UA Graduate School Awards Minority Fellowships

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Graduate School recently announced that 11 UA students have received awards through the Minority Fellowships Program.

Ishbah Cox of Notasulga and Frederick Douglas Mackey of St. Louis, Mo., were awarded Future Faculty Fellowships.

Raynetta Prevo of Beatrice and Carolyn D. Simmons of Montgomery were selected to receive Joint Faculty Development Fellowships.

Southern Region Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Fellowships were awarded to Darrell E. Hagler and Melvin Lewis Jr. of Tuscaloosa, Rick Stephens of Tuscaloosa and Laramie, Wyo., Takesia Richardson of Alabaster, Hope White of Jackson, Miss., and Miriam Concepcion Hokanson of Honduras and Northport.

Samuel Earl Jones of Birmingham (zip code 35224) received the SREB Dissertation Fellowship.

The UA Graduate School has provided scholarships, fellowships and stipends for more than 100 minority graduate scholars in the past 11 years. A goal of the UA Graduate School is to provide financial support for minority scholars who will become faculty members and researchers for state and regional colleges and universities.

Cox, a 1999 graduate of Auburn University, was awarded a Future Faculty Fellowship. He received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from AU and is pursuing a master’s of performance degree at UA. Cox is the son of Ruben and Lynn Cox of Notasulga. He performs in the UA Jazz Ensemble, the wind ensemble, the Johnson Symphony Orchestra and the Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. He was drum major at Auburn for two years and received the AU President’s Award.

Mackey, a 2000 graduate of UA, also was awarded a Future Faculty Fellowship. He received a B.S. in physics and is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at UA. Mackey is the son of Ronald Mackey and Devera Buckley of St. Louis, Mo.

The Future Faculty Fellowship Program encourages students to pursue doctoral degrees and become college professors. The fellowship pays for tuition and fees, plus an annual stipend. Future Faculty Fellowships are among the most prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships at the University and are awarded to graduate students with high academic and scholarly qualifications. Graduate students are nominated by their departments and selected for the fellowship program by the UA Graduate School.

Prevo, who was awarded a Joint Faculty Development Fellowship, received a B.S. from Alabama State University in mathematics in 1991. She earned her M.S. in mathematics from the same institution in 1995. Prevo is pursing a doctoral degree in applied mathematics at UA. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Prevo Sr. of Beatrice. Prevo was awarded the Patricia Harris Fellowship from 1992-1994. She is the vice president of the African American Graduate Student Association and serves as steward of the New Purchase C.M.E. Church in Beatrice.

Simmons, recipient of a Joint Faculty Fellowship, earned a B.S. from Auburn University in mathematics and chemical engineering in 1987. She earned her M.S. in mathematics from Alabama State University in 1990. Simmons is pursing a Ph.D. in applied mathematics at UA. She is the daughter of Gloria J. Jackson of Montgomery.

The Joint Faculty Development Program was implemented for practicing college teachers in Alabama who do not have a Ph.D. Faculty members participating in this program receive support from both their home institution and from the UA Graduate School. Partner institutions participating in this program with UA include Alabama State University, Alabama A&M University and Oakwood College. The fellowship pays for tuition and fees, plus an annual stipend.

Hagler was awarded a SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship. A 1988 graduate of UA, he received a B.S. in marketing and earned his M.A. in secondary education in 1995. Hagler is pursing a Ph.D. in mathematics at UA, and he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hagler of Tuscaloosa. He is a graduate teaching assistant in the mathematics department.

SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship recipient Richardson received a B.S. in psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1998. She is pursing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at UA. Richardson is the daughter of Otha and Debra Richardson of Alabaster.

White, a SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship winner, received a B.A. in English literature from Millsaps College in 1993. She earned her M.A. from Mississippi State University in 1998. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in English literature at UA. White is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Josh White of Jackson, Miss. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta English honor society and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship recipient Hokanson, originally of Honduras, received a B.S. in Spanish from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1996. She earned her M.A. in Spanish in 2000. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in romance languages at UA. Hokanson is the daughter of Liborio and Eucebia Rivera of Honduras. She was named to the National Dean’s List in 1998, and is a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon and Kappa Delta Pi. She served as president of the Chicano Latin American Student Association at MSU, and she is currently re-establishing a Latin American Student Association at UA.

Lewis, recipient of a SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship, received a B.S. in athletic training from UA in 1994 and his M.A. in health education in 1996. He currently is pursuing a Ph.D. in health education and health promotion. Lewis is the son of Melvin and Lillie Lewis Sr. of Tuscaloosa. He previously has been awarded the Health Supervision of Interscholastic Programs Grant, the SREB Doctoral Scholarship and the National Football League Scholarship. He is a National Athletic Trainer Association Certified Member and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He and his wife, Tarasha, have a 3-year-old daughter, Makayla.

SREB Doctoral Scholars Fellowship recipient Stephens received a B.S.W. from the University of Wyoming in 1998 in social work and his M.S.W. from UA in 2000. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Work at UA. Stephens has been selected a National McNair Scholar and to the National Dean’s List. He is a member of Golden Key National Honor Society and the Society of Epsilon, a minority honor society. He is a decorated combat veteran and is a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians.

Jones, the SREB Dissertation Fellowship recipient, earned a B.A. in psychology from California State University-Fullerton in 1992. He earned his M.S. in counseling from CSUF in 1995 and an M.A. in educational psychology from UA in 2000. Jones is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in educational psychology at UA. He is the son of Patricia Payne of Birmingham. Jones and his wife, Angela, are expecting twins in December. He was named the 1998 Outstanding Young Man of America, and is a member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society. Jones was awarded the Joslin Leeman Scholarship Award in 1997. He is the president of the Educational Student Association at UA and serves as a minister. Jones is the author of “Your Child’s Self-Esteem.”

The SREB Fellowship Program encourages students to pursue doctoral degrees and become college professors. The fellowship pays for tuition and fees, plus an annual stipend. SREB fellowships are also among the most prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships in the South and are awarded to graduate students with high academic and scholarly qualifications. The Alabama Commission on Higher Education and SREB selects recipients of the fellowships at UA.

For more information on these and other minority fellowships, contact the UA Graduate School at 205/348-5921.