HAYS – The nominees for the top three launch awards have been announced by the Fort Hays State University Alumni Association.
Twenty-one senior graduates were nominated for the 2022 Torch Award, the highest student honor, and 28 faculty members were nominated by members of the Class of 2022 for the Pilot Award for Outstanding Faculty Member.
Eleven graduating students from the 2021-22 academic year (Fall 2021 and Spring 2022) have been nominated for the Lighthouse Award to honor an outstanding student completing graduate school.
Recipients of each award will be announced at a 9 a.m. reception on Tuesday, May 3 in the Memorial Union Sunset Atrium. The announcement will be broadcast live for those unable to attend in person. Details of the live stream will be posted on the FHSU Alumni Association Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/FHSUalumni.
The Torch and Pilot Awards, established in 1974, and the Lighthouse Award, established in 2018, are awarded annually during the spring semester.
Nominees for the Torch and Lighthouse Awards are nominated by FHSU faculty and staff on the basis of excellence in the classroom, leadership, membership in professional organizations, and involvement in student, civic or of research.
Candidates for the pilot award are nominated by class members on the basis of class excellence, ongoing research, and service activities.
Nominees for the Torch and Lighthouse Awards are listed alphabetically by state (or country) and hometown. Pilot Award nominees are listed alphabetically by last name.
Finalists for each award are indicated with an asterisk.
TORCH AWARD NOMINEES
KANSAS
THE TOWN OF BALDWIN
Abigail Hayes, criminal justice
CUNNINGHAM
Jenna Fitzsimmons, Animal Science
ELDORADO
Sidney Sullivan, Political Science
ELLIS
Haley Reiter, Tourism and Hospitality Management
BIG FOLD
Molli Banks, art history
GREENSBURG
Mackenzie Wertz*, Medical Diagnostic Imaging, Specialization in Ultrasound
HAY
Erin Adams, History
Kelli Arnold, Organizational Leadership
Abby Kennemer, Organizational Leadership, Minor in Psychology
JOHNSON
Meleny Jacome-Banuelos, organizational director
LAURENT
Spencer Manning*, political science, minor in Spanish
MINNEAPOLIS
Jaidyn McHenry, X-Ray Technology and Medical Diagnostic Imaging
SALINE
Hannah Feldman, English Education
TOPEKA
Riley Sanford*, geology and Spanish
WICHITA
Alec Bevis*, chemistry, specialization in biochemistry
COLORADO
THE ANIMALS
Brooke Bronniman, Communication Sciences and Disorders
CHEYENNE WELL
Nikki White, Medical Diagnostic Imaging
STERLING
Sadie Holloway, Communication Sciences and Disorders
STRASBOURG
Josie Hemphill, English and Secondary Education
LITTLETON
Makenna Allen*, Marketing, Digital Marketing Concentration
INTERNATIONAL
Asuncion, Paraguay
Mateo Rivarola, Finance
FLAGSHIP AWARD NOMINEES
KANSAS
GARDEN CITY
Ray Urbina, Health and Human Performance
GOOD GROUND
Samuel Ayers*, English
HAY
Brooks Barber, Master of Liberal Studies in Corporate Communication
Alison Helget*, History
Drew O’Brien, Master of Business Administration in Finance
Morgan Weber, Speech Pathology
Megan Zeman, Master of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership
MCPHERSON
Madison Shandy*, speech therapy
MISSOURI
Kansas City
Mary Kathy Robb*, Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics
TENNESSEE
Lebanon
Allison Argo, Innovation and Leadership Education Specialist
INTERNATIONAL
HOHHOT, Nèi Měnggǔ (Inner Mongolia)
May Yu-Harper*, Master of Business Administration in Digital Marketing
NOMINEES FOR THE PILOT AWARD
Medhavi Ambardar, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Gary Andersen, Associate Professor, Higher Education Programs
David Fitzhugh, Associate Professor, Health and Human Performance
Anthony Gabel*, Associate Professor, Management
Justin Greenleaf, Associate Professor, Leadership Studies
Christine Hober*, Professor, Nursing
Angie Howard, teacher, psychology
Brittany Howell, Associate Professor, Agriculture
Jacque Jacobs, Coordinator, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Shauna Keil, Assistant Professor, Nursing
Candace Mehaffey-Kultgen, Assistant Professor, Management
Robert Lloyd*, assistant professor, Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship (international faculty)
Tamara Lynn, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Helen Miles*, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Performance
Hollie Marquess, Instructor, History
Janett Naylor-Tincknell, Professor, Psychology
Phillip Olt, Assistant Professor, Higher Education Programs
Ziwei Qi, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice
Jeremy Ryan, Instructor, Agriculture
Samuel Schreyer, Professor, Economics and Finance
Tanya Smith, Associate Professor, Nursing
Kevin Splichal, Associate Professor, Higher Education Programs
Morgan Steele, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice
April Terry, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Karen Thal, Associate Professor, Applied Business Studies
Edward Vengroskie, Instructor, Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship (International Faculty)
Whitney Whitaker, Associate Professor, Psychology
Kenneth Windholz*, instructor, psychology