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Honors

The James Harvey Dodd Award
The James Harvey Dodd Award is an approximately $1,000.00 scholarship given to a rising senior economics major who shows academic promise, is interested in graduate study in economics, and is eligible for financial aid. The recipient is chosen by the economics faculty. The funding for the award comes from a generous gift from an anonymous donor.(Prior to 1992, the recipient was a graduating senior economics major planning on attending graduate school in economics.)

Previous Recipients
1985 - Rachid Belghazi
1986 - Lisa K. Sherwood
1989 - Donna E. Cinal
1991 - John Keil
1992 - Diane Young
1993 - Pionne Young
1996 - Maura Kurtz
1997 - Matthew Parrett
1998 - Mitzi Morales
1999 - Michael Franco and Henry Odom
2000 - Emy Sok
2001 - Matthew Hughart
2002 - Tim Gottgetreu and Andre' Roman
2003 - Gabriela Castenada
2004 - Derek Simpkins and Stacey Standish
2006 - Issac Knowles
2007 - Stephanie Rzepka
2008 - Shannon Durkin
2009 - Michael Downey

The Henry W. Hewetson Economics Award
The Hewetson Award is given annually to a graduating economics major to honor academic achievement and service to the department. The recipient is chosen by the economics faculty. The prize has variously been a luncheon, a book, or cash. The funding is provided by a generous gift from an anonymous donor.

Previous Recipients
1981 - Susan Whitman
1982 - Margaret Marie Smith
1983 - Ann Marie Smith
1984 - Jacqueline Doreen Manger
1985 - Susan Gray Barrett
1986 - Russell S. Sayre
1987 - Jennifer K. Lee
1988 - Teresa F. Hannah
1989 - Carolyn Sheehan
1990 - Deborah A. Santiago
1991 - Mildred Edwards
1992 - Catherine Bernardo
1993 - Diane Young
1994 - Tricia Waldrop
1995 - Heather Mullins
1996 - Brandi Flanagan
1997 - Janon (Jay) Gray
1998 - Shannon Slawter
1999 - Angela Lengyel
2000 - Melissa Fallen
2001 - Kelly Bowling
2002 - Stacey Bittner
2003 - Rachel Ungerer
2004 - Faith Goodacre
2005 - Kristen Payne
2006 - Marie Funk
2007 - Catherine Stewart
2008 - Dana Capps
2009 - Stephanie Ann Rzepka

The Adam Smith Award for Graduate Study in Economics
Little A Smith The award (an approximately $1,000.00 scholarship; the exact amount will depend on the earnings of the endowment) will be given to a graduating senior planning graduate study in economics or a related field (e.g. economic history, agricultural economics, law and economics, etc.).

The award will be made annually by the Economics Faculty. Interested seniors should submit a letter of application to the department chair by April 7. The letter should address the criteria mentioned below. (That's Dr. Rycroft in front of Adam Smith's grave in Edinburgh, Scotland in September 2003.)

The criteria for selection include:the applicant's potential for graduate study (based on grade point average, courses taken, and other relevant background and experience) the level and type of graduate study planned. Applicants planning to enter Ph.D. programs will be given preference over those entering M.A. programs. Applicants planning to enter economics programs will be given preference over those entering related field programs Applicants who have been accepted into a program and who plan on begining study the following academic year will ge given preference over those who have not yet been accepted or who plan to work for a period before graduate study. In the event the award goes to one of the latter, the fund will not be made available until the graduate program begins. In any case, the award must be used within three years or the award lapses.

Previous Recipients
1995 - Julie Heselden
1996 - David Rushford
1997 - Maura Kurtz
1998 - Michael Warren
1999 - Rachel Hopkins
2001 - Emy Sok
2003 - Rachel Ungerer
2004 - Heather Kelley
2005 - Daniel Grantham
2008 - James Fowler
2009 - Christine Linman Exley and Stephanie Ann Rzepka

Departmental Honors

To receive departmental honors in economics a student must complete the major with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the major and successfully write an Honors Thesis.  A student is considered to have a 3.5 GPA if their GPA is that high when the proposal is accepted or at the end of the semester when the thesis is completed.

Honors Thesis Procedure:

1. Students who are interested in writing an Honors Thesis should first enlist a member of the Department to act as the Chair of their Honors Thesis Committee.  In consultation with the student, the Chair will solicit two other members of the Department to act as committee members.   (Only under exceptional circumstances will a faculty member chair more than two Honors Thesis Committees during a semester.  If a faculty member receives more than two requests to chair, the Department Chair can be brought in to help find another Thesis Committee Chair.  There is no limit on the number of Honors Thesis committees a faculty member can serve on as a committee member (but not chair) each semester.)

2. The student will submit a written proposal of no more than five pages to the committee.   The proposal should provide a clear and succinct description of the thesis project; it should state the question that the student is attempting to answer, and the procedures and sources that she or he plans to use to answer this question.  The proposal should also prove the student has already obtained access to relevant data.  The submission date for a December graduate is the previous August 1.  The submission date for a May graduate is the previous November 15. 

3. The thesis committee will read and consult on the proposal.  The proposal must be approved unanimously.  If a proposal is not approved, the student will be given two weeks to revise and resubmit.  If the revised proposal is not approved, then the student will not be allowed to write an honors thesis.  The objective of the proposal process is to ensure that the members of the Committee have a clear understanding of what the student intends to do, and the student has a clear understanding of the Committee's expectations.  Upon approval of the thesis proposal, the student must sign an Honors Thesis Contract.  The contract is shown at the end of this section.   The student should consult with the chair on his or her committee to arrange a regular schedule of meetings about the project during the writing process.

4. An oral thesis defense will be held by November 15 in the case of December graduates and April 15 in the case of May graduates.  One week prior to the defense, the student will submit a copy of the thesis to each committee member.  The oral defense will be open to all faculty and students in the Department.

5. After the oral defense, the thesis committee will consult.  The committee can vote to approve the thesis “as is,” to approve the thesis conditionally, or to reject the thesis.  If the thesis is approved “as is,” the process is over and the student will graduate with honors if the GPA requirement is met.  If the thesis is approved conditionally, the committee will explain to the student what must be done in order for the proposal to be approved.  The student has until the last day of the semester in which they plan to graduate to make all necessary changes.  The committee chair is responsible for determining whether the required changes have been made.  If the thesis now meets committee expectations, the process is over and the student will graduate with honors if the GPA requirement is met.   If the thesis is rejected, the student will not be able to graduate with honors.  Students should not lose sight of the fact that the thesis committee is not obligated to approve their project.

Other requirements:

The thesis will conform to the Chicago style guidelines. 

According to University policy the student must deposit a copy of the thesis in the library by the last day of exams, and the chair of the department must notify the Office of the Registrar that the student is to receive departmental honors by the date upon which Senior grades are due.

The thesis must have a department-approved cover sheet. Click on the links to download coversheets in Word or PDF format.

The final copy of the thesis must be deposited in Simpson Library by the Monday before the May graduation date.

Honors Thesis Contract

            To maximize the value of the thesis to the student, the student agrees to conform to the following guidelines:

  • The student will meet with his or her faculty advisor on a regular basis during the writing process.
  • A final draft of the thesis will be submitted to the thesis committee no later than one week prior to the scheduled public oral defense.
  • A public oral defense must be held by November 15 in the case of December graduates and April 15 in the case of May graduates.
  • If the committee approves the thesis conditionally, the student has until the last day of classes for the semester in which they plan to graduate to submit an acceptable final version.
  • The thesis must have a department-approved cover sheet signed by all committee members.   It is the student’s responsibility to obtain all of the signatures.  
  • The final copy of the thesis must be deposited in Simpson Library by the Monday before the May graduation date.
  • The student may be expected to present the thesis in an open public forum like Undergraduate Research Day or a similar Department symposium.

I understand if I do not conform to these guidelines, I will not receive Honors.

_______________________________________________________________________
(signed by the student)

Previous Recipients
1988 - Teresa F. Hannah
1990 - Robert Smallenberg
1991 - John Albert Keil
1996 - David Rushford - "The Industrial Policy Debate: The Case of Flat Panel Displays"
1997 - Maura Kurtz - "Estimating the Impact of Antidumping Laws: A Case Study of the Ball Bearings Industry"
1998 - Michael Warren -" Privatization, Factor Productivities, and Economic Growth in Less Developed Countries" (click on link to view thesis)
2001 - Kelly Bowling - "The Distribution of Wealth: An Intergenerational Analysis Using Microsimulation" (click on link to view thesis)
2001 - Tim Robinson - "America's Oil Supply: A Crisis in the Making?"
2005 - Kristen Payne - "Is Divorce Indebting Our Children?"
2007 - Kelsea Natoli - "Our Declining Personal Savings Rate"
Angela Damiano - "The New National Pastime: Measuring the Impact of Competitive Balance on the Difference Between Football and Baseball Attendance"
2009 - Erin Nicole Beddingfield, Margaret Elizabeth Graybeal, Katherine A. MacEwen, Sierra Stoney and Melanie Rose Walter

Fred E. Miller Memorial Scholarship
The Fred E. Miller Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a rising junior or senior who is double-majoring in Economics and Business Administration. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of strong academic performance and may be renewed. Selection is made by the Associate Dean for Financial Aid and the Chairpersons of the Departments of Economics and Business Administration. The award is approximately $500.00.

Previous Recipients
2002 - Elizabeth Jackson
2003 - Chris Bailey
2004 - Ben Maxwell
2006 - Kelsea Natoli
2007 - Heather Morgan
2008 - Margaret Graybeal