Augustana College, University of Notre dame, Iowa State University, Iowa Wesleyan College, Kirkwood Community College

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. ? Sixteen Augustana College students, including Katherine Dinkel from Fairfield, are currently in Cuenca, Ecuador, for 10 weeks and will return in mid-August.

Dinkel, a senior, is majoring in biology and music general.

Students will live with families while in Cuenca. The host families work with the students to teach them about the culture of Ecuador as well as to encourage the use of Spanish outside of the classroom.

Classes are held at the Centers for Interamerican Studies during the week, and weekends offer several excursions. The Augustana students will travel to the Ecuadorian rainforest and end the trip with an excursion to Peru for seven days to visit Lima, Cusco and the Incan city of Machu Picchu.

At Augustana, students choosing to study abroad can receive financial support from the college thanks to a program launched in 2009 called Augie Choice. Focused on advancing student learning in the liberal arts, Augie Choice grants students in their junior year or beyond the opportunity to receive a one-time grant of $2,000 to offset the expenses of study abroad, an internship or research project. Augie Choice funding, which recently surpassed the $1.4-million milestone, is a visible symbol of the college?s commitment to experiential learning as a way of preparing students to stand out among their peers.

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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

NOTRE DAME, Ind. ? Kirsten Adam of Batavia has been named to the dean?s list in the University of Notre Dame?s College of Science for outstanding scholarship during the spring 2012 semester.

Students who achieve dean?s honors at Notre Dame represent the top 30 percent of students in their college.

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IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

AMES ? Emily Gleason, a 2009 graduate of Fairfield High School, was one of 90 students from Iowa State University initiated into Phi Beta Kappa in April.

Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776, is the nation?s oldest and most prestigious honorary society. It recognizes students for outstanding academic achievement in a broad curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences.

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IOWA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

MOUNT PLEASANT ? Dr. Nancy Erickson, vice president for academic affairs at Iowa Wesleyan College, has announced the names of students who have qualified for the 2012 spring semester dean?s list. To qualify for the dean?s list, a student must be classified as a degree candidate and have attained a grade point average for the term of 3.50 or better on a 4.00 scale with 12 credit hours or more and no incomplete grades recorded at the time the list is declared.

The list includes:

Kathryn Streeby of Eldon, who is studying music education;

Brittany Craff of Fairfield, who is studying accounting;

Madeline Sloat of Fairfield, who is studying music education;

Dana Smith of Farmington, who is studying studio art.

Rebecca Burk of Hillsboro, who is studying elementary education;

Kylie Harlan of Keosauqua, who is studying early childhood education;

Tracey Kreiss of Keosauqua, who is studying nursing; and

Katherine Machala of Richland, who is studying accounting.

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KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

CEDAR RAPIDS ? Kirkwood Community College has released its dean?s list for the spring semester. These students have achieved a 3.3 grade point average or higher after completing 12 or more credit hours with the college.

Kirkwood students from the area earning this distinction are:

From Batavia, Mike Hammes;

From Bonaparte, Paige Moore;

From Fairfield, Grant Curran, Shelby Davisson, Maryanne Eagleson, Skylar Gray, Dalton Kane, Dylan Laux, Jordan Leazer and Gaelen Watt:

From Farmington, Justin Oilar;

From Hedrick, Jessica Clubb;

From Lockridge, Rosanne Frisbie; and

From Milton, Amanda Gray and Thadd Gray.