Graduation With Honors Honors are awarded to those students with an average of at least 3.500 to 3.699 on a 4.000 scale. Graduates who achieve Cum Laude have earned blue institutional honor cords.
Magna Cum Laude
Graduation With High Honors High honors are awarded to those students with an average of at least 3.700 to 3.899 on a 4.000 scale. Graduates who achieve Magna Cum Laude have earned gold institutional honor cords.
Summa Cum Laude
Graduation With Highest Honors Highest honors are awarded to those students with an average of at least 3.900 on a 4.000 scale. The asterisk (*) indicates those students who have maintained a 4.000 grade point average. Graduates who achieve Summa Cum Laude have earned blue and gold institutional honor cords.
With Distinction
Candidates for associate degrees who demonstrate high levels of scholarship through their coursework will graduate With Distinction. The designation With Distinction is awarded when students achieve a minimum 3.500 GPA for all undergraduate coursework at ӰƵ. Graduates who achieve With Distinction have earned white institutional honor cords.
Students in the Honors College, having completed a senior honors project or thesis in their major field, and having evidenced exceptional academic performance, have fulfilled requirements for graduation with University, General or Departmental Honors.
Alexander P. Barry Nutrition Thesis Title: “Performance, Protection, and Policy: The Case for Required Sports Dietitians in Elite Athletics” Advisor: Amy Miracle
Savana Lynn Capp Journalism Thesis Title: “Interviews from the Panopticon: What Women Told Me” Advisor: Suzanne Holt
Kade Robert Davis Psychology Thesis Title: “The Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Math ӰƵ Anxiety” Advisor: Christopher Was
Drea Alexis Favorito Fashion Design Thesis Title: “Meshing Mind and Realm: Exploring the Subconcious Through Surrealist Garment Design” Advisor: Jacqueline Hughes
Hannah Marie Ferguson Chemistry Thesis Title: “A New Method for Safer Flame Test and Advancements in [3+2] Cycloaddition Chemistry” Advisor: Christopher Fenk
Anna Christine Fink Environmental Studies Thesis Title: “Community-Driven Solutions to Food Insecurity in Youngstown” Advisor: David Kaplan
Jami Grace Greb Zoology Thesis Title: “Effects of Seasonal Changes on Gut Microbiome Diversity and Composition in American Goldfinches (Spinus Tristis)” Advisor: Samgeet Lamichhaney
Natalia Maria Griffiths Visual Communication Design Thesis Title: “Capturing ӰƵ's Fashion Identities” Advisor: David Roll
Nora Genevieve Ladd Architectural Studies Thesis Title: “Re-Enchanting Space: Worldbuilding Through Architecture and Animation” Advisor: Kristen Mimms-Scavnicky
Ruth Boyani Morara Environmental Conservation Biology Thesis Title: “Climate Change and Decomposition: How Will Temperature and Precipitation Affect Decomposition Rates in Rivers Under Future Climate Scenarios?” Advisor: David Costello
Sophia M. Muhlenkamp English Thesis Title: “'And A' the Ways She Turned Herself, The Blacksmith Was Her Make: A Creative Approach to Gender Roles and Sexuality in the Traditional English and Scottish Ballads” Advisor: Robert King
Stella Elizabeth Naymik Digital Media Production Thesis Title: “Phases: A Student Short Film” Advisor: Scott Hallgren
Amelia Rindfleisch Psychology Thesis Title: “The Relationship Between the Orthographic and Semantic Acquisition of Novel Words: Does Spelling Body Frequency Play a Role?” Advisor: Jocelyn Folk
Trinity Maria Rudolph Nursing Thesis Title: “The Impact of Firearm Law and Policy on Pregnancy-Associated Mortality: A Proposal for Nursing Advocacy” Advisor: Dana Hansen
Sophia Faye Swengel English; History Thesis Title: “A Faith in Something Bigger: A Cultural Assessment of the Who’s Tommy, 1969-2024” Advisor: Richard Steigmann-Gall
Paul Richard Wagner Music Technology Thesis Title: “Scott Joplin: Bringing Recognition to the King of Ragtime through Musical Theater” Advisor: Michelle Bagwell
General Honors
Kaylynn Faye Budrovic Psychology Thesis Title: “Changes in Language Production Observed in Alzheimer's Clinical Syndrome” Advisor: Philip Hamrick
Riley Martin Drabic Architectural Studies Thesis Title: “From Handwritten Treatises to Digital Archives: The Evolution of Stained-Glass Documentation and Preservation at Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame” Advisor: Elwin Robison
Ellen Marie Ethridge Architectural Studies Thesis Title: “Ada Louise Huxtable Already Doesn't Like It: Imitatio Writing as a Tool for Learning Architectural Criticism” Advisor: Brett Tippey
Tayleigh N. Folden English Thesis Title: “Read These Poems” Advisor: Robert King
Noah Michael Joanes Fashion Design; Fashion Merchandising Thesis Title: “Bridge The Gap: Creating Clothing to Last” Advisor: Daniel Fladung
Sophia Celeste Macro Fashion Design Thesis Title: “Addressing Size-Inclusive Education at ӰƵ's School of Fashion” Advisor: Sara Hume
Kendall Olivia Myers Biology; Psychology Thesis Title: “Influence of Transition Metal Deposition on the Cuticular Properties of the Mandibles of Invasive Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)” Advisor: Matthew S. Lehnert
Reese Maryn Pallone Architecture Thesis Title: “AI, Academia, and the Environment: Reshaping Education for a Sustainable Future” Advisor: Jon Yoder
Isaiah Nathaniel Johnstone Criminology & Justice Studies; Psychology Thesis Title: “Criminal Recidivism: Impact of Self-Control, Substance Use, and Deviant Peer Interactions” Advisor: Adrian Jones
Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious honor society, was founded in 1776 by students at the College of William & Mary who recognized the importance of a liberal education as the foundation of participation in a democratic society. Phi Beta Kappa recognizes students who have achieved excellence in all aspects of their education, and who have a strong background in the liberal arts and sciences, mathematics and a foreign language. Fewer than 1% of students across the nation are elected to Phi Beta Kappa annually. The ӰƵ chapter was established in 1976, and each year the Phi Beta Kappa faculty members elect juniors and seniors who have met the high standards of excellence of the society.
