Student Awards and Honors

2023 Senior Class Marshals (Syracuse University)

Senior Class Marshals are selected at the end of their junior year based upon their academic achievement, campus and community involvement and commitment to service. Upon beginning their senior year, the selected students will participate in a number of activities, including meeting with senior University leaders to share their insight on the student experience, participating in alumni and celebratory events, and serving on committees. They will also lead Syracuse University’s 169th Commencement ceremony in 2023.

• Simone Bellot
• Michael “MP” Geiss

2022 Senior Class Marshals (Syracuse University)

• Ava Breitbeck (Physics major, political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Morgan Storino (Chemistry major, citizenship and civic engagement major in A&S | Maxwell and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)

College Marshals

College Marshals are students selected to represent A&S | Maxwell at the Syracuse University Commencement exercises. These students reflect distinguished achievement in academics and service to the University.

• Ashley Clemens (Writing and rhetoric major in A&S and magazine journalism major in the Newhouse School)
• Morgan Eaton (Policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement major in A&S | Maxwell and information management technology major in the iSchool)
• Denise Magny (Biology major)

Graduate Student Speaker

• Kellie R. Smigel, Master’s Candidate in Speech-Language Pathology

Graduate Student Reader

• Sophie van Waardenberg, Master’s Candidate in Creative Writing

Undergraduate Student Reader

• Ashley Clemens

Syracuse University Scholars

Four A&S seniors were among the 12 students making up the 2021 cohort of Syracuse University Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor bestowed by the University. Scholars are chosen by a University-wide faculty committee that use criteria including coursework and academic achievement, independent research and creative work, evidence of intellectual growth and/or innovation in their disciplinary field, a personal statement and faculty letters of recommendation.

• Gretchen Coleman (Political science major in A&S | Maxwell, political philosophy major in A&S and member of the Honors Program)
• Ifeyinwa Ojukwu (Psychology and biology major and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Cassandra Rodriguez (Neuroscience and psychology major)
• Thomas Shaw (Psychology major, history major in A&S and Maxwell, photojournalism major in the Newhouse School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)

Slepecky Research Prize

Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) recognize STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) undergraduate researchers each year for their resilience, advancement and research excellence.

• Amber Vandepoele, forensic sciences and biochemistry major in A&S; Project: Maximizing the Value of Evidence Through the Phylogenetic Differential Separation of Environmental Samples

Graduate Dean’s Award

Nine graduate students are selected for the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work. This year’s class included one award recipient from A&S along with three students who received honorable mention. Award recipients represent a broad array of disciplines and are selected based on students’ outstanding accomplishments in research and creative work, as well as the quality and impact of proposed presentations.

• Nina Benway, “Speech Classification and AI-Guided Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorder,” speech-language pathology
• Jessica Powers, “Longitudinal Associations Between Pain and Use of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (Path) Study,” clinical psychology
• Andrew Ridgeway, “Fostering Information Literacy Through Competitive Speech and Debate,” composition and cultural rhetoric
• Noah Wason, “How Do You Study a Black Box?,” composition and cultural rhetoric

Honorable Mention

• Julia Giannini, physics

Remembrance Scholars

Each year 35 juniors are awarded Remembrance scholarships as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the 35 students who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded on the basis of scholarship, leadership and service to the community. The 2022-23 cohort includes 25 students from A&S.

• David Barbier Jr. (International relations major in A&S | Maxwell; television, radio and film major in the Newhouse School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Diane Benites (Biology major in A&S)
• Olivia Budelmann (Mathematics and Spanish language, literature and culture major in A&S; environment, sustainability and policy major in the Maxwell School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Emma Dahmen (Economics major in A&S | Maxwell; citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School; Spanish language, literature and culture major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Cori Dill (Political science major in A&S | Maxwell and public relations major in the Newhouse School)
• Dara Drake (Policy studies major in A&S | Maxwell and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Fabryce Fetus (Policy studies major in A&S | Maxwell and public health major in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
• Karina Freeland (Policy studies major in A&S | Maxwell)
• Kinley Gaudette (Policy studies major in A&S | Maxwell; public health major in Falk College and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Riya Gupta (Policy studies major in A&S | Maxwell)
• Jaime Heath (Policy studies and political science major in A&S | Maxwell and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School)
• Sifan Hunde (International relations major in A&S | Maxwell, psychology major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Amanda Lalonde (Psychology and forensic science major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Ivy Lin (Creative writing major in A&S, history major in A&S | Maxwell and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Julianna Mercado (Biochemistry and forensic science major in A&S)
• Ofentse Mokoka (Economics major in A&S | Maxwell and writing and rhetoric major in A&S)
• Riley Moore (Political science major in A&S | Maxwell, creative writing major in A&S and communication and rhetorical studies major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Nadia Nelson (Policy studies and political science major A&S | Maxwell)
• Janice Poe (Chemistry major in A&S)
• Mackenzie Quinn (Political science and sociology major in A&S | Maxwell and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Maggie Sardino (Writing and rhetoric major in A&S; citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Aidaruus Shirwa (Policy studies and economics major in A&S | Maxwell)
• Louis Smith (Biology major A&S; citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Taylor Stover (International relations and history major in A&S | Maxwell and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)
• Alesandra “Sasha” Temerte (Economics major in A&S | Maxwell; writing and rhetoric major in A&S and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program)

Mary Hatch Marshall Essay Award (for best essay by a graduate student in the humanities)

• Andrew Ridgeway for his paper, “Conspiracy Theories, Jouissance, and the Aristotelian Enthymeme.”

Chancellor’s Citation

The awards seeks to recognize members of the University community who have made invaluable contributions through commitment to scholarship and research that fosters new understandings of the world and creative responses to its needs.

• Excellence in Student Research - Alex Middleton (Communication sciences and disorders major)

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

The Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award recognizes Teaching Assistants (TAs) who have made distinguished contributions to Syracuse University by demonstrating excellence in significant instructional capacities, such as classroom teaching, laboratory or studio instruction, leading recitation or discussion sections, or assisting senior faculty members with high-enrollment courses.

Goldwater Scholars

Three A&S juniors have been selected for the 2022 Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States. This is the first time Syracuse University has had three scholars selected in one year.

• Cordiana Cozier ’23 (Chemistry major)
• Matthew Cufari ’23 (Double major in physics in A&S and computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Ellen Jorgensen ’23 (Double major in Earth sciences in A&S and environment, sustainability and policy in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs)

Chauncey D. Holmes Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement

The Holmes Award is given each year in memoriam of Professor Chauncey D. Holmes, an alum of Syracuse University who established the award to recognize outstanding introductory students in the earth sciences. It was Holmes’s desire to recognize top students in introductory classes and encourage them to excel and pursue careers in the geosciences. This year’s winners are: William Boalt ’23, Ananya Chandra ’23, Hongkai He ’23, Eliza Kollin ’24, Jiayao Ou ’24, James Pampeyan ’22, Zoë Rennock ’24 and Ava Ricciardi ’25.

Faculty and Staff Awards and Honors

Graduate Education Excellence Awards

Two professors from A&S are among the nine University faculty members honored with Graduate Education Excellence Awards. Recipients are recognized as inspirational teachers and notable scholars whose work expands the reputation of the university and guides student research paths.

• Patrick W. Berry, associate professor of writing, rhetoric and composition
• Carol Fadda, associate professor of English

William Wasserstrom Prize

This award is given annually in memory of Professor William Wasserstrom of the English Department. The prize is made to the full-time member of the faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences who is judged to exemplify best the qualities so evident in the career of William Wasserstrom: his outstanding success as a graduate seminar leader, research and dissertation director, and advisor and role model for graduate students.

• Eleanor Maine, professor of biology

Chancellor’s Citation

Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives

• Kelly Condon, budget support associate for the Department of Biology
• Steven Schaffling, assistant dean of student success in the College of Arts and Sciences

Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction

• M. Lisa Manning, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and director of the BioInspired Institute
• Scott Stevens, associate professor of English and director of the Native American and Indigenous studies program

Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award

The Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award is conferred on individual students, faculty or staff who—by virtue of extraordinary hard work, good values and commitment to excellence—embody the best of Syracuse University.

• Patricia Burak, part-time instructor of Russian literature and faculty/staff advisor to the Ukrainian Club

2022 Emeriti Faculty

• Frederick Beiser, Philosophy
• Leonard Burman, Public Administration and International Affairs
• Linda Carty, African American Studies
• Cecilia Green, Sociology
• Philip Griffin, Mathematics
• Margaret Hermann, Political Science
• Rebecca Howard, Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
• Jeffrey Karson, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Mary Lovely, Economics
• Terrell Northrup, International Relations
• Evgeny Poletsky, Mathematics
• Douglas Wolf, Public Administration and International Affairs
• John Yinger, Public Administration and International Affairs

Meredith Teaching Recognition Award

In 2001, the Meredith Professorship Program was expanded to recognize teaching excellence by non-tenured faculty and adjunct and part-time instructors.

Early Performance category

• Melissa Chipman, assistant professor of arctic paleoecology and paleoclimate in Earth and environmental sciences and faculty member in the Native American and Indigenous studies program
• Vera Mcllvain, associate teaching professor of biology

Continuing Excellence category

• Joseph Pellegrino, teaching professor and Gebbie Hearing Clinic director in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders