SEMO ANNOUNCES ALUMNI MERIT AWARDS

Five Southeast Missouri State University graduates have been selected as recipients of the 1997 Young Alumni Merit Award.

The awards will be presented at spring commencement May 17 in the Show Me Center.

The honorees are Capt. Jay A. Carroll of Arlington, Va.; Dr. Bart DeBrock of Vincennes, Ind.; Susan M. Haake of Springfield, Ill.; John Hensel of Atlanta; and Rodney Pensel of Sikeston.

The Young Alumni Merit Award, presented by Southeast's Alumni Association, is given annually to those alumni under the age of 36 who have brought distinction to the university through professional growth, service and individual character.

Carroll, assistant executive officer to the secretary of the Air Force inspector general, has been selected as Southeast's 1997 College of Health and Human Services award winner.

Carroll, who graduated from Southeast in 1989, majored in criminal justice and was a member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp at Southeast. Carroll is the son of retired Master Sgt. Joe Carroll and Kay Carroll of Cape Girardeau. He is married to Capt. Wendy Carroll.

DeBrock has been selected as the College of Science and Technology 1997 award winner. DeBrock is a board-certified urologist in Vincennes, Ind.

DeBrock graduated from Southeast in 1983, with a major in mathematics and pre- medical studies. He graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was class valedictorian.

Haake, museum technician and assistant curator at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Ill., has been selected as the College of Liberal Arts 1997 award recipient.

Haake graduated from Southeast in 1989, with a major in historic preservation. She is a founding member and the treasurer of the Illinois Association of Museums.

Hensel, area manager for Thera-Kinetics Inc., has been selected as the Donald L. Harrison College of Business' award winner.

Hensel graduated from Southeast in 1986 with a major in sales and marketing-management.

In 1993, he20created Hensel Enterprises, a sales and motivational training firm. He has worked as area manager for Thera-Kinetics in Atlanta since 1995.

Rodney L. Pensel, principal of Sikeston Middle School, has been selected as the College of Education's award recipient.

Pensel graduated from Southeast in 1988 with a bachelor of science degree in education. He earned a master of arts degree in 1992 and a specialist in education degree in 1994, both from Southeast. He has been accepted to Arkansas State University's doctoral program, where he is planning to pursue a degree in educational leadership.

Pensel began teaching speech and drama at Potosi High School in Potosi after receiving his bachelor's degree from Southeast. He moved to Sikeston in 1992 and became vice-principal of Sikeston Middle School, advancing to principal in 1996.