For Immediate Release                                                  Monday, April 3, 2006

 

 

Top Students From 24 Colleges Will Be Honored Tonight At The All-Alabama Academic Team Dinner At Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort

 

 

Montgomery, Alabama – On Monday, April 3, 2006, the top 48 students in the two-year colleges in Alabama were named All-Alabama scholars, receiving scholarships to complete their undergraduate education. The All-Alabama Academic Team dinner took place at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham.

 

One student will be named the New Century Scholar at another date.  Rod Risley, Executive Director of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, was the guest speaker. The All-Alabama Academic Team scholarship program is a state-level complement to the All-American Academic Team sponsored by USA Today, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges.

 

The students, from 24 colleges in the Alabama College System, will finish their associate degrees this spring and transfer to four-year colleges to complete their bachelor’s degrees. “These students really are a picture of what is right about Alabama. They come from small towns and urban neighborhoods, and some have been working and are just now getting the chance to go to college. They are leaders and dedicated, bright students who deserve this honor and the help it provides to complete a four-year degree,” said Dr. Roy W. Johnson, Chancellor of the Alabama System.

 

Most students in Alabama begin their college careers in a community college. Community colleges allow students to stay close to home, get a strong academic foundation in a student-focused environment with small classes, and benefit from flexible class schedules, much lower tuition rates, and an articulation agreement that guarantees their coursework will transfer to any public college or university. Today 54% of all undergraduate students in public institutions of higher education in Alabama are in two-year colleges.

 

The students were honored Monday night before an audience of 400 that included their parents and families, college presidents, deans, and faculty from all 26 colleges in the Alabama College System, and representatives from several universities.

 

# # #

 

*Recipients representing Lawson State were Kiyoshi Andrews (4.0) and Brandon Hoggle (4.0).