Purdue will honor some of its highest academic-achieving graduating seniors during spring commencement ceremonies May 16-18.

Three students were awarded the Charles O. McGaughey Leadership Awards. One of them was Michael Welling of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who majored in Computer Engineering.

McGaughey, a 1939 Purdue graduate, established the awards to honor students for leadership potential. To be eligible for these awards, students must have completed a minimum of two years full-time study at Purdue and achieved at least a 3.0 graduation index. Recipients are selected on the basis of their contributions to the university and the community. Each honoree receives a crystal paperweight commemorating the award and $3,345 as an acknowledgment of their superior leadership abilities, scholarship and appreciation of basic American values.