The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence honored its fifth class of 30 Chellgren Fellows at a reception on campus last night. Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, in addition to Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, UK President Eli Capilouto, UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy, and Associate Provost Mike Mullen, all recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.

The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows and help them develop strategies for engaging in the intellectual life of the university.

The students selected as Chellgren Fellows include:

Chelsea Ahting, an undeclared major from West Chester, Ohio

Rachel Aretakis, a journalism major from Prospect, Ky. 

Lindsey Austin, a journalism major from Louisville

Daniel Bostelman, a materials engineering major from Columbus, Ind.

Emily Bryant, a chemistry major from Prestonburg, Ky.

Ellen Burns, a biology major from Fort Mitchell, Ky.

Emily Combs, an undeclared major from Campbellsville, Ky.

Zainab Farooqui, a biology major from Lexington

Joanna Foresman, a biosystems engineering major from Louisville

Eloise Fourie, a psychology major from Lexington

Madison Gooch, a business management major from Monticello, Ky.

Caitlin Hagan, a political science major from Goshen, Ky.

Bonnie Hance, a psychology major from Shelbyville, Ky.

Josiah Hanna, a computer science major from Lexington

Sarah Hayden, a political science major from Franklin, Tenn.

Byron Hempel, a biology major from Danville, Ky.

Drake Jackson, an undeclared major from Benton, Ky.

Salman Jeelani, an international studies major from Pikeville

Burhanuddin Johar, a biology major from Louisville

Amanda Kaiser, a biology major from Lexington

Dominique Luster, a theatre major from Louisville

Bethany McClintock, a business management major from Union, Ky.

Michael Miller, a biology major from Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Bradley O'Neal, a theatre major from Saint Charles, Mo.

Nichole Schladt, a journalism major from Lexington

Michael Sheehy, a theatre major from Shelbyville, Ky.

Tamika Tompoulidis, a communications major from Middleton, Ohio

Skylar Trott, a biology major from Richmond, Ky.

Jacob Welch, an anthropology major from Richmond, Ky.

Breyon White, a chemistry major from Louisville

The Chellgren Fellows Program was made possible by the Chellgren Center, which is an intentional collaboration among prestigious undergraduate programs at the university, including the Discovery Seminar Program, Education Abroad, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Honors Program,Intercollegiate Debate, Living-Learning Communities and the Office of External Scholarships.

The center was created in August 2005 with an initial gift from alumnus Paul Chellgren and his family.  His total commitment of $2.25 million was matched by the state’s Endowment Match Program, creating a $4.5 million endowment for the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

As a UK undergraduate, Chellgren was an Honors Program student and star intercollegiate debater. After earning his MBA from Harvard and a D.D.E. from Oxford University, he began a successful career that culminated with his retirement as chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. He is currently an operating partner with SPG Partners LLC, a New York City private equity firm. He was inducted into UK’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000 and the Gatton College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame in 1995, and served on the UK Board of Trustees for 11 years. His commitment to improving and enriching undergraduate education at UK continues to impact thousands of UK students, faculty and staff.