Student Awards

Student Awards

Student Awards

Each year the departmental faculty recognizes students, primarily seniors, for achievement of high quality in sociology. The Samuel Witchell Medallion and other awards are given to students on the basis of academic achievement or contributions to the department. The types of awards, the criteria for each, and the procedures to be used in determining who shall receive the awards are listed below.

• The Samuel Witchell Medallion
• Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement
• Certificate of Merit for Student Leadership

The Samuel Witchell Medallion

A. Criteria

  1. Senior sociology major with at least 90 semester hours in September of the academic year in which the award is given.
  2. Overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in January of the academic year in which the award is given.
  3. Sociology course grade point average of at least 3.5 in January of the academic year in which the award is given
  4. A minimum of 18 of the 30 semester hours needed in sociology having been completed by January of the academic year in which the award is given, with 12 of the 18 hours having been completed at Rowan University, and with at least 9 hours at the 300/400 level
  5. A student who has not received the Witchell Medallion in the past.
  6. A student who best demonstrates the sociological imagination.

B. Procedure

  1. In January the academic coordinator will compile a list of students who meet the first five criteria noted above.
  2. The list of students will be distributed to full-time sociology faculty.
  3. Faculty members will review the list and, if they so desire, submit names of nominees for the award to the department's academic coordinator.
  4. The candidates will be discussed and an election will be held prior to the deadline date set by the University Awards Committee.

Academic Achievement 

Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement

A. Criteria

  1. Senior sociology major with at least 90 semester hours in September of the academic year in which the award is given.
  2. Overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in January of the academic year in which the award is given.
  3. Sociology course grade point average of at least 3.5 in January of the academic year in which the award is given.
  4. A minimum of 18 of the 30 semester hours needed in sociology having been completed by January of the academic year in which the award is given, with 12 of the 18 hours having been completed at Rowan University, and with at least 9 hours at the 300/400 level.

B. Procedure

  1. The academic coordinator will review the records of sociology majors to ascertain the students who meet criteria.
  2. The chairperson will see that all sociology majors who meet the criteria for the Certificate of Merit for Academic Achievement receive one.

Student Leadership

Certificate of Merit for Student Leadership

A. Criteria

  1. Senior sociology major with at least 100 s.h. in January of the academic year in which the award is given.
  2. Student LEADER in good academic standing

B. Procedure

  1. Nominations by the sociology faculty will be made.
  2. The academic coordinator will review nominees to be certain they meet all requirements.
  3. The academic coordinator will present candidates to a meeting of the sociology faculty. At this meeting the candidates will be discussed and the recipients will be elected.
  4. The department will award C.M.S.L.'s to all students chosen by the sociology faculty.

Honors

The University's qualifications for academic honors at commencement are based on the student's cumulative academic honor average at the end of the first semester of the senior year: a minimum of 45 semester hours of course work are to have been completed at Rowan University at the time of grade point average computation. Academic honors are indicated on the student's transcript according to the following designations:

Summa Cum Laude - 3.850 - 4.00 Grade Point Average
Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 - 3.849 Grade Point Average
Cum Laude - 3.450 - 3.649 Grade Point Average