AKA Scholar Awards for Undergraduate Students in Kinesiology Programs
The AKA Scholar Awards recognize at the national level, the academic and leadership
accomplishments of undergraduate students in AKA member departments. This annual award
honors a select number of students from member departments, recommended by department
faculty, whose academic and leadership records are distinctive. The award is intended to
recognize and promote academic excellence, to further the professional competence and
dedication of academically accomplished students and to promote kinesiology and its related
fields. All nominations submitted by the March 1 deadline are eligible to be considered for the
national award.
Selection Process and Criteria:

Nominees shall be selected by a vote of the faculty from the AKA-member kinesiology
department in which the student is enrolled.

Member institutions can nominate only one student in an award category, and that
student must be majoring in a program or concentration in the field of kinesiology.

Nominations must include the completed nomination form along with digital photographs
and a one page vita (NOT to exceed one page) that includes the GPA and information
related to the award criteria. Nominations are accepted from the time that the awards
are announced until March 1.

Nominees must be seniors who are expected to graduate in the current calendar year
and have completed at least 20 semester hours in departmental courses.

Students must have demonstrated an exceptional interest in the field of kinesiology and
possess personal qualities that lend themselves to assuming a leadership position in the
profession.

Students must have attained an overall GPA of at least 3.50 and 3.60 in departmental
coursework (based on a 4.0 scale). Courses transferred from other institutions shall be
considered in calculating the overall GPA, but not the departmental GPA.)

All nominations submitted to the AKA office by the deadline will be considered for the
National Undergraduate Scholar Award, established in 2014. The AKA Awards
committee evaluates the nominations and selects the recipient of the national award.
Forms of Recognition

Awardees will receive certificates attesting to their having been named as an AKA
Undergraduate Scholar;

The name of each recipient and photograph will be posted in a directory to be
maintained on the AKA web site;

Notification of the nominees’ selection will be forwarded to the Department Chair and
Dean of the home institution;

National Award recipients will be recognized on the web site and will receive a $250
certificate from Human Kinetics.