Reinhardt University has announced the recipients of the Dr. Bob Driscoll Award scholarship, named for the late Dr. Bob Driscoll, former vice president for academic affairs, who emphasized the value of the unique local region as an opportunity for Reinhardt students to expand their intellectual horizons and their sense of community responsibility. The award is given to students in the Etowah River Valley region consisting of Cherokee, Pickens, Bartow and Gordon counties based on their regional studies or regional service. Students eligible for the award must be nominated and supported by a Reinhardt faculty member.

The spring semester 2014 recipients included: Brandi Allen, a junior English major from Talking Rock; Alex Bryant, a senior marketing major from Canton; Wyatt Dean, a sophomore history major from Ball Ground; Marlea Martin, a junior healthcare administration major from Acworth; and Jasmine Simmons, a senior interdisciplinary studies major from Dallas.

"The Dr. Bob Driscoll Awards for Regional Studies and Service, supported by faculty and presented to deserving students each semester, is a testament to the value Reinhardt University places on the study of and service to north Georgia," said Mark Roberts, vice president and dean for academic affairs. "We believe that the strength of our community lies within our collective service to its history and to its progress. This award is one tangible and scholastic way the University enriches the region in which we live."

Allen was honored for her paper, "North Georgia Baptist Churches"; Bryant, for his paper, "Post-Rush Gold in Cherokee County"; Dean, for his paper, "The Franklin Gold Mine"; and Simmons, for her paper, "Farm and Food at Reinhardt University." The students wrote their papers as part of History Professor Ken Wheeler's course, "Town and Gown: Local History and Culture." Martin was recognized for her regional service as a volunteer at the Bethesda Community Clinic in Holly Springs.