Orange Alert

Psychology Undergraduate Student Awards

The Department of Psychology Undergraduate Awards are presented to students who have demonstrated academic excellence both in and outside of the classroom. The Department of Psychology offers four distinct undergraduate awards.

All undergraduate award winners are formally recognized during the annual Department of Psychology Poster Session, typically held on the first Reading Day of the spring semester. Award recipients will receive an official plaque to commemorate their accomplishment, a set of psychology cords to wear at commencement, and their name printed in the graduation booklet compiled by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Undergraduate students are welcome to apply for more than one award.

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award

Successful candidates must have demonstrated academic excellence in the classroom. Emphasis will be placed on overall grade point average, as well as other demonstrations of excellence in the classroom, such as active, thoughtful participation in the classroom, outstanding leadership in group projects, or advanced public-speaking skills during presentations.

To apply, a student must:

  • Be a graduating psychology major, with a BA or BS degree
  • Have an overall grade point average of at least 3.75
  • Demonstrate excellence in the classroom beyond overall grade point average
Floyd Allport Outstanding Research Achievement Award

This award was established in recognition of Floyd Allport, a pioneer in the field of social psychology who spent nearly three decades as an SU faculty member, where he founded the first ever Ph.D program in social psychology and authored one of the first social psychology textbooks. Successful candidates must have participated as an undergraduate research assistant in a Psychology lab and conducted an independent research project under the supervision of a Psychology faculty member.

To apply, a student must:

  • Be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree
  • Be in good academic standing.
  • Have have completed one of the following
    • Authorship or pending authorship on a manuscript to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed Psychology journal
      OR
    • First author presentation (oral or poster) or pending first author presentation at a local, regional, or national Psychology conference (including SU Department of Psychology Undergraduate Research Poster session)
Outstanding Service Award

Successful candidates have volunteered his/her time and energy to community service related to the field of Psychology, broadly defined. This service may include student leadership and campus involvement, service in the broader community, or other civic engagement. For example, student leadership and campus involvement may include campus programming, leadership positions in student-run organizations, or implementation of new programs across campus. Examples of service in the broader community and civic engagement could include volunteering with at-risk children, volunteering with mental health organizations, organizing STEM events for underrepresented students, etc.

To apply, a student must:

  • Be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree
  • Be in good academic standing
  • Demonstrate dedicated time and commitment to service work in an uncompensated role, unless the commitment was above and beyond the normal expectations of paid role
Eric. F. Gardner Outstanding Psychology Student Award

This award was established in memory of Dr. Eric F. Gardner who, along with being department chair for 15 years, was a scholar and teacher in the field of evaluation, measurement, and statistics. In addition, Dr. Gardner was remembered for his service to the university and surrounding community. As such, this student must have excelled in all aspects of undergraduate activity, including academic achievement, research involvement, and service.

To apply, a student must:

  • Be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree
  • Be in good academic standing
  • Demonstrate evidence of excellence in the academic achievement
  • Provide evidence of active involvement in one or more Psychology research labs ideally including the production of original scholarly work
  • Have a demonstrated commitment to service in the field of Psychology
How to Apply

In order to apply, students must fill out an application form. All applications are due by Monday, March 4, 2024. Students are welcome to apply for more than one award.

Applications:

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award

Floyd Allport Outstanding Research Achievement Award

Outstanding Service Award

Eric F. Gardner Outstanding Psychology Student Award