10 - Student Awards and Honors

A broad summary of College of Allied Health student awards and honors is provided.  For a complete listing of awards, honors, and scholarships, please visit the CAH website at http://alliedhealth.ouhsc.edu/.

The Allied Health Ambassadors program was established in 2005 and is comprised of CAH students who are the College’s ambassadors.  The Allied Health Ambassadors represent exemplary students of the College who are involved in three areas of College of Allied Health life:  student recruitment, alumni activities, and public relations.   

Applications for Allied Health Ambassadors are accepted each fall. In order to apply, a student must be nominated by a CAH faculty member.  The student is then sent an application. The selection committee chooses 10 (8 OKC and 2 Tulsa) students for each class. 

For more information visit online or contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs at alliedhealth-info@ouhsc.edu.

Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL) is a national honor society for graduate and professional students which recognizes academic excellence and leadership.  The mission of Alpha Epsilon Lambda is to:

• confer distinction for high achievement,
• promote leadership development,
• encourage intellectual development and promote scholarship,
• enrich the intellectual environment of graduate education institutions, and
• encourage high standards of ethical behavior.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center received its Charter in 1994.  Minimum requirements for graduate student membership in the society include:

• current enrollment in a degree granting program in the Graduate College
• doctoral students at or near completion of all didactic coursework and successful completion of qualifying exams
• master's students who have completed  20 hours toward the degree
• grade point average placing you in the top 35% of master's and doctoral students within each individual college
• record of leadership and service to graduate students, graduate student organizations, and/or community service organizations.

For additional information about AEL, go to their website.

Alpha Eta is the national honor society for the allied health professions.  The purpose of Alpha Eta is to recognize student excellence in academic programs and to promote leadership and scholarship in the allied health professions.

The University of Oklahoma chapter was founded in 1982.

To be eligible for membership an undergraduate student must have a GPA of 3.5 or above; professional and graduate students must have at least a 3.8 GPA.  Ten percent of the graduating students are accepted for membership each year.

Alpha Eta conducts an induction ceremony each fall and sponsors a student research poster exhibit in the each spring.  For more information contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs at alliedhealth-info@ouhsc.edu. 

The Alumni Leadership Award for the Outstanding First Year Student is awarded to a first year student in the College of Allied Health enrolled in a graduate, professional or undergraduate program.  Applicants must have a 3.0 or higher OUHSC grade point average. Selection criteria are leadership in the academic program, contribution to the discipline/profession, and demonstrated contribution to the College of Allied Health.

For more information contact the Office of Academic and Student Affairs at alliedhealth-info@ouhsc.edu.

A banner carrier is a student who leads the procession of graduates of the College during commencement and convocation ceremonies.  Representing graduates of the College on the President’s platform during the commencement ceremony, the banner carrier is awarded a diploma symbolically presented to represent all graduates of the College of Allied Health.  The student is selected by the Dean and must have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. 

The Big Man and Big Woman on Campus awards are chosen annually in recognition of those students deemed outstanding by the selection committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students. Recipients are chosen based on outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas of involvement: leadership, service, honors or academics.

JUNIORS and SENIORS (4th or 5th year) are eligible for this award. It is awarded in the spring and recognized at Norman Campus Awards Ceremony and the OUHSC Campus Awards Ceremony.

Anyone interested may contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.

Crimson Club members are the University of Oklahoma's student ambassadors. They come from all corners of the University: diverse in majors, background, and ethnicity. Each member is carefully identified as having outstanding leadership potential and a great pride in the University.

Each spring, Crimson Club begins the search for a new group of future ambassadors. In order to apply, a student must be nominated by either an OU faculty/staff or a current Crimson Club member. The student is then sent an application. The top applicants are invited for an interview with the Crimson Club Executive Committee who then choose each year's class of between twenty and thirty students.

Visit online or call 405.271.2416 for more information.

This award recognizes exemplary performance by College of Allied Health students in academics, clinical performance, leadership, and service. One graduating student from each program containing a clinical rotation component is selected by their program’s faculty for this honor. The program will provide their nomination to the Office of Academic & Student Affairs and the Dean for approval, and the selected students will be recognized at the Health Sciences Campus Awards Ceremony.

To be eligible for this award, students:

• Must be in their final year of the Audiology, Dietetics, Nuclear Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Radiation Therapy, Radiography, Sonography, or Speech-Language Pathology programs
•  Must have completed or be in the process of completing at least one clinical rotation/placement at the time of nomination
• Must have a program GPA of at least 3.5 in completed programmatic coursework and be in good academic and professional standing in the college
• Must have demonstrated exemplary performance in the areas of academics, clinical performance, leadership, and service while enrolled in their program

The Dean’s Honor Roll for students in the College of Allied Health is compiled at the close of each fall and spring semester.  It includes undergraduate and professional students who have completed at least twelve grade point hours and have earned an average of 3.5 or higher during the semester, provided they have no W, I or N grades for that semester; and graduate students who have completed at least nine semester hours of graded graduate level coursework, and have earned a grade point average of 3.8 or higher during the semester, provided that they have no W, I or N grades for that semester. 

Undergraduate students will be graduated with Distinction if they have completed at least 30 hours in residence and have a cumulative and residence grade point average of at least 3.50. Undergraduate students will be graduated with Special Distinction if they have completed at least 30 hours in residence and have a cumulative and residence grade point average of at least 3.75. Professional degree students graduating with at least a 3.8 cumulative grade point average in their professional program will be graduated with Outstanding Distinction.

No student who has been subject to disciplinary action will be granted a degree with distinction, special distinction or outstanding distinction.

Undergraduate students who earn a 4.0 cumulative/overall GPA are eligible for this distinct honor. These students are individually recognized for academic excellence during commencement and convocation ceremonies.  Students receive a commemorative medallion to be worn during graduation activities. 

To be eligible for membership, a student must have at least 30 credit hours and have maintained a 3.40 GPA.  Applications are available from the OUHSC Student Affairs, SU 300 or call 405.271.2416 for more information.

Any student who is receiving an M.S. (thesis option) or Ph.D. degree is eligible for this award.  Only one nomination per degree per department is accepted.  All nominations must be evaluated by a departmental or college screening committee and the selected nominee forwarded to the Graduate College.  There is one Ph.D. award worth $1,000.00 and an inscribed certificate; and one M.S. thesis award worth $500.00 and an inscribed certificate.  The selection committee may elect not to award all the available prizes.  Deadline for submitting nominations is the end of February.  Awards are announced at the OUHSC Student Awards Ceremony.

The University Honors Program offers academically talented undergraduates the opportunity to enroll in honors-designated courses, which lead to a degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude.  The educational opportunities include honors-designated sections of lower-division courses (Norman campus only), division honors seminars and colloquia, and honors reading and research courses.  The goal of this program is to challenge academically talented students and to enable them to attain deeper understanding of and greater degree of commitment to their intellectual goals.  In order to graduate with honors, students must satisfy requirements of their degree-granting college and their department as well as satisfying the requirements of the OU Honors Program.  Students who successfully complete all requirements of the University’s Honors Program and who attain a cumulative OU grade point average of at least 3.8 will be granted summa cum laude; those with cumulative OU grade point average of at least 3.6, but less than 3.8, will be graduated magna cum laude; and those with cumulative OU grade point averages of at least 3.4, but less than 3.6, will be graduated cum laude.

The Letzeiser Awards are presented annually in memory of the late Alexander Letzeiser as a stimulus of good citizenship and achievement. The selections are made each year by a student/faculty/staff committee and are based on leadership, scholarship and service to the university and community. Thirteen (13) outstanding senior men and thirteen (13) outstanding senior women are selected for the Letzeiser Honor List. Three medals, bronze, silver and gold are presented to three (3) men and three (3) women who are selected as the most outstanding.

Only graduating seniors are eligible for this award. It is awarded in the spring and recognized at Norman Campus Awards Ceremony and the OUHSC Campus Awards Ceremony.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online. 

Faculty members may nominate only junior students with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.  The selection of recipients is based upon service, scholarship, and leadership.  Information sheets are available for candidates for the first three weeks in February. 

The OUHSC Office of Student Affairs recognizes students annually with multicultural awards for undergraduate, professional, and graduate students.

Multicultural Student Awards~ Undergraduate
Each student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher as of the Fall term and be eligible to graduate from his or her respective college or program in the Winter, Spring or Summer term of the current year.

Multicultural Student Awards~ Graduate
Each student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher as of the Fall term and be eligible to graduate from his or her respective college or program in the Winter, Spring or Summer term of the current year.

Multicultural Student Awards~ Professional
Each student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher as of the Fall term and be eligible to graduate from his or her respective college or program in the Winter, Spring or Summer term of the current year.

Applications for the multicultural awards are available early February in the OUHSC Student Affairs office located in Student Union, Suite 300.  Visit online or call 405.271.2416 for more information.

Each year the University of Oklahoma Parents’ Association recognizes the All-Around Outstanding Senior Man and Senior Woman at the University.  Additionally, the Association presents an Award of Merit to the Outstanding Senior of each undergraduate college as selected by the college Dean.  The selection procedure for the Outstanding Senior in each college is at the discretion of each Dean but is based on outstanding achievement in the following areas:  scholarship, honors, awards, leadership and service to the university and community.  A committee comprised of faculty, staff and students selects the All-Around Outstanding Senior Man and Senior Woman.  All applications from each college are considered for this honor.

Students graduating with their first Bachelor’s Degree are eligible for consideration.  The honor is awarded in the fall semester and recognized at the Dad’s Day Celebration on the Norman campus. In the spring, award recipients will be recognized at the Norman and OUHSC Campus Awards Ceremony.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.   

All undergraduate student mothers who are currently enrolled in at least 12 hours and plan to enroll full-time for both the fall and spring semesters are eligible to apply for this award.  Selection will be based on outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas: academics, university and community involvement, leadership, service and honors and awards.  The selection committee will be composed of the executive officers of the OU Parents’ Association and staff from the Division of Student Affairs.  The award includes a $1,000 scholarship and recognition at the Norman Campus Awards Ceremony during Mom’s Weekend held in the Spring.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the HSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.

The Outstanding Student Leadership awards are chosen annually in recognition of those students deemed outstanding campus leaders by the selection committee composed of OU faculty and staff.  The selection is based on leadership, campus involvement, professional development, and community service.  Those selected as Outstanding Student Leadership Award winners receive a cash award.

Applicants must have earned a 3.0 grade point average or higher, be currently enrolled full-time on the OUHSC campus and be planning to graduate in December, May or August.  Each of the seven OUHSC Colleges selects an outstanding student from the application pool.

Applications for the award are available early February in the OUHSC Student Affairs office located in Student Union, Suite 300.  Visit online or call 405.271.2416 for more information.

The Outstanding Student Organization award is chosen annually in recognition of an organization, which has served not only the OUHSC Campus but has served the Oklahoma City community as well.

Applications for the award are available early February in the OUHSC Student Affairs office located in Student Union, Suite 300.  Visit online or call 405.271.2416 for more information.

Established by students on April 10, 1910, membership into PE-ET (pronounced “pay et”) is based on service, scholarship and leadership.  Candidates must be of junior standing (completed at least 72 credit hours) at the University of Oklahoma and will be of senior standing for the next academic year.  Applicants must have a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average in addition to a faculty recommendation to apply.  Deadline to apply is January. Each year, ten juniors will be selected and initiated.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.  

Phi Kappa Phi is a national honor society, which recognizes and encourages superior scholarship in all academic disciplines.  Established in l897, the Society is named from the initial letters of the Greek words forming its adopted motto, “Let the love of learning rule mankind”.  Admission to the Society is by invitation only; and only Junior students ranking in the upper 7.5%, seniors and graduate students who are scholastically in the upper 10% of the class in their degree granting college may be considered for invitation into the Society.  Nominations are solicited in February. For information contact the OUHSC Office of Admissions & Records, Robert M. Bird Health Sciences Library, 121 or call 405.271.2359. 

Each semester, the President of the University of Oklahoma recognizes students with an excellent academic record for the current semester.  The President’s Honor Roll is only for undergraduate students who made a 4.0 grade point average and were enrolled in at least 12 semester hours.  These hours exclude any pass/fail credit.  A letter from the President and a certificate is sent to each student.

The Regents’ Award for Outstanding Juniors will be presented to selected individuals who have excelled in the areas of scholarship, character, leadership and service to the university community during their junior year at the University of Oklahoma. This award is the highest award bestowed to juniors by the university community.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• completed a minimum of 72 credit hours;
• earned a 3.25 grade point average or higher and
• be currently enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours).

If your credit hours classify you as a senior but you are a "junior by years" - it is recommended that you complete the Regent's Award for Outstanding Juniors application.

It is awarded in the spring and recognized at Norman Campus Awards Ceremony and the OUHSC Campus Awards Ceremony.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.  

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges awards are chosen annually in recognition of those students deemed outstanding by the selection committee comprised of faculty, staff, and students.  Recipients are chosen based on outstanding achievement in one or more areas of involvement: leadership, service, honors or academics.

To be eligible for consideration, a student must be scheduled to receive his or her Bachelor’s degree in the Winter, Spring or Summer term.  Graduate students are also eligible for this recognition.

If interested please contact Student Development at 405.325.4020 or the OUHSC Student Affairs at 405.271.2416 or visit online.