SILOAM SPRINGS -- A John Brown University graduate and professor were one of three student-faculty pairs to win the Hatfield Prize for their shared publication on the coronavirus' impact on food insecurity.
Seth Billingsley, a 2021 graduate of JBU, and Daniel Bennett, Ph.D., won their Hatfield award for their publication "Relief and Recovery: Addressing COVID-19's Impact on Food Insecurity," according to Jordan Fortunati, a communications intern for the Center for Public Justice, which administers the award.
Bennett and Billingsley received their awards in January, but the Center for Public Justice did not release the full report of the Hatfield Prize until Sept. 22, Fortunati said.
The Hatfield Prize advances Christian scholarship on today's most complex social challenges and is awarded annually to three student-faculty pairs from Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, according to sharedjustice.org .
Bennett said in an email that as a professor he is always thrilled to work closely with students on their research and found this to be a unique opportunity to advise a project with real implications for the community.
"I'm thankful for Seth's passion for this work, and hope it is able to inform policy on food insecurity in the years ahead," Bennett said.
Billingsley said in a Facebook message receiving the Hatfield Prize provided an opportunity unlike any other he experienced as an undergraduate student.
"My project allowed me to meet with amazing people and gain valuable experience outside the classroom," Billingsley said. "I am beyond grateful to the Center for Public Justice for their investment in my academic career."
For the project, Bennett and Billingsley conducted localized research in Northwest Arkansas and detail how faith communities, government and other civil society institutions responded and sometimes partnered to meet the unprecedented need, the website states.
The other two student-faculty pairs who received the Hatfield Prize were Chenyu Lin and Julia Woodman, Ph.D., from Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo., and Matthew Strong and Mark Moland, DPA from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas.