Chellgren Center Names 46 New Fellows
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2010) – The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence honored its fourth class of 46 Chellgren Fellows at a reception on campus last week. Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, in addition to Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer and UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy, all recognized and congratulated the sophomores on being named Fellows.
Anna Brzyski, associate professor of art history and visual studies in the UK College of Fine Arts, was also named the newest Chellgren Endowed Professor.
The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students 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 and help them develop strategies for engaging in the intellectual life of the university.
The students selected as Chellgren Fellows include: Maria Bane, Catherine Brereton, Jennifer Brogie, Carter Daniels, Jonathan Davies, Brooke Davies, Brett Dickens, David Dirkes III, Charles Fieseler, Jonathan Finnie, Jared Flanery, Tyler Flynn, Courtney Ford, Geraldine Goh, Jillian Harris, McKinley Heflin, Andrea Hiller, Cody Hollan, Alexandria Jarrells, Mary Jennings, Deron Johnson, Kelsey Joseph, Abigail Kerins, James Knott, Taylor Lloyd, Shelby Malone, Madison McGhee, Saumya Mehta, John Motes, Asri Mumpuni, Lindsay Oberhausen, Emily Pena, Justin Penny, Amanda Rambo, James Rossi, Ethan Rutledge, Elizabeth Schaller, Emma Scott, Sarah Seger, Alexandria Sehon, Abdel-Sater Shalash, William Spence, Jonathan Tyler, Grant Weherley, Mary Wimberly and Madeline Wright
[IMAGE2] As a Chellgren Endowed Professor, Brzyski is tenable for a three-year, non-renewable term, during which she will work on a "visual studies initiative." The project is intended to enhance visual literacy among undergraduate students, improve undergraduate instruction and retention through a new teaching assistant training program, and encourage collaboration among faculty through a development of a learning community dealing with visual culture and technologies.
The Chellgren Fellows Program and the Chellgren Endowed Professor were made possible by the Chellgren Center, which is an intentional collaboration among prestigious undergraduate programs at the university, including the Discovery Seminar Program, Education Abroad, eUreKa!, the Honors Program, Intercollegiate Debate, Living-Learning Communities and the Office of External Scholarships.
The center was created in August 2005 with an initial gift of $1.5 million from alumnus Paul Chellgren and his family, with an additional gift of $250,000 in September 2006. 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.