Rewarding excellence, supporting scholarship.
Each year, each of the undergraduate academic programs within the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences recognizes outstanding students who exhibit academic excellence and embody the spirit, energy and core values that are central to our mission.
In addition, some of the graduate programs have special awards in recognition of exemplary work.
The undergraduate program awards are presented during our annual Merit Awards Celebration, which was held on April 18, 2024.
2023-24 Undergraduate Program Awards
Undergraduate Special Award Winners
Alexander Rose Memorial Award for Excellence for Creative Writing
WINNER: Valerie Hinkle
The Alexander Rose Memorial Award recognizes a graduating English major in the Creative Writing specialization whose creative work and contributions to the program have been recognized as outstanding by the faculty. The award carries a cash prize of $500.
Beatrice Kanigel Prize for Language and Literature
WINNER: Chris Kim
Endowed by Robert Kanigel in memory of his mother, Beatrice Kanigel, the Beatrice Kanigel Prize for Language and Literature recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student with outstanding promise for or achievement in language and literature. The winner receives a $300 cash prize, and two honorable mentions receive $25 each.
Betty Tarpley Turner Award for English
WINNER: Eliza Cooper
The Betty Tarpley Turner Award is presented annually to the graduating English major with the highest grade point average. The award is given by H. Mebane Turner, long-time University of Baltimore president, in honor of his mother who was an avid fan of literature. The award carries a cash prize of $1,000.
Charles "Bob" Fisher Award for History
WINNER: Ashley Wilson
The Charles R. Fisher Award is given to commemorate Professor Bob Fisher, whose avid interest in history created a loyal following among UBalt history students. The Fisher Award is given to an outstanding history student who showed special engagement with the program. The award carries a cash prize $200.
Donahoo Award
WINNER: not awarded this year
The Donahoo Award is given in memory of Professor Bill Donahoo, long-time member of the Department of History and Philosophy, to a graduating senior in history who is planning to pursue a career in teaching. The award carries a cash prize of $200.
E. Halcott Turner Award
WINNER: Caroline Myers
The E. Halcott Turner Award is presdented to the graduate of the Legal Studies major with the highest grade point average. This award is presented by H. Mebane Turner, long-time presidentof UBalt, in memory of his father.
Undergraduate Outstanding Student Award Winners (by program)
Applied Information Technology: Stanley Kakkanattu
Arts Production and Management: Katherine Underwood
Digital Communication: Seth Maly-Cordell
English: Makayla Jefferson
Environmental Sustainability: Jonathan Cleary
History: Michael Topper
Interdisciplinary Studies: Lisa Meola
Legal Studies: Kathryn Beausoleil
Philosophy, Law, and Ethics: Jordan Collins
Psychology: Zia Nicholson-Ryan
Simulation and Game Design: Ky'onna Alston
2023-24 Graduate Program Awards
*The 2023-24 graduate program award winners will be announced soon.
Ampersand Award
The Ampersand Award honors the graduate student whose work best exemplifies the spirit of the M.A. in Integrated Design program: exceptional achievement in both writing and design. The award is granted by the Randolph Avery Fund.
Award for Excellence in Design
The Award for Excellence in Design is given each year in recognition of the M.A. in Integrated Design student who produces a visually compelling portfolio.
Erin Kvedar Memorial Seminar Award
An outside panel of judges awards the Erin Kvedar Memorial Seminar Award each year to a team of students completing the capstone course in the M.A. in Integrated Design program. For the third year in a row, student teams supported emerging businesses from UBalt’s Center For Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Plork Award
The Plork Award honors a graduate student whose work best exemplifies the spirit of the M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program, exhibiting extraordinary creativity, originality and imagination in the integration of creative writing and book design.
Hannah Collins (pictured, left) and Kayla Renee , both 2024 graduates of the MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts program, were chosen by the MFA faculty as the 2024 Plork Prize co-winners.