AWARDS, PRIZES AND HONORS

A number of prizes and honors have been established at Blackburn in three areas; academic achievement, the Work Program, and certain aspects of campus life.

Academic Recognition

Blackburn College degree recipients who have maintained high grade point averages during their collegiate careers are recognized as outstanding students during the Commencement program. Students who have a cumulative grade average of 3.7 or higher graduate summa cum laude. Those with 3.5 or 3.6 averages graduate magna cum laude and those with 3.3 or 3.4 averages graduate cum laude.

Students who have achieved excellence in their academic majors are awarded departmental honors at Commencement. To be granted departmental honors, students must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.8 in the courses included in their major and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in all courses presented for graduation, must have been a student at Blackburn for at least two years, and must have been recommended by the faculty of the major department.

The Dean of the Faculty each semester publishes the Dean’s List, including those students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

The Illinois Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi, National Honor Scholarship Society, was installed at Blackburn in May 1971.

The Student Marshal

Each autumn the faculty elects the Student Marshal from among the senior class. This is the highest honor that the faculty can bestow on a graduating senior; it recognizes the recipient as being outstanding in all areas of campus life. The Marshal leads the student body at academic convocations. In addition, the Student Marshal address the Blackburn community at the Honors Banquet in the Spring. Seniors eligible for nomination by the faculty for election as Student Marshal must (a) have provided a positive contribution to the campus through participation in at least three significant activities and support of the community life, (b) have displayed exemplary participation in the Work Program if a resident student or comparable experience if a commuter student, and © have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3 or be in the top 20% of their class (whichever number includes a larger number of students). Activities to be considered significant will be determined near the end of each year by the Student Life Committee in consultation with the Student Senate and the Student Life Department.

AWARDS

The following awards are given at the Opening Convocation, the Honors Banquet or the Commencement Ceremony.

The Anna Deschu Prize in Elementary Education. Established by Anna Deschu Wray, this award is presented to the graduating senior majoring in Elementary Education who has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and who best exemplifies such qualities of professionalism as ethical responsibility, intellectual curiosity, sensitivity to the needs of students and overall active interest in education as a profession.

The Bierd Senior Honor Prize. In memory of W.G. Bierd, for many years a member of the Board of Trustees of Blackburn College, a prize is awarded to the candidate for the Bachelor of Arts degree whose academic average for the four-year period is highest in the class.

The Samuels Biology Prize. Donated by Dr. Larry D. Samuels, A.B. ‘55, the first Blackburn biology major, in honor of his far-seeing parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Samuels, to be awarded to the graduating senior student with a major in biology who holds the highest overall grade point average.

The Blackburn Humanities Prize. The Humanities Prize is awarded to the senior majoring in the humanities who has the highest average in courses in the Division of the Humanities.

The Computer Science Prize. The Computer Science Prize is awarded to the most outstanding senior majoring in Computer Science.

The Political Science Prize. The Political Science Prize is awarded to the most outstanding senior majoring in Political Science or Public Administration.

The Letterman’s Club Award. The Letterman’s Club Award is given annually to a junior male student who has exemplified outstanding qualities of citizenship and scholarship, and who has earned an athletic letter award. The award is given in the memory of Drew Thurston of the Class of 1960.

The Marion E. Carlson Athletic Award. This award is presented to a junior female student who haws exemplified outstanding qualities of citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship and athletic ability. The award is a tribute to Miss Carlson for her long service to Blackburn and her long devotion to the field of physical education.

The McConagha Academic Cups. The academic trophies were presented to the College in 1966 by Dr. and Mrs. Glenn L. McConagha to stimulate and recognize academic achievement by students in the various residence halls.

The Baird-Ziegler Prize. Established by Professor Harold J. Ziegler and his wife, M. Elizabeth Baird Ziegler, as a family memorial. This prize was formerly designated as the Social Science Prize and is awarded to the senior majoring in the social sciences who has the highest grade point average in the Division of the Social Sciences.

The Elizabeth Wright Steidley Prize. The late Mrs. W.A. Ashmore of Zanesville, Ohio, provided a fund from which a prize is given to the senior majoring in chemistry who has demonstrated the greatest aptitude in courses in the Department of Chemistry. The prize is given in memory of Mrs. Ashmore’s mother, Elizabeth Wright Steidley.

The Stoddard Prize. Awarded for excellent study of the language and literature of England and America. The Stoddard Prize is granted within the senior class, and only when the excellence appears. The prize was instituted at the One Hundredth Commencement Convocation of Blackburn College, in honor of Harriet Corwin Stoddard, M.A., L.H.D., a member of the faculty in English at Blackburn College, 1926-1969.

The Virgil G. Bretthauer Prize. Established by anonymous donors in tribute to the long service to Blackburn College by Mr. Bretthauer and to his lifelong devotion to the field of mathematics. This prize is awarded to a senior graduating with a major in mathematics, if the student has done outstanding work in upper division courses in the Department of Mathematics.

The Allison Economics Prize. This award is presented to the graduating senior with the most outstanding record as a major in Economics, and upon the recommendation of the faculty in that department. It is supported from funds contributed as a memorial in grateful memory of Professor John P. Allison, a member of the Economics Department form 1977-1981.

The Wray Business Administration Prizes. Established by Mr. and Mrs. Ruby Wray, three prizes are awarded annually, one each to a sophomore, a junior and a senior with declared majors in Business Administration, who have achieved the highest overall cumulative grade point averages among those students majoring in Business Administration, and who are full time students in good standing. The senior prize is further restricted to an individual who a minimum grade point average of 3.4, who has made a significant contribution to the Work Program (achieved status of Honor Worker, Department Manager, General Manager, etc.) And who has participated in the social, cultural, and extracurricular life of the College. (Contribution to the College may be substituted for contribution to the Work Program in the case of an otherwise qualifying commuter student).

The McEwan Prize in Art. Established by former faculty member Richard V. Matteson in honor of Dr. Robert Ward McEwan, president of the College from 1945 to 1949, the prize is awarded annually to the outstanding student in Art as determined by the Art faculty.

The Frueaurff Leadership Award. Established through a gift from the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, this endowed award is presented annually to the Leadership program participant deemed by the program’s faculty, the Dean and the President to be the outstanding Leadership student.

The following Work Program prizes for the year are announced in the spring at the annual Honors Dinner. 

The Anderson Work Prizes. Mr. C.H.C. Anderson of Dallas, Texas, a graduate of Blackburn in the Class of 1899, provided four work prizes to be awarded to the young men and women with the best work records for the year.

The Bierd Work Prizes. In memory of W.G. Bierd, for many years a member of the Board of Trustees, prizes are awarded to the man and woman who are judged to have been most efficient in their participation in the Work Program.

The William Dehler Memorial Award. This award, established by the Work Committee, is made annually to the student janitor whose work for the year has been outstanding.

The Peter Slavish Memorial Work Award. This award was established by the Work Committee in memory of Peter Slavish, a longtime faculty member and Work Program Advisor. The award is given annually to a student worker, faculty or staff member who has overcome considerable personal obstacles and who has made an exceptional contribution to the Work Program.

The following four annual prizes in certain aspects of campus life are also announced at the Honors Dinner. These prizes were established through the generosity of William Mestrezat Hudson, President of the College from 1912 to 1945, as a tribute to his wife, Florence Barclay Hudson. They are as follows:

The Blackburn Citizenship Prize. This prize is awarded annually to the student whose example and influence in the social and extracurricular life of the College has been most outstanding, as evidenced by participation and leadership in extracurricular activities, and by the influence wielded by the student to uphold standards of right conduct in the social life of the College and to develop a spirit of social responsibility among students. The Student Senate makes suggestions regarding recipients to the faculty, and the faculty makes the award.

The Blackburn Choir Prize. This award is made to a member of the College Choir, which was for many years led and inspired by Mrs. Hudson, in recognition of the winner’s contribution to the work of the group. The recipient is nominated by the Choir and its officers and the choir director, and selected by the members of the Choir.

The Blackburn Religion Prize. This prize is awarded to the student who is judged to have contributed most to the development of the religious life of the campus. The winner is chosen by the student Religious Life Cabinet from among nominees suggested to a select committee.

The Blackburn Student Government Prize. This award is made to the student who has done the most to strengthen student government as a constructive influence on the Blackburn Campus. The prize is awarded in accordance with a choice made by the Student Senate and its advisors.