FMU highlights student achievement at Academic Awards

Francis Marion University presented awards to its top  students at its annual Academic Awards ceremony on April 19 in the Smith University Center Gymnasium.

The best students, as selected by each academic department, were recognized during the ceremony. University-wide awards, and special awards for particular achievements within a discipline were also handed out. Many of the  awards recognized graduating seniors but some recipients were underclassmen, as merited.

FMU presented five awards recognizing overall academic performance across all disciplines.

Payton R. Russo, won the Pee Dee Electric Cooperative Scholar’s Award for overall excellence. Russo also won the award in 2020. Thomas O. Dixon won the Duane P. Myers Award, given to the top student in FMU’s prestigious honors program, and  the Phi Kappa Phi Award. Carlie D. Fusco won the Honors Student Advisory Council Award. John A. Burghardt, Sara C. Wilkerson, and Thomas O. Dixon were co-recipients of the Scholastic Achievement Award.

The winners of FMU’s academic department awards were:

College of Liberal Arts

Department of Biology

Outstanding Senior Biology Award – Anthony Ibrahim

Outstanding Research Biology Award – Landon J. Hardee

Outstanding Sophomore Biology Award – Savannah D. Mincey

Department of Chemistry

General Chemistry Award – Rylee L. Bodony

Organic Chemistry Award – Ashley N. Prescott

Analytical Chemistry Award – Chalinda B. Lasane

W.H. Breazeale Chemistry Major Award – Cheyenne A. Sconzo and Deannah Neupert

Department of English and Modern Languages

English Award – Benjamin F. Skinner and Devin A. Gregg

McCrimmon Writing Award – Kaylee E. Gillespie

Playwriting-Screenwriting Award – Cassidy R. Johnson

Katharine S. Boling Memorial Award in Fiction – Cassidy F. Tanner

Richard B. Larsen Memorial Award – Victoria E. Locklair

Modern Language Award – Lauren E. Fields

Peggy Love McLaughlin Art Award – Chase M. Herron

Department of Fine Arts 

Theatre Arts Award – Christopher M. Steele

Music Industry Award – Kevin R. Washington

Department of History

History Award – James P. McCarley

Department of Mass Communication

Mass Communication Award – Joshua R. Hardee

Department of Mathematics

Mathematics Award – Thomas O. Dixon and Taylor Boatwright

Department of Physics and Engineering

Engineering Technology Award – Maxwell D. Wheeler

Health Physics Award – Ryan W. Dees

Computational Physics Award – Thomas O. Dixon

Industrial Engineering Award – Jonathan C. Ellison

Department of Political Science

Eileen L. Kirley-Tallon Political Science Award – Nathan B. Hinson Hailey D. Reed

Neal D. Thigpen Award in South Carolina Politics and Government – Charles E. Jeffcoat, III

Department of Psychology

Douglas A. Mandra Memorial Award in Applied Psychology – Shemika O. Brown and Brittany M. Cannon

L.A. Hoff Psychology Research Award – Marisa Sams

Mike Jordan Psychology Award – Sara C. Wilkerson

Linda M. Summer Social Work Award – Kameesha B. Dupree

Sociology Award – Diamond W. Gordon

School of Education

Thomas W. Sills Memorial Award – Jimmy J. Patel

James E. Potterfield Award – Greyson M. McIntyre

Art Education Award – Faith L. Graham

School of Business

Accounting Award – Rebecca A. Cantey

Computer Science Award – Anquan L. Gamble

Management Award – Katelyn M. Thompson

Management Information Systems Award – Grace N. Teal

Marketing Award – Derek T. Neal

Finance Award – Katelyn M. Thompson

Economics Award – John A. Burghardt

School of Health Sciences

Healthcare Administration Award – Kendall R. Coward

Undergraduate Nursing Award – Jamie R. Melton

Graduate Nursing Award – Sherqunda B. James

Speech-Language Pathology Award – Kaylin C. Brown