The Julius Olsen Medal Presented to Lyndsay Mathews at HSU Commencement

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Mathews Receiving the Award

ABILENE, TX (05/16/2012)(readMedia)-- Lyndsay Mathews of Henrietta, Texas, was presented with the Julius Olsen Medal at graduation exercises at Hardin-Simmons University May 12, 2012. Mathews graduates summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and political science.

The Olsen Medal is awarded annually at the spring commencement to the graduate who has the highest grade average, has exemplified the highest scholarly achievement, and has completed at least 90 semester hours of residence credit at Hardin-Simmons University.

Mathews has maintained a 4.0 GPA for four years at HSU while being active both on campus and in the community. She is a member of Gamma Beta Phi, Theta Kappa Alpha, and the Student Honors Council. She was selected as the new student coordinator for the Student Honors Council, served as an New Student Orientation leader, played tennis for HSU, and has been involved in mission trips to Mexico, Israel, and Honduras.  As an active member of University Baptist Church, Mathews served on the college leadership team.

During her time at HSU, she received the Servant Leader Award from the Leadership Program, the Young Maston Scholar Award from Logsdon School of Theology, the Big Sister of the Month Award from Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the McFaddin Endowed Greek Scholarship, the Gordon Clinical Endowed Memorial Scholarship, and the Logsdon School of Theology Award, which is given to the graduating senior who is seen as most fit for ministry by the Logsdon faculty.  In addition, she was awarded the Larry and Diane English Service Award for 2011-2012 by the HSU Honors Program.

Mathews' Honors Program capstone project was focused on the homelessness issue in Abilene, which she co-presented during a session at the Champion for Children Conference held in Abilene. This information will be used by the West Texas Homeless Network to address homelessness issues in our community.

Mathews has been accepted into Fuller Theological Seminary, where she will begin this fall in a dual-degree program in theology and intercultural studies with an emphasis on at-risk children. She is the daughter of Joyce Ritchie and Mark Mathews.

About Hardin-Simmons University:

HSU has an enrollment of approximately 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students from 28 states and 20 countries.

HSU sits on 220 acres and has a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Eighty percent of HSU's faculty members hold the highest available degree in their fields.

Tuition rates for full-time students do not increase while they are enrolled in consecutive fall and spring semesters and make continuous, satisfactory progress toward a degree. (The tuition freeze does not apply to some programs.)

• Ranked in the Top Tier of U.S. News and World Report's Best Universities in the Western Region

• Cited by The Princeton Review as a Best in the West University

• Recognized by Colleges of Distinction for teaching, learning, and service

• Named to the 2011 Honor Roll by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a Great College to Work For

• Named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Through seven schools and colleges, HSU offers seven undergraduate degree programs encompassing more than 70 major fields of study. Eighteen graduate programs are offered, including doctoral programs in physical therapy, ministry, functional manual therapy, and education.

Special programs include Honors, International Studies, and Leadership Studies.

Hardin-Simmons University, founded in 1891, is a private Christian institution, affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Texas Baptists) since 1941.