Held on Friday, April 28, Columbus State University’s annual Scholastic Honors Convocation recognizes students and faculty for their academic and service accomplishments at the program, departmental and university levels.

In all, the university presented more than 120 awards this year—including its top honors, which for students include the Faculty Cup Award, Academic Recognition Award; and Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Student of the Year Award. They also include the faculty Educator of the Year Award.

Faculty Cup Award: Spencer White, a senior from Knoxville, Tennessee, double-majoring in music and interdisciplinary studies

The Faculty Cup is the highest student award bestowed by the university, recognizing a student classified as a senior for their superior academic achievement, student engagement, leadership, service and potential for future achievement. Nominations are made by faculty to the Scholastic Honors Committee for consideration.

This year’s honoree, Spencer White, will graduate in May with both a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies and a bachelor of arts in music—along with certificates in international studies, Latin American studies, public musicology, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is a member of the Honors College and the CSU Trombone Ensemble, and president of the CSU Model United Nations. White has been a student leader of study abroad trips to Guatemala and Tunisia, and he participated in internships as a development assistant for the Aspen Music Festival and a resource development intern for Habitat for Humanity. After graduation, he plans to serve with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.

Academic Recognition Award: Kaitlyn Shepherd, a senior from Warner Robins, Georgia, majoring in kinesiology

The Academic Recognition Award is presented in conjunction with the university’s honoree for the University System of Georgia’s Academic Recognition Day program. Each USG institution’s honoree best represents the system’s highest scholastic ideals, possesses a high GPA, strives for excellence and has the ability to share knowledge in various areas of expertise.

This year’s honoree, Kaitlyn Shepherd, will graduate this spring with a degree in kinesiology and a 4.0 grade point average. She is a member of the Honors College and a fellow in the Undergraduate Servant Leadership Program, the latter based in the William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership. She is a volunteer with numerous community, faith-based organizations and campus organizations, including the Honoris Causa Society and Presidential Envoys. She plans to continue her studies after graduation, eventually earning a doctorate in physical therapy.

Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Student of the Year Award: Jae Yu, a graduate of the Master of Public Administration program and a native of Alexandria, Virginia

The Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Student of the Year Award is presented annually to a student member of the Columbus State Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi who wishes to attend graduate school. The student recipient is eligible to represent the chapter in applying for the national Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship Award, which provides grants ranging from $8,500 to $35,000 to over 50 members entering their first year of graduate or professional study. These fellowship awards are bestowed based on applicants’ promise of success in graduate school or professional study as evidenced by academic achievement, service, leadership and strong recommendations from others.

This year’s honoree, Jae Yu, is an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves and serves as a new senior division director for the National Defense Industrial Association. The NDIA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and educational organization that serves more than 66,000 individual and corporate military, government, industry and academic members who focus on or specialize in national security matters. Before graduating from Columbus State with a master’s in public administration with a 4.0 grade point average, he earned a bachelor’s in physics from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is now pursuing a master of business administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as an Army officer for over a decade, during which time he deployed to Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star. Yu is also a published researcher studying the impact of immigrants and non-citizens in the U.S. military.  

Educator of the Year Award: Dr. Jonathan Meyers, an associate professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry

The Educator of the Year Award is presented annually by the Student Government Association to recognize and promote teaching excellence among the university’s faculty. Awardees are nominated by students and evaluated on the basis of knowledge, consistency, dependability and creativity.

This year’s honoree, Dr. Jonathan Meyers, is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry. His academic and research focus has included chemical biology—especially eliminating the carcinogenic potential of insulin-based therapies used to treat Diabetes mellitus. His research has resulted in a patent that was licensed to an international pharmaceutical company, and his insulin analogs are currently being tested in animal models. A member of the Columbus State faculty since 2014, he holds a bachelor of science with an American Chemical Society certification from the University of West Georgia, and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from Indiana University.

The university also presented numerous Student of Excellence Awards and Departmental Awards, both of which are bestowed by academic departments and programs upon the advice of the department chair and departmental faculty. A complete list of those award recipients is available on the university's website.