Two Agriculture Majors Receive Sloan Scholarships
JONESBORO – Two upper-level agriculture students at Arkansas State University will continue their studies this fall as the latest recipients of the Jim and Betty Sloan Memorial Scholarship.
Whitney Schug of Paragould will receive a $4,000 award for the 2016-17 school year — $2,000 for each semester. Ryan Holbert of Gillett, who was awarded the scholarship last year as a junior, will receive $2,000 as a senior this fall. Holbert graduates in December 2016.
Both Jim Sloan and his widow Betty Teeter Sloan were leaders in Arkansas agriculture and the Jonesboro community. He served on the Arkansas Farm Bureau board for 10 years, 1969-79. She was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2007. Both were active civic volunteers. Through the ASU Foundation, the family established the scholarship endowment with support from the Craighead County Farm Bureau in 1980, soon after Jim Sloan died. It was renamed for both of them after Betty Sloan died in November 2014.
Schug, a junior, will graduate in December 2017 with a degree in plant and soil science with an emphasis in agronomy. She plans to continue her education to focus on plant pathology and breeding. She has conducted research for the Agricultural Experiment Station, including projects begun before graduating from the Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs, where she helped found a Future Farmers of America chapter.
Schug is also involved in community service and is part of A-State's music program serving as a section leader for the marching band, is first chair flute, and plays in basketball and volleyball pep bands.
Additionally, Schug is a member of the Honors College, a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honors society, Dean’s List and Chancellor’s List.
Holbert is a senior agricultural business major, with an emphasis in marketing and management. He also serves as a volunteer for several charitable activities and organizations and is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He is planning a career in seed sales.
The Sloan Scholarship is awarded to A-State agriculture majors who are incoming juniors. It continues for a second year, including graduate study, if recipients maintain their grades. For details, contact the College of Agriculture and Technology at (870) 972-2085 or through email at CoAT@astate.edu.
Information about establishing a scholarship endowment in support of the university's mission of educating leaders, enhancing intellectual growth and enriching lives is available by contacting the university's Office of Development, (870) 972-3940.
