Four Howard Payne University students were selected as Sumners Scholars for the 2022-2023 academic year. Acceptance into the Sumners Program, created by the Sumners Foundation, is based on an assessment of academic excellence, a sense of civic responsibility and leadership potential.

This year’s selected scholars are Alexandria Barnett, junior mathematics and Guy D. Newman Honors Academy major from Bellville; Madison Boggs, junior psychology major from Cypress; Landon Chenault, junior jurisprudence and Honors Academy major from Omaha, Arkansas; and Samuel Lee, sophomore business administration major from El Paso.

Barnett, Boggs and Chenault are students at HPU’s campus in Brownwood. Lee is a student at the university’s extension center in El Paso.

“Howard Payne University is honored to partner with the Sumners Foundation, which generously provides four to five scholarships and civic engagement and leadership opportunities to our students annually,” says Dr. Shannon Sims, HPU’s director of development. “Being selected is a great achievement and I am so proud of these four students. This is truly a life-changing opportunity for each Sumners Scholar.”

Students who apply to the competitive four-semester program must be pre-selected by HPU’s Sumners Scholar Selection Committee and undergo an in-depth application and interview process by the trustees of the Sumners Foundation. The foundation provides a $7,500-per-semester scholarship for each participating student to be used for tuition, fees, books or room and board.

Sumners Scholars are also provided with opportunities to attend annual leadership and policy analysis conferences to supplement their learning and expand their growth potential. While receiving the scholarship, students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA and be in good standing with the university.

This spring, HPU hosted a luncheon for current Sumners Scholars and program applicants. Applicants to the Sumners Program met members of the Sumners Foundation prior to their interviews. Graduating Sumners Scholars had the opportunity to share how the program has been beneficial to them and to thank the Sumners Foundation for support.

For more information about the Sumners Scholar Program at HPU, visit www.hputx.edu/sumners.