The USA Today All-USA College Academic Team honors the "best of the best" undergraduate academic all-stars from across the nation. The team recognizes college students who not only excel in scholarship but also extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society.
2008 USA Today All-USA College Academic Team member Renee Rivas has been a key contributor and author on research into Parkinson's disease.
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In 2008, seven students from The University of Alabama were named to the USA Today All-USA College Academic Team. The team includes First Team member Renee Rivas, a senior biology major from Richardson, Texas; Second Team members Dana Lewis, a junior public relations and political science major from Huntsville, Michelle McGaha, a senior industrial engineering major from Albertville, and Jackson Switzer, a senior chemistry major from Gulfport, Miss.; and Third Team members Alexander Flachsbart, a senior political science and economics major from Concord, Calif., Dylan Whisenhunt, a senior chemical engineering major from Birmingham, and Adam Harbison of Crane Hill, who earned his degree in healthcare management in December 2007.
With seven team members, UA students account for more than 10 percent of the 60 students nationwide named to USA Today’s First, Second and Third Teams. UA has the most team members of any school. Yale comes in second with five team members. This year’s team brings UA’s total for the last six years to 31, a figure that tops all other colleges and universities. In addition to this year, UA had the most students on the list in 2006 with six and in 2005 and 2003, both with five. In 2007, UA tied with Washington University-St. Louis for the most team members with four. In 2004, with four students on the team, UA came in second only to Harvard.
Learn more about UA's USA Today All-USA College Academic Team Honorees: