Graduation Awards and Honors at FCRH

FCRH degrees are awarded with the following honors:

• Summa cum laude ("with highest honor"): cumulative index of 3.800-4.000
• Magna cum laude ("with great honor"): cumulative index of 3.700-3.799
• Cum laude ("with praise"): cumulative index of 3.600-3.699

The Claver Award is named for St. Peter Claver, an 18th-century Spanish Jesuit who spent more than 44 years ministering to African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia. It is granted by the Jesuits of Fordham to a Fordham College at Rose Hill senior who exemplifies, in an outstanding manner, Fordham's dedication to community service.

A Fordham armchair will be presented to a student who exemplifies the Fordham spirit of excellence in academic, service, and extracurricular achievement.

The W.E.B. DuBois Award is named in honor of the leading African-American philosopher and social commentator of the early 20th century. It is given to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in the field of African and African American studies.

The Alvin Leonard Award is bestowed on a graduating senior whose academic career has been marked by excellence and service.

The Orestes Brownson Award is named for one of the leading American intellectuals of the 19th century, a member of the Transcendentalist Circle, and a frequent visitor to St. John's College (Fordham). It is given to a graduating senior who has majored in and excelled in American Studies.

The Art History Award is given to a graduating art history major who has shown excellence in course work and an interest in the activities of the department of art history and music.

The James L. Kurtz Award in Music is named for the first professor of music in the department. It is given to a graduating music major who has shown excellence in course work and a significant involvement in the activities of the department and the musical life of the University.

The Vasari Lecturer is named after the great 16th-century art historian Giorgio Vasari. It is bestowed on an art history major who, in addition to demonstrating academic excellence, produces the best research paper and oral report in the department's Senior Seminar.

The Kieran Award named for John Kieran, the New York sports journalist and Fordham College alumnus of the Class of 1912. It is awarded each year to the graduating student athlete who has achieved the strongest academic record in the course of studies in the College.

The Rev. Alan J. McCarthy, SJ, Memorial Award is presented to the senior in the department of biological sciences who, in addition to demonstrating academic excellence, has contributed significantly to the department in service or research.

The William Steinbugler Prize is presented to the senior who has the best record of achievement in biology for three or four years.

The Dr. K. York and M. Noelle Chynn Prize in Ethics and Morality is presented to the writer of the best undergraduate essay about concepts of ethics and morality encountered personally or as a concerned member of society.

The Fordham Chemists Award is granted to a senior who expects to make chemistry a lifetime profession, and recognizes leadership and excellence in scholarship and character.

The Rev. Robert D. Cloney, SJ Memorial Award is given each year to an outstanding graduating Chemistry major. The award honors the memory of a beloved member of the Chemistry faculty and his dedication to undergraduate education.

The Leo K. Yanowski Award is bestowed on a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in analytical chemistry. The award, established and funded by his family, colleagues and alumni of the College, honors and perpetuates the name of a devoted teacher, advisor, and friend of Fordham students.

The Rev. Richard E. Doyle, SJ, Memorial Awards in Classics are named for a longtime member of the classics department and a distinguished dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. They are given to the two students who have demonstrated excellence in the study of Latin, Greek, or classical civilization.

The CSTEP Scholar Award is presented to a CSTEP graduating senior in recognition of scholarship, and commitment to succeed in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) or health professions field.

The Rev. Ralph W. Dengler, SJ, Memorial Award honors the memory of a long-time member of the communications faculty and a scion of the Fordham family. It is granted each year to a graduating senior who has demonstrated scholarly excellence in the field of communications.

The Sigma Delta Chi Award is presented to the outstanding senior in the field of Journalistic Studies.

The Herbert W. Bomzer Awards in Computer and Information Sciences were established to honor the memory of the founding chair. They are given to the graduating seniors who have shown excellence and promise in their respective disciplines of Computer Science and Information Science.

The Alumni Debate Award is given each year to the member of the debate team who has been the most cooperative and representative of Fordham during his or her senior year.

The Class of 1915 Prize for Oratory is given each year to the most outstanding speaker in the senior class of the College.

The Rev. Alfred Barrett, SJ, Memorial Award is granted to the senior who has exemplified the high ideal set down by Father Barrett in theatre at Fordham.

The Fechteler Award is given to the graduating student who has contributed the most to theatre at Fordham.

The Economics Award is presented to the senior economics major who has achieved the highest level of excellence in the study of economics.

The Alumni English Literature Prize is bestowed each year on the student who writes the best essay of approximately 5,000 words.

The Margaret Amassian Award, which is made possible by the generosity of Dr. Amassian's family, friends and former students, honors the memory of a beloved member of the English faculty. It is given to the graduating English major who has achieved the highest grade point average in the course of his or her college career.

The Bernice Kilduff White and John J. White Prizes, funded by the members of the White family to honor the memory of their parents, are awarded annually to the two students who demonstrated excellence in the study of English literature and outstanding achievement in creative writing.

The Higher Education Opportunity Program Award recognizes the highest cumulative academic achievement attained in a liberal arts program of study by a student in HEOP.

The Mooney History Award is named in honor of Edward Cardinal Mooney, the late archbishop of Detroit. It is given to the student who has shown excellence in the study of history.

The Rev. Ferdinand Verbiest, SJ, Award in International Political Economy is presented to the graduating senior who most clearly demonstrates scholarly excellence in his or her discipline. The award is named in honor of the 17th-century scholar, missionary, and diplomat to China.

The Stephen Freedman Award in Jewish Studies is named in honor of Stephen Freedman, the late Provost of Fordham University. It is given to students who have shown excellence in Jewish Studies.

The Bernardo Vega-Rigoberta Menchú-Tum Award is named for a Nobel Prize-winning author and a pioneering Puerto Rican worker-intellectual. It is given to the graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in the study of Latin American and Latino culture.

The Senior Mathematics Prize is given each year to the graduating senior who has most conspicuously demonstrated excellence in the study of mathematics over the course of four years.

The Medieval Studies Award is given annually to the student in the Medieval Studies Program who has achieved significant distinction in the course of studies offered by the Program.

The Arabic Achievement Award is given to the student who has attained outstanding achievement in Arabic.

The Francis R. Favorini Italian Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement in Italian, has been endowed by his children to honor his memory.

The Anthony and Cecilia Guardiani Award for Excellence in the Study of Modern Languages, established by Ms. Mary Guardiani, UGE '62, to honor the memory of her parents, is bestowed annually on the graduating senior who has achieved the highest grade point average in the study of modern languages and literatures.

The French Achievement Award is given to the student who has attained outstanding achievement in French.

The Heydt French Award is given to the senior who has attained the highest achievement in French.

The Mandarin Achievement Award is given to the student who has attained outstanding achievement in Mandarin.

The Heydt Spanish Award is given to the senior who has attained the highest achievement in Spanish.

The Archbishop John Hughes Award is named to honor the memory of the founder of the University. It is bestowed each year on the graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the study of philosophy.

The Jouin-Mooney Award is named in honor of Edward Cardinal Mooney, the late Archbishop of Detroit, and the Rev. Louis Jouin, SJ, a Renaissance man and an early member of the Jesuit faculty of St. John's College (Fordham). The Jouin-Mooney Award is given each year to the graduating senior who has shown outstanding achievement in the field of ethics and values.

The Victor F. Hess Award is given to the graduating senior who has the best record of achievement and service in physics. The award is given to honor the late Dr. Hess, a longtime member of the physics department, who received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of cosmic radiation.

The Martin King Memorial Award in Engineering Physics is presented to the graduating senior who has demonstrated academic excellence in Engineering Physics and who has the qualities of inventive thinking and leadership. It was established to honor the memory of Mr. King, who gave generously of his time to students and faculty for over forty years.

The William R. Frasca Prize is named for a member of the Class of 1932 who served on the faculty of the department from 1938-1964. It is awarded annually to the senior who has displayed outstanding achievement in the study of political science.

The Political Science Endowment Award honors a graduating senior whose career at Fordham has been marked by both high intellectual achievement and demonstrated understanding of the ideals of Jesuit education.

The James C. Higgins Memorial Award is given each year to the graduating psychology major who has achieved significant distinction in the field of psychology. It is funded by an endowment by Dr. Higgins' family, colleagues, and former students to celebrate the memory of one of the department's pioneering members.

The Anne E. Leicht Memorial Award is presented to the graduating senior who demonstrates excellence in service representing the field of psychology and the Fordham mission of “men and women for others”.

The Olivia J. Hooker Award is presented to the graduating senior who demonstrates excellence in academic achievement, research and service promoting diversity in the field of psychology.

The Rev. Joseph P. Fitzpatrick, SJ, Memorial Award is named to honor the memory of the Rev. Joseph P. Fitzpatrick, SJ, a leading scholar in the field of Hispanic Studies. The award is given each year to the senior sociology major who writes the best essay on a contemporary social issue.

The Rev. J. Franklin Ewing, SJ, Memorial Award is bestowed on the senior anthropology major who writes the best essay dealing with issues of culture, belief or behavior, of the past or present.

The Jouin Award is named in honor of the Rev. Louis Jouin, SJ, a Renaissance man and an early member of the Jesuit faculty of St. John's College (Fordham) who served the College and its students for nearly half a century (1851-1899). It is given to the graduating senior who has shown outstanding achievement in the study of theology.

The Anne Devenney Memorial Award in Urban Studies is presented to the graduating senior who best combines scholarship in Urban Studies with community service and community involvement. It is named after Anne Devenney, a pioneering leader of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.

The James Storey Memorial Award is granted to a graduating senior for outstanding accomplishment in visual arts.

The Rev. Laurence J. McGinley, SJ, Memorial Award is named to honor the memory of the late Rev. Laurence J. McGinley, SJ, the twenty-sixth president of the University and the "architect" of Fordham's Lincoln Center campus. It is given each year to the senior who has given the most outstanding service to Fordham University radio.

The Women's Studies Essay Award honors the graduating senior who has written the best essay in the field of women's studies.