Sara Phipps of Prospect was named an Outstanding Senior by Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and by Slippery Rock University.Phipps was recommended for the award by the business accounting department of Slippery Rock University for her success in the classroom and potential for a promising career in accounting. The award is given to one senior accounting major at each of the 64 participating Pennsylvania colleges and universities.Phipps will begin her accounting career at Carbis Walker in New Castle. Recipients are given a certificate and medal and have their names engraved on a plate displayed at their alma mater.———

Amy Franek of Butler, daughter of Marilyn and James Franek, was honored by St. Vincent College with the Award for Academic Excellence in Psychology at the College's spring honors convocation on April 23.Franek is a 2004 graduate of Butler High School and is a member of St. Peter Parish.———

James Porter of Fenelton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Porter, was recently honored by St. Vincent College with the Award for Academic Excellence in Accounting at the College's Spring Honors Convocation on April 23.Porter is a 2004 graduate of Butler High School.———

Briana Day of Mars, a 2008 University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown business and marketing cum laude graduate, was honored by the Wall Street Journal with its Student Achievement Award.The Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award was established to provide national recognition to top graduating seniors in business at colleges and universities that participate in its Journal-in-Education program. At UPJ, students are nominated for the award based on the exceptional quality of their social issues research portfolio, a project that requires extensive research into contemporary issues in business.Day is the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Day of Mars.———

Shalyn Conto of East Brady was accepted into the Penn State University honors program. Students chosen to this program must maintain a 3.5 GPA each semester and take at least six honors credits a year.Conto is the daughter of Matt Conto of Bruin and Steven and Lora Hovis of East Brady. She is an English major at Penn State Behrend Erie and was also chosen by the Penn State English Department to present her English Conference Paper on Premature Womanhood at the Penn State English Conference in April. She also was on the dean's list for the last two Semesters.———Two teams from Dr. Jacque King's Westminster College capstone strategic management classes qualified for the business strategy game invitational May 12 to 23.

Jason Blose of Cabot is on Applied Force, the top Westminster team, which placed eighth out of nearly 2,500 teams in return on equity for the week ending May 4.The business strategy game, an online global business simulation administered by the University of Alabama, is a semester-long competition among student teams from 171 colleges and universities.