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Awards

The African American Studies Program sponsors the following awards:

  • Dr. Faye V. Harrison Best Honors Thesis Award is given to the student who writes the best honors thesis in African American Studies.  Dr. Harrison is a Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign who directed the UF African American Studies Program for three years and worked at UF for a decade.  She is one of the nation’s most distinguished anthropologists and is known for her innovating and cutting-edge research.
  • Professor Samuel Stafford Double Major Award is given to a student who is a double major in African American Studies and another discipline who exhibits academic excellence.  Professor Stafford has been teaching law courses at the University of Florida for almost 30 years and is an African American Studies affiliate faculty member.  He has trained hundreds of students for law and graduate school and has referred many students to the African American Studies major.
  • The Student-Athlete Award is given to one male and one female student athlete who excels in African American Studies courses.
  • The Director’s Award is given to the African American Studies major with the highest grade point average in African American Studies courses.
  • The Jonathan E. Riley Role Model Award is given to one male and one female student who sets a good example as a role model for his/her classmates.  Jon Riley graduated from UF in 2006 with a Political Science major and an African American Studies minor.  He later earned a law degree at Northwestern University and work a fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation at the time of his death in October 2016.  While at UF, Jon was the president of the Gator Chapter of the NAACP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
  • Dr. Barbara McDade-Gordon Community Service Award is given to a student who is involved in campus and/or community service and also excels in the classroom.  Dr. McDade-Gordon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Geography and was an African American Studies affiliate during her 25 years of employment at UF.  She is now retired and continues to support the program in its efforts.