A recognition of leadership was presented to two Iowa State students as a part of the Iowa State University 1997 Student Leadership Awards.

“When choosing the award receivers, we look at the caliber of leadership,” said Terri Houston, assistant dean of students.

Elizabeth Andre, a junior in Spanish, and Eric Flakne, a sophomore in industrial engineering, were the 1997 award recipients. Andre received the ISU Junior Student Leadership Award and Flanke received the Tze-Yen Teoh Sophomore Leadership Award.

Houston said the sophomore leadership award was established in honor of Tze-Yen Teoh, an ISU student leader from Malaysia who was killed in an auto accident in 1995.

“His parents saved a lot of money for him to come to ISU and instead of taking it back, they created this award,” she said.

In honor of their leadership qualities, Houston said, both Andre and Flanke will be awarded a $750 scholarship and a free parking permit for the 1997-98 academic year.

Houston said the Student Leadership Awards Committee uses a process of selection when looking through the student-nominated and self-nominated applications.

The awards are given to students on the basis of campus co-curricular activities, leadership positions, non-university and volunteer activities and state and national activities.

The students, she said, provide the committee with a reference letter, a one page request statement and occasionally a resume. Houston said the committee takes all the information they receive about each student into consideration.

“We tally the information and identify the top five students,” she said.

This year, the committee personally interviewed three sophomores and three juniors.

“After the personal interviews, we choose who will receive the awards,” Houston said.

Both Andre and Flakne displayed excellent qualities in all areas of leadership, Houston said.

Andre is a member of the Honors Program and is also a member of several honor societies. She was a member of the President’s Leadership Class and returned as a sophomore leader. Andre also served as the 1997 coordinator for the YMCA’s Alternative Spring Break trip to Tijuana, Mexico, where students worked in homes for migrant workers.

Flanke is a member of the Iowa State solar car team. He started last year as a member of the team’s clean-up crew. He later went on to work for the creation of the solar car project’s Team PrISUm. Flanke prepared budgets and attended meetings with the College of Engineering administration.

He is now the assistant director of Team PrISUm. Flanke has also been involved with the residence halls and is a member of the Lutheran Student Fellowship at Memorial Lutheran Church.