TTU System Chancellor Honors Top Scholars
September 29, 2011 | Written Dailey Fuller
Hance presents a Top Scholar award to Hayden Turner, who is from Lubbock, Texas and
a 2011 graduate of Coronado High School.
麻豆天狼副利院 Chancellor Kent Hance hosted an inaugural honor reception this afternoon, recognizing students in his Top Scholars program.
Established by Hance in the fall of 2007, the Top Scholars program at Texas Tech University is a strategic recruitment initiative that actively recruits students who have been admitted to the university with a score above 1500 on their SAT.
Hance honored past and the newest members of the Top Scholars program individually at the reception, and Texas Tech President Guy Bailey and head football coach Tommy Tuberville also made congratulatory remarks.
In his remarks, Hance stated the importance of recruiting the best and brightest students to Texas Tech.
"If we are going to spend money recruiting athletes, which I am entirely in favor of that, we need to also spend money recruiting top students," Hance said. "And if we are going to reach Tier One status, we need to increase our SAT scores at a time when scores are dropping all over the country. Part of that is getting the best students."
Helping advance recruitment efforts and the overall academic quality of students, Hance personally recruits these top scholars by calling them, paying for their travel to Lubbock and organizing first-class tours of campus.
In addition to paying for travel, Hance visits with these top students during their visits to campus and helps facilitate a tour of campus that highlights Texas Tech鈥檚 excellent academic programs and student life. The Top Scholars program is funded by private donations Hance raises through the Chancellor鈥檚 Council.
This fall marks the fourth class of top scholar students who have enrolled at Texas Tech. Of the 31 students who visited this past year, 60 percent (19 students) enrolled at Texas Tech in fall 2011.
In the years of 2006 and 2007, 13 and 11 students enrolled with an SAT score above 1500, respectively. In the last four years since the program has been underway, more than 75 top scholars have enrolled.
Meet the Newest Class of Top Scholars at Texas Tech
Aaron Carver - Mansfield HS, Grand Prairie, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Ole Miss鈥� Was a National AP Scholar鈥�
Was a member of the National Honor Society鈥� Was a Mansfield Independent School District
Top Scholar鈥� Is a recipient of the Energy Rubber Group Merit Scholarship and the Texas
Trust Engineering Scholarship鈥�
Sarah Doucette - Plano Senior HS, Plano, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Texas and Baylor鈥� Was an AP Scholar with Distinction鈥� Was an
All-Region Band Member鈥� Was a member of the National Honor Society鈥� Is a recipient
of the President鈥檚 Platinum Scholarship鈥�
Kevin Eaton, Jr. - McKinney Boyd HS, McKinney, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Arkansas and A&M鈥� Was a Student of Excellence in Math at the
United States Achievement Academy鈥� Is a recipient of the Michael H. Laird Engineering
Scholarship, Emerson Process Management Scholarship, and the Presidential Endowed
Merit Scholarship鈥�
Ryan Farmacka - Lake View HS, San Angelo, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Texas, MIT and Rice鈥� Was his high school鈥檚 valedictorian鈥� Was
a member of the National Honor Society, Business Professionals of America, and his
school鈥檚 UIL Academic team鈥� Was a National Merit Commended Scholar鈥�
Scott Ferrell - Amarillo HS, Amarillo, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Tulane University, New York University, West Texas A&M, Texas鈥�
Is a recipient of the President鈥檚 Platinum Scholarship鈥� Received the Outstanding Actor
Award鈥� Is a member of Alpha Psi Omega鈥� Enjoys theatre and wrestling鈥�
Kaitlin Foss - Carroll Senior HS, Southlake, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Oklahoma State鈥� Was a National Merit Commended Finalist鈥� Is
a recipient of the President鈥檚 Platinum Scholarship鈥�
Paul Gatewood - Saginaw HS, Saginaw, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Oklahoma and UNT鈥� Was his high school鈥檚 valedictorian鈥� Named
All-State as a percussionist鈥� Was a National AP Scholar and a National Merit Commended
Scholar鈥� Was a member of the National Honor Society and his high school UIL Academic
team鈥� Is a recipient of the Texas Tech Presidential and Electrical Engineering Scholarships鈥�
Hillary Joiner - Garland HS, Garland, TX
Chose Texas Tech over UTD and Texas A&M鈥� Was her high school鈥檚 salutatorian鈥� Graduated
with an International Baccalaureate Diploma鈥� Enjoys soccer and babysitting鈥�
Sarah Kiriacon - Sandia HS, Albuquerque, NM
Chose Texas Tech over Washington, Puget Sound, Yale and New Mexico鈥� Was a National
Merit Finalist鈥� Was a member of the National Honor Society鈥� Was a member of the Mock
Trial Regional team and was named as a State Outstanding attorney鈥�
Cameron McIntyre - Flour Bluff HS, Corpus Christi, TX
Chose Texas Tech immediately for the great engineering college鈥� Was a National Honors
Semifinalist鈥njoys reading鈥�
Ethan Morgan- Barry Goldwater HS, Phoenix, AZ
Chose Texas Tech over Ball State, Drake, Purdue, Pennsylvania, Evansville and Arizona
State鈥� Graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma鈥� Captain of the Barry
Goldwater High School Chess Team with two regional championships and two third-place
state finishes鈥�
Justin Montgomery- Hamilton HS, Hamilton, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Baylor and MIT鈥� Was his high school鈥檚 valedictorian鈥� Was first
team all district punter鈥� Was a commended student in the National Merit Scholarship鈥�
Was a member of National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Students,
UIL academic team, and Eta Omicron Nu鈥� Is a recipient of the President鈥檚 Platinum
Scholarship鈥� Enjoys reading, college football and the Texas Tech Equestrian Center鈥�
Quinn Pearce - Coronado HS, Lubbock, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Texas A&M鈥� Was a National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar鈥�
Enjoys computer games鈥�
Rich Trieu - Rowlett HS, Rowlett, TX
Chose Texas Tech over Texas and MIT鈥� Was an AP Scholar with Honor/Distinction鈥� Was
a member of the National Honor Society鈥layed in the band鈥�
Hayden Turner - Coronado HS, Lubbock, TX
Has been a Red Raider since birth鈥� Was her high school鈥檚 salutatorian鈥� Was a National
Merit Scholar鈥� Was named Girls鈥� Team Tennis UIL All-Academic Team鈥� Was a member of
the National Honor Society鈥� Was an Academic Decathlon State Qualifier鈥�