You are here: Home / About our Students and Alumni / Recent Award Winners

Recent Award Winners

The list provided below indicates some — but by no means all — of the national, state and campus-wide recognition our excellent  political science and international affairs students have received in recent years. No other college or university in the country has won as many national student writing awards from Pi Sigma Alpha, the 600-chapter national political science honor society. These student accomplishments provide graphic testimony to the quality of our programs and of our majors.

UMW winners of Pi Sigma Alpha Writing Awards were profiled recently in a Summer 2009 issue of the UMW Magazine. The article is “Party of Seven” and is available at: http://www.umw.edu/magazine/party_seven/default.php

COLGATE DARDEN AWARD

PRESENTED TO The HIGHEST RANKING STUDENT IN the GRADUATING CLASS AT MARY WASHINGTON

  • Justin Simeone, Class of 2008, a double major in political science and history.
  • Erik Johnston, Class of 2003, a double major in political science and international affairs.

 

Fulbright research grants

  • Justin Simeone (for studies in the European Union, 2007-8)
  • Rola Abimourched (for studies in Jordan, 2004-5)

 

Writing Awards from Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society

  • Annie Morris, 2010-2011 Runner-upr, Best Undergraduate Class Paper (“Persuasion and the Bully Pulpit: Expanded Evidence on Strategies of Presidential Leadership”).  
  • Nicholas Jacobs , 2009-2010 National Winner, Best Undergraduate Class Paper, (“Professional Reputation: Why the First Year of the Presidency is Overstated”). Please click the link to view Nicholas’s paper: Nicholas Jacobs Paper
  • Justin Simeone , 2008 National Runner-Up, Best Undergraduate Honors Project, (“Crisis or Constitution? Rethinking Judicial Deference on Administrative Detention in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel,” an honors thesis project)
  • Erik Johnston , 2003 National Runner-up, Best Undergraduate Course Paper.
     (“The Non-Voter Puzzle Solved: Weak Partisanship Explains Demographics That Do Not Match Candidate Preference,” prepared in Political Science 291: Research and Writing in Political Science).
  • Ryan Balis , 2002 National Winner, Best Undergraduate Honors Project.
     (“Televised Presidential Debates and Exposure: Partisan, Ideological and Demographic Characteristics,” an independent study project). 
  • Sara Barokas , 2000 National Runner-up, Best Undergraduate Course Paper.
     (“Political Women: Participation, Orientation and Party Identification,” prepared in Political Science 291:   Research and Writing in Political Science).
  • Edwin Egee V , 1999 National Runner-up, Best Undergraduate Course Paper.
     (“Gaining Support Through Casework: A Quantitative Study of Contactors and the Support They Give Their Representative,” prepared in Political Science 291: Research and Writing in Political Science).
  • Anne Daugherty , 1998 National Runner-up, Best Undergraduate Paper.
    (“Feminists and Conservative Women: From the Time of ERA to the Present,” an independent study honors project).
  • Luke Sbarra , 1997 National Winner, Best Undergraduate Paper.
    (“Whither China: Marketization Without Democratization?”  an independent study honors project).

 

Student Scholarship Awards from Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society

  • Ryan Balis , 2003 Winner of Pi Sigma Alpha/Howard Penninman Scholarship for First Year of Graduate Study (Master’s Degree, London School of Economics)
  • Cara Allison , 2001 Winner of Pi Sigma Alpha/Howard Penninman Scholarship for Second Year of Graduate Study (Master’s Degree, Maxwell School of Syracuse University)
  • Cara Allison , 2000 Winner of Pi Sigma Alpha/Howard Penninman Scholarship for First Year of Graduate Study

 

Student Awards from the Virginia Social Science Association

  • Brooke Dunbar , 2001 Winner, Best Student Paper Award
     (“Is The Country More Important than the District?,” prepared in Political Science 291: Research and Writing in Political Science).
  • Kelly Turcic , 2001 Winner, Best Student Presentation Award
    (“Age, Educational Attainment and Media Source: Indicators of Political Efficacy,” prepared in Political Science 291: Research and Writing in Political Science).

Recent Presentations at Political Science Conferences

  • Lorraine Jablonsky, Presentation at 2009 Virginia Social Sciences Association Conference (“US-Iranian Relations During the Clinton and George W. Bush Presidencies”)
  • Nicholas Jacobs, “Professional Reputation: Why the First Year of the Presidency is Overrated”, Virginia Social Science Association Annual Meeting, 2010
  • Annie Morris, “Persuasion and the Bully Pulpit: Expanded Evidence on Strategies of Presidential Leadership,” 2011 Midwest Political Science Association and 2010 Virginia Social Science Association.
  • Kendall Carty, The Effect of Economic Outlook on the Presidential Job Approval Rating,” 2011 Midwest Political Science Association.

Recent Articles by UMW PSIA students in Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • Nicholas Jacobs,” Racial, Economic, and Linguistic Segregation: Analyzing Market Supports in the District of Columbia’s Public Charter Schools” to be published in Education and Urban Society.
  • “Understanding School Choice: Location as a Determinant of Charter School Racial, Economic, and Linguistic Segregation.” Education and Urban Society” (Forthcoming).

Student Writing Awards from the MARY WASHINGTON Writing Center

  • Nicholas Jacobs, 2009, “Professional Reputation: Why the First Year of the Presidency is Overstated,” (prepared in Political Science 312: The American Presidency: supervisor, Dr. Murphy).
  • James E. Martin 2009, “Case Study: Replacing the K-135,” (prepared in Political Science 351: International Political Economy: supervisor, Dr. Gupta).
  • Kara McCulloch, 2004 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“National Security Memorandum: U.S. Policy Towards North Korea,” prepared in  Political Science 356: U.S. Foreign Policy) .
  • Ryan Balis , 2001 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“Assessing Stalin’s Guilt in Stalin and the Kirov Murder ” (prepared in  Political Science 302: Politics of the Soviet Successor States).
  • Ryan Balis , 1999 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“Public Opinion and the Supreme Court,” prepared in Political Science 291: Research and Writing in Political Science).
  • Jessica Maddox , 1998 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“The Birth of Another American Political Dynasty: Jeb Bush is Elected Governor of Florida,” prepared in Political Science 334: Political Parties and Elections in America).
  • Anne Daugherty , 1997 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“Feminism After ERA,” prepared in PSCI 491: Independent Study in Political Science).
  • Luke Sbarra , 1996 Winner Student Writing Contest – Social Science Division
    (“The Negative Effects of the Duopoly in American Ele
    ctoral Politics: Is Multipartyism the Solution?” prepared in Political Science 334: Political Parties and Elections in America).

UMW Writing Intensive Writing Contest:

  • Nicholas Jacobs, 2009. “Professional Reputation: Why the First Year of the Presidency is Overstated”
  • James Martin, 2009. “Case Study: Replacing the K-135″

Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference

  • Callie Kyhl, 2012 First Runner-up, Essay Contest for Best Civilian Paper
  • Julie Milam, 2009 Winner of Essay Contest for Best Civilian Paper
  • Heidi Meredith, 2007 Winner of Essay Contest for Best Civilian Paper
  • Cris Clap, 2005 Winner of Essay Contest for Best Civilian Paper

Special Alumni Awards

The Political Science and International Affairs Department would like to congratulate UMW alumna and former PSCI major Meghann Green on receiving the 2011 Richard J. Kerr Award, which is presented by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.