Six UW-River Falls students honored with Chancellor’s Award

Six University of Wisconsin-River Falls students received the 2016 Chancellor’s Award for Students and were honored at a ceremony on campus April 28. The Chancellor’s Award for Students is the highest non-academic honor a student can receive at UW-River Falls.

First awarded in 1980, the Chancellor’s Award for Students is presented annually to a small group of juniors and seniors for distinguished leadership and service to the campus and external communities during the course of their time at UW-River Falls.

During the ceremony, UWRF Chancellor Dean Van Galen congratulated the recipients and challenged them to continue their commitment to service.

“Here in River Falls, you are part of campus and a broader community,” said Van Galen. “Over the course of your life, you will likely be part of many communities, and in each place you will have the opportunity to lead -- to, if you will -- exert strength.”

Students receiving the 2016 Chancellor’s Award were Mohammad Battah of Hudson; Jessica Knapp of Chippewa Falls; Marie-Morella Kponou of Cotonou, Benin (Africa); Angela Ludvigsen of St. Paul; Madeleine Pemberton of Minneapolis; and Emma Sweet of Hartland.

Battah is a senior majoring in biology in the biomedical option. He has established himself as a true leader on campus, eagerly serving the campus community during his time here. From RHA president, to ambassador for the Disability Advisory Committee on the Student Senate, from president for the Pre-Health Society to president of the Muslim Student Association, Battah’s influence has made a difference campus-wide, according to his nominator.

UW-River Falls student Lisa Erickson spoke briefly at the ceremony and conveyed her congratulations to the group. Erickson will replace Regent Nic Harsy as the non-traditional student on the UW System Board of Regents in June.

For more information, email beth.schommer@uwrf.edu