Carol Sawyer:
Outstanding Graduate Student in Liberal Arts
2006-2007

Dean Ann Marie Ellis made the following presentation during the annual Liberal Arts Awards Ceremony, April 19, 2007

The Outstanding Graduate Student in Liberal Arts, Carol Sawyer, is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Geography and has a perfect 4.00 GPA and a host of other remarkable academic accomplishments.

Carol earned a Master of Science Degree in Geography from Texas State in 2003. She came to us from Montana State University at Bozeman, having earned a B.S. with honors, in Earth Science with a major in Geography and minors in Physical Geography and History.

Carol has developed an extraordinary record of research that includes two co-authored refereed journal articles in outstanding international journals and two co-authored refereed papers in Proceedings of the Applied Geography Conference, one of America's premier applied geography conferences. At this point, her research totals four co-authored refereed publications, eight published refereed abstracts, and nine conference presentations. In addition, she co-authored a lab manual for Geography 2410, Introduction to Physical Geography.

Over the past four years, Carol has earned six scholarships—three from the Department of Geography and three Liberal Arts College Graduate Scholarships—and she has earned four grants, including one from the Geological Society of America to support her dissertation. In addition, Carol has served on two University committees, and she serves as the student representative at Geography faculty meetings.

Dr. David Butler, her dissertation director observed, “Carol is operating in the realms of research, grants, and service at a level that would be admirable for an assistant professor.” Carol's dissertation research is investigating “Frost Heaving and Surface Clast Movement in the Alpine Tundra in Glacier National Park.”

After she receives her doctorate this August, Carol will pursue a career in college teaching and research.