SEMO alumni association to present eight awards

Eight alumni will receive the 2006 Young Alumni Merit awards from the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association at a commencement luncheon on May 13.

They also will be recognized at the spring commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. in the Show Me Center, school officials said.

Award winners are Scott Giles of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., Russell Grammer of Cape Girardeau, Stephanie Manning of Wildwood, Mo., Dr. Stephen Owen of Christiansburg, Va., Larry Eby of Sikeston, Mo., Dr. Jennifer McCluskey of St. Louis, Darlene Nelson of Villa Ridge, Mo., and Chris Simmers of Jackson.

The awards are given annually to honor alumni 37 years of age or younger who have brought distinction to the university through professional growth, service and individual charter.

Winners are chosen from each of the university's colleges.

Giles, a 1994 graduate and treasurer of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, is the award winner from the Harrison College of Business.

Grammer, a 1998 graduate and fourth-grade teacher in the Cape Girardeau School District, is the award winner for the College of Education.

Manning, a 1995 graduate and a registered nurse with St. Anthony Medical Center in St. Louis, is an award winner from the College of Health and Human Services.

Owen, a 1996 graduate and an assistant professor of criminal justice at Radford University in Virginia, also is an award winner from the College of Health and Human Services.

Eby, a 1991 graduate, is president and chief executive officer of Galaxy Cablevision. He is an award winner from the College of Liberal Arts.

McCluskey, a 1994 graduate and director of retention initiatives and an assistant vice president for enrollment at Maryville University in St. Louis, is an award winner from the College of Liberal Arts.

Nelson, a mathematics instructor at Marquette High School, is a 1993 graduate. She is the award winner from the College of Science and Mathematics.

Simmers, a 1999 graduate and a manager at the Nordenia USA plant, is the award winner from the School of Polytechnic Studies.