Commencement Awards
Discover awards honoring UofL's top graduate achievers, celebrating excellence, leadership, resilience and their impactful contributions to their field.
Spring 2024 Commencement Award Winners
We congratulate the following Commencement Award Winners as well as those recognized as having earned a Dean's Citation.
Guy Stevenson Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies
This award is named in honor of a former Graduate School Dean, recognizing a doctoral recipient for excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service.
John Richard Binford Memorial Award
This award is named in honor of a former Psychology chair, recognizing a doctoral recipient who excels in scholarship and makes significant contributions in leadership, teaching, or service.
John M. Houchens Prize
This award is named in honor of a former university registrar and is given to a doctoral student whose dissertation has the potential for significant impact in their field.
The Virginia "Jenny" Madden Award for Graduate Student Leadership and Service
This award, named for Virginia 'Jenny' Madden, honors her extensive service to UofL. It recognizes a master’s degree recipient who demonstrates exceptional leadership through service to their program, college, discipline, University or community.
Alice Eaves Barns Award (not awarded in 2024)
This award is named in honor of a previous Graduate School staff member for her many years of outstanding service. It is awarded to a master's recipient who excels academically and shows tenacity in overcoming adversity.
Graduate Dean's Citations
To be eligible for a Graduate Dean’s Citation, the student must have significant accomplishments (e.g. publications, teaching excellence, and professional service) beyond the achievement of a high-grade point average.
| First Name | Last Name | Program |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail | Belt | Public Health (MPH) |
| Thomas "Chris" | Brown | Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology (PhD) |
| Kelley | Cooper | Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| Jonathan | Ellis | Sociology (MA) |
| Eric | Englebrecht | Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics (PhD) |
| Easton | Ford | Microbiology and Immunology (PhD) |
| Morgan | Forston | Interdisciplinary Studies - Translational Neuroscience (PhD) |
| Jenna | Hensley | Sports Administration (MS) |
| Melissa | Johnson | Health Administration (MS) |
| Rebekah | Knittle | Human Resources and Organizational Development (MS) |
| Ashley | Logsdon | Social Work (PhD) |
| Siraj | Lyons | Experimental Psychology (PhD) |
| Trevor | McGuffin | Nursing (DNP) |
| Cassidy | Meurer | Art (Creative) and Art History (MA) |
| Vitor | Neves Guimaraes | Experimental Psychology (PhD) |
| Elizabeth | Pace | Social Work (MSSW) |
| Leonda | Richardson | Public Health Sciences (PhD) |
| Stephanie | Schemke | Interdisciplinary Studies: Concentration in Healthcare Ethics (MA) |
| Shaminul | Shakib | Public Health Sciences (PhD) |
| Allison | Sherman | Anthropology (MA) |
| Sadek | Showkat | Entrepreneurship (PhD) |