Undergraduate Awards

Award Categories

The Department of Philosophy confers the following Student Awards as determined by the Faculty of the Department:

  • Kathryn Anne Governal Perseverance Award was established in 2002 by the generous gift of Dr. George and Mrs. Roberta Governal in memory of their daughter, Kathryn Anne.  Kathryn earned two degrees from the UA : the Bachelor of Arts with a major in Media Arts and a minor in Journalism in 1995; and the Master of Arts in Journalism in 1998. This award recognizes distinguished achievement by a student in overcoming personal, economic or physical obstacles in completing a degree at the UA.

  • Emil R. Riesen and Austin H. Riesen Undergraduate Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Philosophy and Remarkable Overall Performance, in memory of Professor Emil R. Riesen and his son, Professor Austin H. Riesen.  Emil Riesen taught for many years in the early part of the 20th Century in what was then the UA Department of Philosophy and Psychology. He served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1931-32. Austin Riesen was a prominent professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside.

Past Award Winners

Kathryn A. Governal Perseverance Award

2023--Alison Tobin and Ellie Browne

2022--Cindy Johnston

2021—Adeena Black

2020—Alex Poelstra and Zach Stout

2019—Karan Prabhakar

2018—Lana Baeumlisberger

2017—Britannia Roskelley

2016—Sir T Jackson-Gatson

2015—Vincent Redhouse

2014—Robert Berry

2013—Alexander Offord

2012—Zachary H. Forman

2011—Canuto Sanchez

2010—Crystal Nesfield

2009—Alex Westerholm

2008—Molly Pettry

2007—Brian Gavlick

2006—Kenneth Parlove

2005—Anthony Dupree

2004—Daniel Boice

2003—Corinne Schram

Riesen Undergraduate Prize

2023-Will Yu

2022--Daniel Burchett

2021—Adeena Black and Sebastian Broberg

2020—Julia Nichols

2019—Trevor Wagner

2018—Samuel McEwen

2017—Aleksandra Petkovic

2016—Catherine Rigby

2015—Paul Addison

2014—Matthew Paskell, Scott Plummer

2013—Lisette Cole

2012—Steven Gubka

2011—William Frantz

2010—Ozlem Ozgur and Maureen Turner

2009—Sarah Lesson and Brian Gaseielle

2008—Richard Fry

2007—Michael Cousineau

2006—Claire Kelleher-Smith

2005—Caitlin Hall, Andres Lemons, Todd Arena

2004—Jay Lynch and Nikolaus Fogle

2003—Amy Labbe

2002—Staci Vierthaler

2001—Iris Oved

2000—James Cameron Paterson

1999—Not Awarded

1998—Matthew Bedke

1997—Jason Dickerson

1996—William Kuhn and Tamra Lefkowitz

1995—Rick Bolen

1993—Nathan Vandergrift