Emily Rice receives Achievement Award from BVU

Emily Rice, Lake Mills, earned the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award from Buena Vista University. The award was given to nine Buena Vista University business students and nine science students for the 2022 academic year. Rice, a business (marketing track) major in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business, is a third-year winner of the award.
The annual awards, which range up to $9,500, were created 11 years ago by two separate $750,000 endowments from the foundation established by Dr. Harold Walter Siebens and named after the longtime advisor and counsel to the Siebens Foundation, Clifford A. Rae.
The endowments support annual awards for up to three pre-qualified, academically high-performing BVU business and science students in each of their second, third, and fourth years of school.
In many instances, the awards allow a student to help defray costs associated with living arrangements through the course of an internship. The awards may also assist with expenses related to travel and lodging in an experiential learning initiative. Both types of experiences advance the education of BVU students, often shaping students to be leaders in the organizations and communities they serve upon their graduation.
“This scholarship for business and science majors was made possible by a generous donor to reward students’ excellent academic performance,” says Lisa Kesting Best, J.D., Dean of the School of Business and Professor of Business Law and Political Science. “The award helps students cover the cost of impactful academic experiences such as study abroad, travel, internships, research, and specialized professional academic training. Any remaining balance can be applied to outstanding student loan debt upon graduation.”
The competitive program, which rewards business and science students who excel in their academic pursuits, is open to students who live in Iowa or adjacent states and who meet certain financial need guidelines. Students may receive the award more than once during their years at BVU.
“The insight of the Siebens’ Foundation to promote healthy academic competition among students in an effort to maximize their college investment is second only to the incredible generosity they show in the gift of the Clifford A. Rae award,” says Dr. Thom Bonagura, Dean of BVU’s School of Science and Associate Professor of Biology. “Their gift is unique, setting BVU apart once again as a place where students are benefactors of the superlative Siebens Foundation.”