Dr. Andrew Hogue Receives National Award for Helping Baylor Students Win Prestigious Scholarships

By Randy Fiedler, Director of Marketing and Communications, Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences

WACO, Texas (Jan. 18, 2024) – Andrew Hogue, Ph.D., associate dean for engaged learning in the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences, has received the 2024 Churchill Adviser Award from the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. The award was given for Hogue’s work in helping Baylor students successfully apply for prestigious Churchill Scholarships, which provide funding to American students for a year of master’s study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at Churchill College in the University of Cambridge.

The Churchill Foundation says the annual Adviser Award is given “to Campus Representatives, Churchill nominating committee members or recommendation writers who have consistently distinguished themselves through their sustained efforts to recognize, recommend or nominate exceptional STEM students. It is a way for the Foundation to thank members of the adviser community for their efforts in recruiting nominees on our behalf, in support of the Foundation’s mission to advance science and technology for our greater security and prosperity.”

In 2021, Baylor University’s first year of eligibility to nominate its students for Churchill Scholarships, senior biology major Emily Schultz was one of 16 recipients of the award. Since then, Baylor has had one student win a Churchill Scholarship each year –– senior chemistry major Kate Rojales in 2022 and senior biology major Arvind Muruganantham in 2023.

In the letter notifying Hogue of his award, the Churchill Foundation said that he was chosen for his initiative and ability to put forward strong candidates from Baylor University.

“You always nominated the full slate of two candidates per year. And every year, you have at least had one candidate either win or make the alternate list. You also had three winners in a row,” the letter said. “There are only nine institutions nationally that nominated the full eight candidates over the past four years. The fact that you did this out of the blue makes it even more impressive. And your candidates have been amazing.”

Hogue, who insists on sharing the credit for Baylor’s success in helping students win the Churchill and other prestigious scholarships with his colleagues in the Office of Engaged Learning and with faculty who mentor students, said advising plays a key role in the scholarship application process.

“Like many prestigious awards, the Churchill application is intricate, and it requires both the applicant and the institution to invest deeply in the process. Let me be clear –– the student makes the biggest lift, not only by drafting the application, but primarily because they spend years working in the classroom and the laboratory at a world-class level to make themselves competitive,” Hogue said. “Our roles in the Office of Engaged Learning are mainly guidance and support –– finding students who will be competitive, helping them craft and present a compelling case, guiding their recommenders to do the same, and penning an institutional endorsement that attempts to elevate their candidacy. We are blessed that Baylor, as an institution, is invested in all these parts of this process.”

The Office of Engaged Learning is part of the College of Arts & Sciences, but provides services for all Baylor students, from any discipline or academic unit. Lee C. Nordt, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, said Hogue’s leadership of the Office has been indispensable in helping an increasing number of Baylor students to apply for and win prestigious scholarships.

“Dr. Hogue winning the Churchill Adviser’s Award is an incredible achievement in any case, but especially considering that the office he directs at Baylor was created only a few years ago,” Nordt said. “To have accomplished this level of national recognition in the area of student scholarships and fellowships is a great achievement for him and his colleagues.”