Emily Shannon Day physics senior

Two OU students earn honor fellowships
Mark Bicket, Emily Day won cash awards through honor society, making OU only university with two winners

by Shannon Gonzales
April 10, 2006

Two OU students have received fellowship awards for Alpha Lambda Delta, a freshman honor society, totaling $5,000 each, for the 2006-2007 academic year.

OU is the only institution in the country with two winners the Alpha Lambda Delta Fellowship.

Twenty-three students were chosen nationally.

Mark Bicket, mathematics and economics senior and webmaster for the OU Chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta, won the Pat Graham Fellowship award. Emily Shannon Day, physics senior, won the Dottie Anderson Fellowship award.

“It’s nice to have your hard work appreciated,” Day said.

Bicket said he enjoyed celebrating the fellowship award, along with the OU Men's Letzeiser Gold Medal, which he recently won as well, with his family.

“Upon hearing I won the award, I felt both excited and humbled,” Bicket said.

Alice Lanning, director of Freshman Programs, said Bicket has been outstanding every year and is a brilliant man.

Lanning said the award is significant not only for Bicket but for OU as well.

Bicket said the influence of OU and OU President David L. Boren has helped him during his college experience.

“President Boren's work at OU has fostered an environment where I have grown as a person in and out of the classroom,” Bicket said. “The challenge of balancing so many opportunities at OU has been one of the larger lessons I've taken away.”

Both students said they enjoy being active on campus.

“I was always really involved on campus,” Day said. “OU has given me a lot of opportunities and has let me do all the things that I have wanted to do.”

Twenty-three graduate fellows are chosen for awards of $3,000, $5,000 and $7,500, Lanning said.

“The fact that both Emily and Mark won national fellowships through Alpha Lambda Delta further proves that they have been leaders in and associated not only with an outstanding honorary society, but that they have been recognized as leaders for the entire OU campus,” Lanning said.

To become a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, freshmen must complete a minimum of 12 letter-graded hours during their first fall semester at OU, have at least a 3.5 fall OU GPA, complete a membership application form by the posted deadline date and pay the required national and local dues by the posted deadline date, according to

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© 2006 The OU Daily