Contact:	Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821
May 14, 2002 UNM STUDENT AWARDED PHI KAPPA PHI AWARD OF EXCELLENCE University of New Mexico biology student Sophie Peterson of Albuquerque has received an Award of Excellence for the 2002-03 academic year from the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Peterson is one of 30 individuals nationwide to receive an Award of Excellence. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and largest national honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields of higher education. From its beginnings in 1931, the Society’s Graduate Fellowship Program has become one of the largest and most respected scholarship programs in the country allocating more than $460,000 to students for first-year graduate study. Fifty-two Fellowships in the amount of $8,000 each and 30 Awards of Excellence in the amount of $1,500 are awarded annually. Fellowship selection is based on students’ indergraduate peformance; leadership and service on campus and in the community; evidence of potential success in graduate study; and personal statement of educational perpsective, purpose and objectives. In addition, a letter of recommendation from three individuals who can attest to the students’ prerformance, citizenship and character. Headquartered on the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni from 282 select college and universities annually. The society awards more than $500,000 in national and chapter scholarships each year. # # #

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981