Undergraduate Awards & Resources
From advising and tutoring to funding and career services, resources are available to make the student experience as productive, supportive and enjoyable as possible.
Henigan-Stevens Communication Award
The late GW alumnus and trustee Eugene Lambert, AA ’55, BA ’57, established the Henigan-Stevens Communication Award in 1997 to honor two former GW communication professors, George Henigan and Edwin Stevens. The award recognizes the contributions of an undergraduate student (and their instructors) who has improved communication within the community. The award also aims to enhance and encourage development in communication among GW students. COMM Majors and Minors interested should watch their email for deadlines regarding this award.
- Eligibility Requirements
- Students must be a Communication major or minor in the Organizational Sciences and Communication Department.
- The project must have been completed in a Communication course and judged by the professor as “excellent” (receiving the grade of A- or higher).
- Applicants must agree to publicly present their work at least once, either on or off campus. Once the presentation has occurred, the student(s) receive the cash award.
- Submission Requirements
- The project, submitted in a format that permits the evaluators to assess its excellence as a communication event, experience or plan of action.
- A brief letter of application (who you are and why you’re submitting your work)
- A letter of endorsement from the appropriate professor
Note: A project may be submitted only once during the course of a student’s career at GW. A student (as an individual, partner or group member) may submit no more than two projects in any given academic year.
- Sample Projects
In general, any excellent creative or analytical work may be submitted for award consideration, so long as it incorporates Communication course material, addresses relevant communication principles and applies classroom learning to real-life situations of relevance to the university community or the Washington metropolitan area. Examples include:
- A senior seminar paper with an applied focus
- An analysis of persuasion phenomena that students regularly encounter
- A small-group policy proposal for an office or organization on campus
- A set of interpersonal communication exercises designed for use in the classroom, other student settings or organizations in Washington, D.C.
- Video exemplars of communication theory principles
- An organizational communication survey designed, administered, and analyzed to improve the effectiveness of some communicative aspect of the life at GW
- A videotaped public communication presentation that reaches out to the community
- Judging and Prizes
Awardees are selected by a three-member committee of Communication program professors, who will make up to two awards each year. Winners are awarded a $500 cash prize and are recognized in the university’s commencement program.
Zeidner Prize for Undergraduate Excellence
in Organizational Sciences
The Zeidner Prize for Undergraduate Excellence in Organizational Sciences is named in honor of Joseph Zeidner, who founded the Administrative Sciences (now Organizational Sciences) Program at The George Washington University and also served as the Technical Director of the U.S. Army Research Institute. The Zeidner Prize winner is determined by a committee in the department on the basis of academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and community building among Organizational Sciences Majors. The prize includes a $250 award and the winner will be recognized in the University Commencement Program.
- Past Winners
- Madison Brooke Rosen (2025)
- Julia DeLuca (2024)
- Katie Santarelli (2023)
- Natalia Tecca (2022)
- Kiana Lee (2021)
Isaac Davis Public Communication Award
The Isaac Davis Award recognizes outstanding oral communication ability among senior Communication majors or minors. The award recipients reflect the variety of contexts — public and interpersonal — in which oral communication plays a significant role in society. The award is given to a student who has used their communication knowledge to have a positive impact in a variety of GW contexts. Awardees receive a cash prize and are recognized in the university’s commencement program. COMM Majors and Minors interested should watch their email for deadlines regarding this award.
- Submission Requirements
- Completed application form
- An unofficial GW transcript (from the registrar’s office)
- A brief (1–2 pages) statement describing the contexts in which you have used oral communication skills during your time at GW, noting the ways that you have used your communication knowledge to have a positive impact in those contexts. These examples may include leadership positions in student organizations, peer advising, volunteer work in service projects or organizations or employment outside the university. In short, tell us about any setting in which you have used public, small-group or interpersonal skills in a way that reflects the Communication program’s work.
- Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must come from someone who is not a GW faculty member; none should be requested from Communication Program faculty.
- History
Originally established in 1847 as an annual prize to the graduating seniors of the Columbian College who demonstrated “the greatest progress in elocution since their connection to the college,” this award was named in honor of Isaac Davis, who was governor of Massachusetts at the time the gift was established.
Academic and Career Resources
Student Financial Assistance
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Academic Commons
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Center for Career Services
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Undergraduate Advising
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