Higher education briefs: 2 area students named Wells Scholars

2 area students among Wells Scholars at IU

Indiana University has selected 19 freshmen and two seniors for the 27th class of Herman B Wells Scholars, including one from Bloomington and one from Nashville.

Incoming freshman Wells Scholars receive the full cost of attendance at IU for four years of undergraduate study on the Bloomington campus. Scholars may choose to spend up to one of those years studying abroad. Newly named recipients who are already students at IU receive tuition, fees and a stipend for their remaining undergraduate years.

Freshman Wells Scholars are nominated by their high schools or the IU Office of Admissions. They are selected for having demonstrated exceptional qualities of character, leadership and distinction both inside and outside the classroom. Internal Wells Scholars are nominated by IU Bloomington faculty and selected for similar qualities.

The 19 new Wells Scholars and their hometowns are: Ebenezer Appiah, Gary, Ind.; Cilka "Cecilia" Brisuda, Bloomington, Ind.; Jay Chopra, Schererville, Ind.; Lauren Ehrmann, Frankfort, Ind.; Corina Greiner, Nashville, Ind.; Andrew Coleton Hast, Indianapolis; Hannah Huth, Brentwood, Tenn.; Victoria Kvitek, Carmel, Calif.; Emily Leung, Nedlands, Australia; Lauren Meadows, Fishers, Ind.; Kaleb Mount, Scottsburg, Ind.; Athena Nagel, Danville, Ind.; Kendra Obermaier, Indianapolis; Damon Pham, Fremont, Calif.; Neil Shah, Carmel, Ind.; Neha Srinivasan, Louisville, Ky.; Thomas Sweeny, Indianapolis; Thalia Taylor, Chicago; and Tiffany Xie, Carmel, Ind.

The two senior Wells Scholars and their hometowns are: Hendrik Glauninger, Carmel, Ind. and Claire Repsholdt, Mundelein, Ill.

IU to offer Peace Corps fellowship program

The Peace Corps and the Indiana University School of Public Health Bloomington have launched a new Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program that will provide graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers.

All program Fellows will complete internships in under-served American communities while they complete their studies, according to a news release from the Peace Corps.

The Fellows Program at the School of Public Health will be available to students pursing a master's of public health degree.

Students in the program have the opportunity to study in the areas of biostatistics, environmental health, physical activity or professional health education.

Fellows will receive a scholarship of $5,000, tuition discount of up to six credit hours for their Peace Corps service in the form of an independent study, and an internship placement in a local community-focused organization.

Through their internships, Coverdell Fellows work 10 to 12 hours per week at a community-focused organization.

Additionally, once a semester, Fellows will participate in a professional development seminar that includes a guest speaker and community service. Each seminar will focus on a different public health topic.

IU's COAS receives $6 million gift

The Indiana University Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences has received a $6 million gift from alumnus Ralph Collins Walter, a Los Angeles-based investment analyst and economist.

Half of the $6 million gift will endow two new faculty chairs: one endowed chair in the department of history and one in the department of economics. The other $3 million will create an array of new scholarships through Arts and Sciences Career Services, which has been renamed the Walter Center for Career Achievement.

By providing funding of up to $5,000 per scholarship, the Walter Center will award students money for travel, tuition and living expenses incurred while participating in internships.

Walter, who earned a master's degree in economics from IU Bloomington in 1972, recently retired from a career in the financial sector. Among other positions, he served as chief operating officer and treasurer for Kayne Anderson Rudnick, an investment management firm.

Walter has sat on the IU College of Arts and Sciences Executive Dean's Advisory Board since 2012, in addition to serving on a range of other nonprofit boards and committees.

Campus Pride lists IU as LGBTQ-friendly

For the fourth time, Indiana University Bloomington has been included in the Campus Pride List of the top LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. Campus Pride, founded in 2001, is a national nonprofit network of student leaders and campus groups devoted to improving college life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students across the United States.

This year, Campus Pride recognized 30 campuses.

Campus Pride's 2016 "Best of the Best" list is based on LGBTQ-friendly benchmarks for policies, programs and practices in higher education. Results are determined through a voluntary self-assessment survey. The list includes public and private colleges with student populations ranging from 807 to 45,000.

IU Bloomington also appeared on the list in 2012, 2014 and 2015. In 2011, the campus received a top rating of five stars in Campus Pride's LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index.

Source: Higher education briefs: 2 area students named Wells Scholars