The
Department of Geography/Geology has established a program of awards to
encourage, reward, and recognize student excellence in the department.
Each award includes a certificate and cash award, and inscription of the
recipient's name on a plaque permanently displayed in the department.
The awards are presented to students at the department's annual Spring
Banquet. All majors and minors are encouraged to attend the banquet
which is normally held in late April or early May.
The following awards are regularly presented:
Academic Honors Award - Granted to the graduating geography major who has earned the highest grade point average in departmental courses at UWSP.
Writing Achievement Award - Awarded to the student who has written the best paper in geography or geology, as judged by a faculty panel.
Benjamin Ofori-Amoah Urban and Regional Planning Award
- Granted to the student who has demonstrated capacity and potential
for excellence in the field of urban and regional planning.
Specht Cartography Award
- Presented to the student submitting the most outstanding cartographic
project or limited map portfolio, as determined by a faculty panel.
In addition to the departmental awards, the following two national award certificates are presented to students:
Gamma Theta Upsilon Award for Excellence in Geography
- Presented by the Kappa Pi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, a cash
award and certificate is awarded for excellence in geography.
National Council for Geographic Education and the Association of American Geographers Award for Excellence of Scholarship
- A certificate and cash award, presented by the National Council for
Geographic Education and based on the recommendation of the department,
is given to a senior geography major for excellence of scholarship.
Departmental Scholarship
Raymond and Ellen Specht Cartography Scholarship
- The Department of Geography/Geology encourages qualified students to
apply for the Raymond and Ellen Specht Cartography Scholarship, given to
the department in memory of Raymond and Ellen Specht, former UWSP
faculty.
In order to be considered for the
scholarship, recipients must: a) be a full-time approved UWSP Geography
major; b) have completed at least 12 UWSP geography credits; c) be a
Geographic Information Science and Cartography option candidate; d) have
demonstrated capacity and potential for excellence in the field of
cartography; e) be enrolled for classes at UWSP the following semester,
unless they are a graduating senior.
Previous recipients of the Raymond and Ellen Specht Scholarship are
ineligible for this award. Graduating seniors are only eligible for the
scholarship if they will be attending graduate school to major in the
field of geography with a specialization in cartography, but preference
will be given to continuing majors. The scholarship must be applied to
tuition and student fees. Financial need may be considered in the
deliberation of the candidate’s qualifications.