Three students from the School of Computer Information Systems (CIS) at UAM were recently recognized for their academic achievements during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Kshitiz Khatiwada, from Nepal, was awarded the Rookie of the Year award. He is double-majoring in computer information systems with a concentration in cybersecurity and mathematics with a data science option. A student must complete at least 30 hours of academic coursework overall and have a GPA of 3.25 or better to be eligible for this award.

Samuel Stephens, from Maumelle, Arkansas, was awarded the Outstanding Junior award. He is majoring in computer information systems with a concentration in cybersecurity and a minor in criminal justice. A student must complete at least 60 hours of academic coursework overall with a GPA of 3.25 or better to be eligible for this award.

Aubree Goodnight, from Benton, Arkansas, was awarded the Outstanding Senior award. A spring 2026 graduate, she majored in computer information systems with a concentration in cybersecurity. A student must complete at least 90 hours of academic coursework overall and at least 21 hours of CIS coursework with a GPA of 3.25 or better to be eligible for this award.

LaShonda Campbell, collection development librarian at the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), has been awarded a prestigious Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association (ALA). 

The 2026 recipients were selected by the ALA’s Publishing Committee from proposals for projects to “promote reading or the use of library resources.” According to the ALA website, “The Carnegie-Whitney Grant provides grants for the preparation, either in print and/or electronically, of popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes and other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries in the United States.”