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Awards, Paper Competitions and Scholarships

Over the years, the Department of Public Affairs have developed several opportunities to recognize and reward exceptional work by our students. These opportunities consist of awards, scholarships, and competitive prizes open to all students affiliated with the Department of Public Affairs through majors, minors, and concentrations.

Scholarships

Public Affairs Scholarships:

  • Lucas Hathaway Charitable Trust: provides scholarships to students studying in the Department of Public Affairs
  • C. William Hill, Jr. Endowed Scholarship: awards support student travel to present work at professional meetings or to support work meant for presentation off campus

Other scholarships of potential interest to Public Affairs students:

  • Honorable James C. Turk '49 Endowed Scholarship: awards that can be applied toward tuition, to support students from Virginia with demonstrated financial need who intend to go to law school
  • Turk Pre-Law LSAT scholarship: awards support prep course costs and LSAT fees
  • Fowler Legacy Program: awards support students who study public issues off campus, whether domestically or abroad; also support for courses, students, and student organizations to gain access to speakers on public issues or to travel to venues where public policy is being discussed
    Fowler Legacy Application
  • Summer Scholars: stipend paid to students while completing an independent summer research project

Awards

Public Affairs Awards:

  • C. Will Hill, Jr. Criminal Justice Award   2022  Andrew Wampler
    This award is named in recognition of the service and leadership of C. W. Hill, Jr., Professor of Political Science, who began teaching at Roanoke in 1969.  This prize is awarded annually to a graduating senior majoring in criminal justice who has demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding potential for continued scholarly growth.
  • Howard Warshawsky International Relations Award   2022  Beau Hunter Smith
    An award in money presented annually to the graduating senior majoring in international relations who has excelled in his or her field and who has attained at least a 3.0 grade point average.
  • The Will Selzer Political Science Award   2022  Seth Foster
    A prize in money awarded annually to the graduating senior majoring in political science who has demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding potential for continued scholarly growth.

      Senior Scholar Annually, the department in each major field of concentration may
      recommend to the Dean as Senior Scholar a student whose work in that field has
      been most exemplary.

  • Senior Scholar in Criminal Justice   2022  Juliana Pappavasiliou
  • Senior Scholar in International Relations  2022  Jennifer Engl
  • Senior Scholar in Political Science  2022  Sophia Kachur

Campus-wide awards of potential relevance to Public Affairs students:

  • Fintel Scholarship
  • Bittle Scholarship

Paper Competitions

Public Affairs paper competition:

  • Breithaupt American Government Paper Competition: runs every Spring; awards of up to $1000