Science and Business Students Honored

February 23, 2019

Nine Buena Vista University business students and nine science students have been selected for the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award for the 2018 calendar year.

The awards, which range up to $5,000, were created by two separate $750,000 endowments from the foundations established by Dr. Harold Walter Siebens and named after the long-time advisor and counsel to Siebens and the foundations. The endowments support annual awards for up to three pre-qualified, academically high-performing BVU business and science students in each of the second, third and fourth years of school.

“The Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award is designed for a very simple purpose: to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence by rewarding superior academic performance.”

Dr. Shawn Stone, dean of BVU's School of Science and professor of physics/computer science

“Through these very substantial financial awards, BVU’s School of Science students are sent a very clear message consistent with Mr. Rae's and the Siebens Foundation’s values, that academic accomplishment should be honored and rewarded.”

The competitive program, which rewards business and science students who excel in their academic pursuits, is open to students who live in Iowa or adjacent states and who meet certain financial need guidelines. Students may receive the award more than once during their years at BVU.

In addition to academic excellence, the program encourages quality learning experiences for students outside the classroom, such as internships, study abroad, international and domestic travel during BVU’s January Interim, and individual academic research. Fourth-year students can also use the funds for graduate school applications, entrance/exam costs, or professional certification. Upon graduation, students can also use remaining Award funds to help pay down student loans.

“The Clifford A. Ray Academic Achievement Award was created by a generous donor to encourage academic excellence and promote healthy competition among our students,” says Lisa Kesting-Best, J.D., dean of the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business. “The scholarship is based on merit and encourages students to excel by rewarding the students who receive the top GPA among the applicants. The scholarship can be used flexibly by the winners to cover academic expenses such as Interim travel, undergraduate research, internship and job search costs, certification or examination fees, and even student loan debt reduction. We commend each of our winners for their hard work and congratulate them on this well-deserved award.”

Business Recipients

• Fourth-year recipients: Aaron Nicolaisen, a computer science major from Correctionville; Katelyn (Brincks) Wuebker, an accounting and business double major from Alta; and Jacob Heath, an accounting and business double major from Gretna, Neb.
• Third-year recipients: Chelsea Hildenbrand, a business and accounting double major from Winterset; Payton Yilek, a business and accounting double major from Belle Plaine; and Shayla Brown, a business entrepreneurship and business human resource management double major from Mapleton. 
• Second-year recipients: Jayde Bastman, a business financial decision making and accounting double major from Greenville; Tyler Lohr, a political science major from Peterson; and Jake Danner, a business major from Westside. 

Science Recipients

• Fourth-year recipients: Meghan Bissen, a biology major from Harlan, Kimberly Hults, a biology major from Villisca; and Matthew Swanson, a computer science major from Aurelia.
• Third-year recipients: Rebecca Peters, a biology major from Audubon; Yulisa Vazquez, a math education major from Storm Lake; and Megan Wassom, a biomedical sciences major from Spencer.
• Second-year recipients: Brayden Collins, a chemistry major from Thor; Elizabeth Reiva, an environmental science major from Sioux City; and Caleb Daughenbaugh, a computer science major from Dakota City.