TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama has again been chosen as a McGowan Scholars Academic Institution for the 2009-2010 academic year by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund Inc.

Armelle Honkou, a student in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, was awarded the inaugural William G. McGowan Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year.

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund Inc. was founded in 1992 to promote, nurture and develop the gifts and talents of students. The William G. McGowan Scholars Program was created by the Fund specifically to provide selected colleges and universities with scholarships to help students who wish to pursue a business education.

The program aims to recognize the academic achievements and excellence of business students and is designed to encourage leadership ability, interpersonal skills, and a significant involvement in academic, campus and community activities. It also recognizes excellence of character, a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurial potential.

The recipient of this honor must also be recommended by at least one member of the business school faculty. Honkou was recommended by Dr. Helenka Nolan, a lecturer in the department of management and marketing.

“She was the main reason I got that scholarship, and I am very grateful,” Honkou said.

Selection is based on scholarship, character, community involvement, talent and leadership qualities.

Honkou, originally from Togo, West Africa, moved to the United States in March 2000. She lived in Mobile before enrolling at The University of Alabama. She is pursuing a degree in finance with a minor in French and is now studying in Paris. She maintains a 3.4 Grade Point Average.

The McGowan scholarship will cover Honkou’s full tuition while at the Capstone for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Honkou said she is not sure what her plans will be after graduation, but she would like to work for an international organization, possibly the United Nations.

“When the time is right I will figure that out,” Honkou said. Applications for the 2009-2010 McGowan Scholarship and the scholarship guidelines are now available in Bidgood Hall room 10.

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919, and, in 1929, it became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News, and the Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 15th, and the undergraduate program 14th, by Public Accounting Report. The entrepreneurial program is ranked 20th nationally.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.