Two students in the Communication Disorders graduate program have been named the first recipients of a fellowship that honors a professor’s four decades of research and teaching at UT Dallas.

Kate Lundborg and Holly Neely received Stillman Fellowship awards during a luncheon hosted by Dr. Thomas Campbell, executive director of the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders and holder of the Sara T. Martineau Professorship in Communication Disorders.

The Robert D. Stillman Ph.D. Fellowship for Outstanding Students in the Masters of Science in Communication Disorders Program was created in 2010 to celebrate Stillman’s 40th anniversary as a faculty member and his contributions to the university. Stillman is the program head for communication disorders and associate dean of UT Dallas’ School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Lundborg and Neely were selected for their talents in the classroom, clinic and laboratory. Lundborg served as the graduate coordinator for the pre-verbal communications program, which provides intense communication intervention for toddlers on the autism spectrum. Neely is the graduate coordinator for pre-verbal communications research projects and is expected to present one of her studies at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association meeting in the fall.

“They are both top-notch students and outstanding clinicians,” said Stillman. “It is a great pleasure to know they are the first two students to receive the award.”

Lundborg graduated in May and will begin work as a speech-language pathologist in the Grand Prairie Independent School District.

“I am honored to have been selected for this award,” said Lundborg. “This fellowship is a testament to Dr. Stillman’s longstanding dedication to current and former students as well as the community that we serve. He is genuinely interested in fostering individual relationships with students and that made a world of difference for me during my time at UT Dallas.”

Neely, who graduates in December, says she admires Stillman’s dedication to students and his commitment to better understanding and helping children with autism.

“Like many of my fellow students, I immediately knew that UT Dallas was the school for me when I met Dr. Stillman,” Neely said. “He is an excellent recruiter – once a person meets with Dr. Stillman the decision is almost always UT Dallas.”

The Stillman fellowship was established with a $10,000 challenge gift from the Rupe Foundation to the Foundation for the Callier Center. Many of the donors to the fund are first-time givers to UT Dallas, which reflects Stillman’s broad influence.

“We are deeply grateful to the Rupe Foundation and the many generous individual donors for providing the support, which enabled us to create this fellowship for outstanding students in honor of Dr. Stillman,” said Dr. Bert Moore, dean of BBS. “The Rupe Foundation has made significant gifts over the years. Their generosity has helped make the Callier Center an internationally recognized institution.”