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Departmental Awards

Marcus E. Mullings Mathematics Award

Dr. Marcus E. Mullings was a member of the ACU faculty from 1935 to 1973 (38 years).  Dr. Mullings developed the program in mathematics and continued the development of the program in physics during these years.  From 1936 to 1966, he served as the chair of the Department of Mathematics and Physics.  His dedication to mathematics, to Abilene Christian College, and to its students was an important building block for both the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Physics as they exist today.

  • 1981: Gary Laguna
  • 1982: Brenda Newell Boyd and Cary Gray
  • 1983: Grace Hooten and Rick Oden
  • 1984: Richard Bradford and Kevin Hogg
  • 1986: Lydia Smith
  • 1987: David Hendricks
  • 1988: Lea Ligon
  • 1989: Tom Tomblin
  • 1991: Mike Phillips
  • 1992: Laura Frambes
  • 1993: Ernest Jones and Michelle Mowry
  • 1994: John Keyser
  • 1995: Rob Eby and Marisa Pennington
  • 1996: Jeff Warren
  • 1997: Josh Willis
  • 1998: Nathan Willis
  • 1999: Anthony Todd
  • 2000: Tracey Gust
  • 2001: Ryan Watkins
  • 2002: Aditya “Eddy” Trivedi
  • 2003: Jason Mahler
  • 2005: Julia Lee
  • 2006: Brandon Pope
  • 2007: Ruth Kelly
  • 2008: Alexandra Vaughn
  • 2010: Marc Mace
  • 2011: Daniel Tomkins
  • 2012: Joni Hutcherson
  • 2013: David Reynolds
  • 2014: Jason Martin
  • 2015: Jordan Miller

S.E. McReynolds, Jr. Preparation for Mathematics Teaching Award

Samuel E. McReynolds, Jr. taught mathematics at ACU from 1960–1998.  He then continued as emeritus for several years.  Mr. McReynolds was known as an excellent teacher.  The most common question from former students who visited the department has been “Is Mr. McReynolds around today?  I surely would like to visit with him.  He was my favorite teacher.”  Mr. McReynolds was always trying to do a better job in the classroom.  He was both careful and conscientious, and he taught with integrity.

  • 2003: John Ehrke
  • 2004: Chad Lawson and Joshua Wilkinson
  • 2005: Heather Freeman
  • 2006: Christi Patton
  • 2007: Miranda Griffith and Justin Wiseman
  • 2009: Laura Davis
  • 2010: Kara McArthur and Paul Victor
  • 2011: Megan Larson
  • 2012: Lezli Boren
  • 2013: Stefanie Nicholas and Amanda Sheldon
  • 2014: Emily Simpson
  • 2015: Jaclyn Barker and Janessa Beach

David K. Hughes Freshman Mathematics Award

Dr. David Hughes was a member of the ACU mathematics faculty from 1967 until his retirement from teaching in 2007. Although he has retired from teaching, he continues to serve as Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. On his application for a position at ACU he stated, “I am interested in Christian education, and I am particularly interested in doing what I can to help Christian college students to a good education.” During his 40 years at ACU, he provided quality mathematical courses. His courses were known to students as being challenging and rigorous. He mentored mathematics majors–especially freshmen–by tenderly consoling, counseling, and encouraging students in his office, in the halls, and around campus. He also mentored students by serving as the chair of the department from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1997 to 2005.

  • 2007: Marc Mace
  • 2008: Megan Larson
  • 2009: Lezli Parrish
  • 2010: Stefanie Nicholas
  • 2011: Adam Simpson
  • 2012: Jaclyn Barker
  • 2013: Melody Landrum
  • 2014: Bryan Maier
  • 2015: Lauren Pierce and Rachel Weber

Actuarial Science Award

An actuary is a business professional who analyzes the financial consequences of risk.  Actuaries use mathematics, statistics and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and pension programs.  They evaluate the likelihood of those events, design creative ways to reduce the likelihood and decrease the impact of adverse events that actually do occur.  –Society of Actuaries

In fall 2003, the Department of Mathematics began offering a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a concentration in Actuarial Science.  A career as an actuary requires the successful completion of a long series of exams and courses: nine or more exams over a 6 to 10 year period, minimally, to reach the Fellowship status in one of the actuarial societies. The Department of Mathematics, along with the College of Business Administration, prepares students to pass the first two exams in this series, plus selected topics included on later exams. This Actuarial Science Award was established to recognize and honor students that have excelled in our program.

  • 2006: Tim McGuffin
  • 2008: Louis Palacios, Jr.
  • 2009: Adrian Chew