ODU MASTER'S STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL ACA SCHOOL COUNSELING SCHOLARSHIPS

The American Counseling Association (ACA) has named two students in Old Dominion University's master's program in counseling, Lauren Hamar and Shannon Hall, of Virginia Beach, as 2008 Ross Trust Scholars. They were awarded $1,000 scholarships and free ACA Conference registration for their work in school counseling. Ten scholarships were given to counseling master's students nationally; ODU is the only school whose students took more than one honor.

Recognized for their stellar academic achievements, as well as their commitment to volunteerism and a desire to work in the K-12 educational environment, the five doctoral and 10 master's-level students honored by the ACA represent the fourth group to receive the annual scholarships. Each of the 2008 recipients is awarded a $1,000 scholarship, free ACA student membership and a complimentary registration to the ACA Conference & Exposition.

The Batten Endowed Chair in Counseling at ODU's Darden College of Education, Ted Remley, was recently appointed graduate program director for counseling in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling. In announcing the ACA scholarship winners, he noted, "The national scholarships won by our two master's students in the Counseling Graduate Program are evidence that Old Dominion University is receiving national recognition for excellence. The administrators, faculty and graduate students at ODU know that our counseling program is outstanding, and it is gratifying to see that our national association recognizes our accomplishments as well."

Remley, who recently was named an ACA Fellow for his extensive service and scholarship contributions to the counseling profession, has made it one of his top priorities "to make ODU a top name in the field for graduating doctoral students within the next three to five years."