Honors Graduation Awards

Eligibility requirements:

The Virginia L. Voss Memorial Awards for excellence in writing by senior Honors women were established in memory of the late Ms. Voss, an Honors graduate in the 1950s and college editor at Mademoiselle Magazine. These awards are given to graduating Honors women who display writing talent in one (or more) of the four categories listed below. Award amounts vary (~$1,000), and there is no set number of prizes. The four prize categories are: (1) academic writing (2) journalism (3) poetry (4) creative prose.

Application requirements:

• A departmental representative (e.g. Department Chair, Associate Chair, Honors Concentration Director, Faculty member, or Advisor) must nominate/endorse a student. The letter of endorsement should describe the quality of the nominee’s work and provide the context for the evaluation.

• If a department nominates more than one student, only one letter comparing all the nominees and providing information about their work is required (i.e., we do not need a separate letter for each student).

• In all cases, the nominee’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Eligibility requirements:

John P. Kennedy, an alumnus of the Honors Program, has provided generous gifts to acknowledge and support excellence in writing and scholarship, particularly in poetry and women’s issues. Winners receive a signed certificate and a cash award of $1500. 

Patricia Kennedy Prize: Named in honor of Mr. Kennedy’s mother, this award is given with preference for students working in English literature or women’s issues: any student whose work touches on these fields may be nominated for this award, no matter the major department or gender. 

Dr. John J. Kennedy Prize: Named in honor of Mr. Kennedy’s father, this award is given to acknowledge and support excellence in poetry, creative writing, and scholarship about literature for an outstanding student in the Honors Program.

Application requirements:

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in relevant fields, in course work, research, and thesis is required.

• A letter from student’s thesis advisor supporting the nomination is also welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Note to nominators: Please note the specific category you have in mind, but if you think a student is eligible for more than one prize, or you’re not sure which one to use, don’t worry: we will transfer nominations to the category we find most appropriate.

Eligibility requirements:

This award is specifically “for the finest thesis which made substantial use of archives or museums.”  Endowed by Honors alumnus John A. Rapaport, this award may be given to a student in any field of study. The winner will receive a signed certificate and a cash award of $1500.

Application requirements:

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in either or both relevant fields, in course work, research, and thesis is required.

• A letter from student’s thesis advisor supporting the nomination is also welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Eligibility requirements:

The Elizabeth Hume O'Donnell Honors Graduation Prize was established by Professor Richard Hume, Academic Program Director of the University of Michigan Neuroscience Program and Chair of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in LSA, in memory of his sister, Elizabeth Hume O'Donnell, who was a student in the LSA Honors Program. These awards are given to outstanding Honors students majoring in fields related to Neuroscience.

Application requirements:

• A letter from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor describing student’s demonstrated achievements and potential for continued excellence in the field, in course work, and in research.

• A letter from student’s thesis advisor supporting the nomination is also welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf.

Eligibility requirements:

Thanks to a generous gift by the Goldstein family, we have 9 awards of $1500, each in a different field of endeavor named for someone with UM connections who is famous in that field. These prizes are not solely thesis prizes, but recognize overall excellence, or demonstrated potential for excellence, in the various fields of endeavor.

• Robert Hayden Humanities Award
• Marshall Sahlins Social Science Award
• Jerome and Isabella Karle Physical Sciences Award (astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry, physics)
• Stephen Smale Mathematics Award (mathematics, statistics, and computer science)
• Marshall Nirenberg Life Sciences Award (biology, neuroscience, BCN)
• Arthur Miller Creative Arts Award
• Gerald Ford Public Service Award
• Sidney Fine Teaching Award
• Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award

Application requirements:

At least two letters are required:

• One from Department Chair, Associate Chair, or Honors Concentration Director or Advisor addressing student’s achievements and his/her potential for continued excellence, and,

• One from student’s thesis advisor or Honors Math advisor also addressing the above qualities.

• Additional letters from faculty attesting to student’s breadth of achievement are welcomed.

• Student’s thesis is required (sent by the nominator or student after nomination). Nominations of Mathematics students do not require theses. When submitting theses for award consideration, be sure to name the file only 'uniqname.pdf.' For example, mmanty.pdf. 

Note to nominators: Please note the specific category you have in mind, but if you think a student is eligible for more than one prize, or you’re not sure which one to use, don’t worry: we will transfer nominations to the category we find most appropriate.

Named for Jonathan and Kathryn Ferrando, this prize is awarded each year to the outstanding graduates in Economics, as determined by the Department of Economics. Mr. Ferrando is a UM Honors Economics graduate.

Named for the late Roger B. Vanko, this award is presented each year to an outstanding Honors student majoring in chemistry who intends to pursue graduate work in that field, as administered by the Department of Chemistry.

To honor Donna Wessel Walker's tireless and meaningful service to Honors students and to the Honors Program over many years, the Honors Alumni Council, with generous support from Honors alumni, established the Donna Wessel Walker Award. The Honors Program identifies and selects an Honors RA, an Honors Peer Mentor, or any Honors student whose involvement with other Honors students and dedication to the goals of the program as a whole, even if in an unofficial capacity, are reflective of Donna's qualities: her personal warmth, her unstinting optimism, her generosity of spirit, and her seemingly limitless supply of encouragement for Honors students in their lives both inside and outside of the classroom. 

This award acknowledges an outstanding student who embodies excellence in their Honors in Engaged Liberal Arts project. Honors in Engaged Liberal Arts (HELA) is an option for students who wish to combine their academics with civic or leadership experience by developing projects that involve a serious engagement with a significant intellectual, social, political, or practical problem. This graduation award is named for former LSA Honors director, Dr. Mika LaVaque-Manty, under whose leadership the Honors in Engaged Liberal Arts plan was developed.

The Honors Program solicits nominations for outstanding teaching by GSI/LEO instructors who teach Honors Core or Great Books courses. The award is named in honor of Professor H.D. Cameron, whose long tradition of life-changing teaching continues to inspire pedagogical excellence. For more information, contact Lisa Broome (lbroome).