Awards

Information About National Scholarships

Honors Best Honors Paper and Project Award

The Best Honors Paper and Project Award was established in honor of the founding Director of the Maryland Honors Program, Dr. John Portz. In 2009, Michael F. and Ellen R. Glazer generously donated the funds to support this merit award for Honors students.

Each spring, a committee of Honors faculty and staff reviews all submissions (self nominations or nominations from faculty) and selects the prize winners. Each winner receives a prize of $100 and is recognized at the Honors Citation Ceremony.

There are two principal categories for the award. The first is scholarly papers on any topic that are critical, analytical, or experimental in content. The second category is creative projects in writing, visual, or performing arts.

The submissions must have arisen from an Honors College seminar or course.

Honors Outstanding Student Award (Portz Award)

The Portz Outstanding Honors Student award was established in 1978 in honor of the founding Director of the Honors Program (now the Honors College), Dr. John Portz. The award consists of a certificate and a prize of $150.00. It is given annually to a student who combines exceptional academic achievement with a strong commitment to community service. The award is presented at the spring Honors Citation Ceremony.

Honors Portz Scholarships

Thanks to an endowment created by the benevolent and inspirational John and Edythe Portz, 10 outstanding Honors College students per year receive a $1000 Portz Scholarships, enabling these exceptional men and women to continue their educations with reduced financial stress.

Without these generous scholarships our students would accumulate even more debt and would need to work even longer hours at outside jobs. The Portz Scholarships allow deserving students to focus on their studies and complete their undergraduate programs without interruption.

Sincere thanks to alumnae who have contributed to the Honors Scholarship Fund in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Portz. Those supplemental gifts increase the number of high impact need-based scholarships awarded to academically talented, hard working Honors students.