IU | Indianapolis

Ashley Gajda, a first-year law student at the Indiana University School of Law, was recently awarded a tuition scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation. The New York based organization provides educational support for students of Polish descent. She was also a recipient of a Glenn D. Peters Law School Scholarship provided by First Midwest Bank and a law school scholarship provided by the Lake County Bar Association. Gajda graduated summa cum laude in 2007 with a bachelor's in psychology from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. She is the daughter of Jim and Chris Gajda, of Munster.

Truman State | Kirksville, Mo.

Truman State University has released the fall provost and vice president for academic affairs list. Among those on the list is Peter Jurich, of Munster, who is majoring in pre-accounting. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate must attain a 3.50 to 3.99 grade point average and must complete 12 semester hours of credit.

Marquette | Milwaukee

Local students were named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Marquette University. They are Claire Mysliwy, of Hammond; Cynthia Cieslak and Paula Puntillo, of Highland; and Leah Alberson, Genevieve Grdina and Katherine Landowski, all of Munster.

Depauw | Greencastle, Ind.

Jennifer Elaine Zgorka, of Munster, is among 778 DePauw University students who have been recognized for outstanding academic performance and named to the dean's list for the fall semester. Zgorka is a sophomore and graduated from Munster High School. Students on the dean's list must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average.

Manchester | North Manchester, Ind.

Janel Barsich, of Crown Point, is on the fall dean's list at Manchester College. She is a sophomore majoring in management.

To receive this honor, students must complete at least 12 hours with a GPA of 3.5 or above for the semester.

Western | Macomb, Ill.

Jen Madgiak, daughter of Phil and Kathy Madgiak, was named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Western Illinois University.

She is from Dyer.

VU | Valparaiso

Seniors Ty Doering and Heather Wickstrom, of Valparaiso; sophomore Bradford Thomson, of Lowell; and sophomore Brandon Long, of Chesterton; are serving in a variety of leadership positions at Valparaiso University's Chapel of the Resurrection during the current academic year. Doering is serving as head usher, Wickstrom as a morning prayer worship leader, Thomson as a candlelight service keyboardist and Long as the Brandt Hall residential minister.

Doering is majoring in nursing and is enrolled in Christ College, the university's interdisciplinary honors college. He is the son of Terry Doering, of Beech Grove, and Rebecca Doering, of Valparaiso

Wickstrom is majoring in theology. She is the daughter of James and Polly Wickstrom and attends Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Thomson is majoring in church music and is a 2006 graduate of Lowell High School. He is the son of Gerald and Shelly Thomson and attends Trinity Lutheran Church.

Long is majoring in theology and youth, education and family ministry and attends Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Ball State | Muncie, Ind.

Robin Manes, daughter of Michael and Carol Manes of Dyer, was named on the dean's list for fall semester at Ball State University. This marked the third consecutive semester that she has been on the dean's list. She is a sophomore majoring in journalism graphics and a member of Phi Mu sorority. She was a 2006 graduate of Lake Central High School.

Ball State | Muncie, Ind.

Dana Fanelli, daughter of Dave and Denise Fanelli of Schererville, has made the dean's honor list at Ball State University for her freshman fall semester. She had a 4.0 and is enrolled in the Honors College majoring in genetics. She is a member of Phi Mu sorority.

Vincennes | Vincennes, Ind.

The Vincennes University dean's list for fall semester includes students from the main campus in Vincennes plus extended instructional sites in Indianapolis at the Aviation Technology Center and the Indiana School for the Deaf. To qualify for the dean's list, a student must complete at least 12 credit hours and achieve a grade point index of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale.

Local honorees included Tyler Drake and Thomas Myers, both of DeMotte; Keith Lorenz, of Munster; Jason Teets, of Chesterton; and Aaron Ford, of Portage.

Scholars | Northwest Indiana

Griffith Savings Bank is offering college scholarships to graduating high school seniors. Applications are available at the bank or high school guidance offices. The deadline is April 1.

FYI: Call (219) 924-5950.

College funding | Northwest Indiana

National College Funding Services offers $500 scholarships to high school students in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties preparing to attend college in the fall. At no cost, the society helps students and parents navigate the college planning process from how to apply to college, how to choose which to attend and how to pay for college. The service center at 7109 Colorado Ave. in Hammond is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Two telephone lines are available: (219) 844-3252 and 803-4527. A satellite service office is open in Merrillville; the number is (219) 884-6237.

Kentucky State | Frankfort

Northwest Indiana residents are seeking to establish an alumni chapter of Kentucky State University. Those who are interested should contact Zada at (219) 616-8281 or Richard at 741-2948.

Ball State | Muncie

Two local students recently joined the Statesmen at Ball State University. Statesmen and Women's Chorus are single-gender ensembles performing modern and classical music. These groups are open to all without audition, with performances twice each semester on campus. Jonathan Alexander, of Munster, is a freshman majoring in music education. He is the son of Tom and Lynn Alexander. Rick Barker, of Schererville, is a junior majoring in music technology and minoring in physics. He is the son of Gordon and Cindy Barker, Schererville.

Olivet | Bourbonnais, Ill.

St. John resident Katie Novak, a social work major with a Spanish minor at Olivet Nazarene University, has been named to the 2007-08 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She was one of 40 Olivet students elected by faculty and students. The selection process was based on academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, leadership potential and Christian witness.

Novak, daughter of Robert and Paula Novak, was named to the dean's list and received the Clayton J. Meyer Silent Servant Award. She participated in Compassionate Ministries, Sister-to-Sister mentoring program and Spiritual Committee and took part in a mission trip to South Carolina.

St. Mary's | Winona, Minn.

Jordan Fetcko, son of Christopher and Michelle Fetcko of Crown Point, was named to the first semester dean's list at St. Mary's University. The list includes 317 undergraduates who earned a grade point average of 3.6 or better on a scale of 4.0.

Blackburn | Carlinville, Ill.

Brandy Flores, of Cedar Lake, has been named to the Blackburn College dean's list after earning a 3.6 grade point average for the fall semester.

Harding | Searcy, Ark.

Steven Harbron, of Valparaiso, was among the Harding University students included on the school's dean's list for the fall semester. He is a senior majoring in information technology.

Indiana Wesleyan | Marion

Indiana Wesleyan University held its graduation ceremony Dec. 15. Local students were among the 1,750 people who received degrees.

Master's degrees

Cedar Lake: Michelle Bourrell

Chesterton: Cynthia Fish, Christine Petro, Jamee Swanson

Crown Point: Philip Krygsheld

Dyer: Lizabeth Duncanson, Abbie Perkovich

Gary: Lorilyn Thurman, Marcus Upshaw

Highland: Nicole Avina, Dana Moser

Merrillville: Conja Halliburton, Keith Scholl

St. John: Joseph Matijevich

Valparaiso: Michael Dozier, William Schuster, April Snuffer, John Zimmerman

Bachelor's degrees

Gary: Sophia Clark-Jones, Claudia Thomas, Shirley Walls

Griffith: Kentoiya Deshazer

Merrillville: Krista Williams

Associates degrees

Crown Point: Elizabeth Clarke, Amy Diaz

Gary: Senovia Bonner, Linda Johnson

Merrillville: Tamia Hillsman

Whiting: Elsa Martinez

How to submit campus notes:

The Times publishes notices about accomplishments of area college students. Items are submitted by the institutions and by readers. Photos are run subject to space and clarity. Submit items to Jen Pallay, The Times, 601 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321. E-mail jpallay@nwitimes.com. Questions? Call (219) 937-5741.