to academic excellence, the program encourages quality learning experiences for students outside the classroom. For example, the award can be used to underwrite internship expenses; fund study abroad or January interim international or domestic travel courses; and costs of academic research. For fourth-year students, the award can be used for graduate school applications, entrance/qualification examination costs, or professional certification. Upon graduation, student loans can also be paid down with remaining funds in the student's award account.

Photo caption:

Recipients of the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award at Buena Vista University for the 2010-11 academic year are, from left: Front row, Seth Lindokken, Brianne Sweeden, Samantha Lewis, and Justus McDermott Harris. Back row: Kelsey Reitmeier, Kyle Auffert, Joseph Pearson, and Shelby Bleeker. Not pictured: Jacob Heying.