May 28, 2004 Highlights
Mary
Leavitt Receives National Advising Award
 Mary
Leavitt, director of Utah State University's Science/HASS Advising
Center in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences,
is the recipient of the Gail Rola Memorial Award, presented
by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). Leavitt
also received an Outstanding Advising Award in the Academic
Advising Administrator category as part of the 2004 NACADA national
awards program.
The Gail Rola Memoral Award, of which Leavitt is the first
recipient, was created by advising colleagues to honor and celebrate
the life of Gail Rola, a former advising administrator, who
led with passion and creativity.
"Recognizing both outstanding leadership and the ability
to administer that leadership with heart and with care, this
award is given to an eligible Outstanding Advising Award Winner
in the Advising Administrator category," a NACADA news
release stated.
Every year since 1983, NACADA, in cooperation with ACT, Inc.,
has honored individuals and institutions making significant
contributions to the improvement of academic advising. The goal
of NACADA is to promote quality academic advising and professional
development of its membership to enhance the educational development
of students.
NACADA's more than 7,200 members include faculty, professional
advisors, administrators, counselors and others in academic
and student affairs concerned with the intellectual, personal
and vocational needs of students. In addition, NACADA serves
as an advocate for academic advising.
Leavitt will be honored and presented the award in Cincinnati,
Ohio, during the annual NACADA National Conference in October.
Biology
Student Receives First Helen B. Cannon Award
 Benson
H. Morrill, a biology major at Utah State University, is the
first recipient of the Helen B. Cannon Award.
The Cannon Award, coordinated by the Honors Program at Utah
State, honors a student with an outstanding honors career and
who has submitted a notable thesis proposal. This year's applicants
are required to complete a senior thesis and graduate with honors
in December 2004 or spring 2005.
According to David Lancy, director of Utah State's Honors Program,
the Helen B. Cannon Award was created to encourage and support
the most promising honors student who is in his or her junior
year. The award supports the completion of the student's honors
thesis.
As the recipient of the Cannon Award, Morrill received a cash
award of $1,000. He was also honored at a luncheon with the
Cannon family.
Five additional honors students received honorable mention
awards of $200, including Stephanie J. Chambers (biology), Genie
Hanson (accounting and marketing), Christine Merrill (history),
Ben Minson (professional and technical writing) and Johnathan
Nelson (psychology).
Although passionately interested as a youth in amphibians and
reptiles, especially snakes, Morrill entered Utah State as a
food science major. When he returned from a church mission,
passion won and he changed his major to biology. His current
research includes study of the marine toad (Bufo marinus),
and he will spend the summer in Arizona working to determine
the genetic variation among the toad's populations north and
south of the Trans-Mexican Neovolcanic Belt. Following his graduation
in December 2004, Morrill will go on to graduate school where
he will continue to study herpetology.
The Cannon award's namesake first came to Utah State as a graduate
instructor in 1987. In 1990 she became a temporary lecturer
and remained with the department of English for 13 years. She
incorporated the New Yorker magazine into her writing
courses and was honored by the magazine for doing so.
The Helen B. Cannon Award is a tribute to a professor who,
in the words of her son-in-law, Nate Alder, "loved students,
treated them as equal partners, gave them all she had —
physically, mentally, emotionally — and inspired them
in untold ways."
For information on the Helen B. Cannon Award, contact the Honors
Program at (435) 797-2715.
Prominent
Educators Recognized — Five Alumni Presented Awards
 Alumni
from Utah State University's College of Education and Human
Services gathered at the governor's mansion in Carson City,
Nev., to honor five outstanding members with a variety of awards.
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, Theron Swainston, Thurman White, Edna
Hinman and Clifford Lawrence are Utah State graduates and have
a distinct recognition — all have a middle school named
in their honor. All five moved to the Las Vegas area, where
they worked in the area's school districts. These alumni were
recognized and presented awards for their achievements and leadership
qualities.
Those who attended the recognition ceremony included Gov. Guinn,
who received the college's Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Edna
F. Hinman and Dr. Thurman White received Professional Achievement
awards.
This group of administrators all received their doctorates
and some received their master's degrees from Utah State University
in the 1960s, and knew each other fairly well, they said. Many
remained close and worked together in the Las Vegas area. Clifford
Lawrence worked with Gov. Guinn for many years when Guinn was
a superintendent for the schools and Lawrence was an administrator.
"Gov. Guinn and I got our degrees together and then went
on to work together," Lawrence said. "We are still
really good friends."
Lawrence said his experience at Utah State was great and he
liked the program and the people very much.
Therman White received his doctorate with Guinn and Lawrence
and said his experience at Utah State was unique.
"The people were quite interesting in the way they viewed
education at Utah State," said White "They viewed
education very seriously, more seriously than I had ever seen
before.
"I loved it up there, and my children and wife loved it
too. My children attended Edith Bowen Elementary School and
had a great experience," White said.
"I believe I learned more from Utah State and consider
it a very favorable experience," White said.
White went on to teach at Utah State after he received his
doctorate, but soon left for the Las Vegas area where he became
an administrator in the school districts and continued to work
with the people he received his doctorate with.
White said he continued to see Swainston, Guinn, Lawrence and
Hinman over the years he worked in the administration for the
Las Vegas school districts.
"I liked all these people personally," White said.
"They were all good leaders."
Gov. Guinn said Theron Swainston, Clifford Lawrence, Thermon
White and Edna Hinman all have middle schools named after them
in the Las Vegas area, were great leaders and administrators
in their school districts, and great leaders of Utah State University.
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