Chellgren Center Names 34 New Fellows

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 5, 2012) — The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence recently honored its three new endowed professors and sixth class of Chellgren Fellows.

Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, along with Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.

Janet Eldred, an English professor; Michael Kovash, professor of physics and astronomy; and Carl Lee, a professor of mathematics, were honored as the newest Chellgren Endowed Professors.

The Chellgren Fellows Program is for sophomores with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows.

The students selected as Chellgren Fellows include:

Noora Aljabi, a computer science and mathematics major from Henderson, Ky.

DeMarkus Butler, a chemical engineering major from London, Ky.

Joy Coles, a nursing major from Lexington, Ky.

Mary Katherine Elliot, an English major from Elizabethtown, Ky.

Matthew Fahrbach, a computer engineering and mathematics major from Louisville, Ky.

Allison Ferguson, an undeclared major from Louisville, Ky.

Taban Flores, an undeclared major from Ripley, Ohio

Emily Furnish, a vocal music and chemistry major from Louisville, Ky.

Rekha Gupta, a psychology major from Hopkinsville, Ky.

Haley Herrell, a mining engineering major from East Bernstadt, Ky.

Kayla Johnson, a chemistry major from Louisville, Ky.

Hannah Kembel, a philosophy major from Boxboro, Ma.

Umang Khandpur, a biology major from Louisville, Ky.

Morgan Lane, a mining engineering major from Lexington, Ky.

Alexandra Lehman, a marketing and Spanish major from Villa Hills, Ky.

Erica Mattingly, an undeclared major from Magnolia, Ky.

Stefanie Muller, an international studies and history major from Louisville, Ky.

Autumn Murphy, a history and English major from Mooresville, Ind.

Tamas Nagy, a biology and computer science major from Lexington

Roshan Palli, a mathematical economics major from Lexington

Catherine Palmer-Ball, an international studies major from Louisville

Sanjana Pampati, a journalism major from Paducah, Ky.

Joseph Papp, a chemical engineering major from Nicholasville, Ky.

Erica Schuster, a biology major from Ashland, Ky.

Avril Simms, a history major from Oak Grove, Ky.

Karisa Sisk, an economics major from Elizabethtown, Ky.

Olivia Smith, a psychology major from Richmond, Ky.

Grace Trimble, a political science major from Winchester, Ky.

Emily VanMeter, an international studies major from Benton, Ky.

Heidi Vollrath, a marketing and Spanish major from De Pere, Wi.

Arti Vula, a political science and economics major from Lexington

Sarah Whelan, a biology major from Summersville, W.Va.

Devon Wilson, a psychology and political science major from Paducah, Ky.

Ryan Winstead, an undeclared major from Madisonville, Ky.

The Chellgren Fellows Program was made possible by the Chellgren Center, which is an intentional collaboration among prestigious undergraduate programs at the university including the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of External Scholarships, Education Abroad, and the Honors Program.

The center was created in August 2005 with an initial gift from alumnus Paul Chellgren and his family. His total commitment of $2.25 million was matched by the state’s Endowment Match Program, creating a $4.5 million endowment for the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

As a UK undergraduate, Chellgren was an Honors Program student and star intercollegiate debater. After earning his MBA from Harvard and a D.D.E. from Oxford University, he began a successful career that culminated with his retirement as chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. He is currently an operating partner with SPG Partners LLC, a New York City private equity firm. He was inducted into UK’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000 and the Gatton College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame in 1995, and served on the UK Board of Trustees for 11 years. His commitment to improving and enriching undergraduate education at UK continues to impact thousands of UK students, faculty and staff.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jenny Wells, (859) 257-5343; Jenny.Wells@uky.edu