The Cardinal Key Cup and Blue Key Cup are given each year to a female and male student who have been distinguished by leadership and service on campus. A senior orator is chosen each year by vote of seniors to express the aspirations and concerns of the class as part of Commencement exercises. A limited number of junior and senior students are chosen each year for listing in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. For information on other awards given to students, consult the Student Handbook.
Awards to Faculty and Staff
Outstanding performance by faculty members, both in classroom teaching and in demonstrated concern for students in other settings, is recognized annually through the Excellence in Teaching Award presented by the student body, the James A. Davis Recognition Award given by the Alumni Association, and the Finch Award given by the college. A faculty or staff member is chosen each year for the Earnest and Elizabeth Maiden Award, given for outstanding professional contributions to the college. Research and professional advancement among faculty members are encouraged through generous grants from the Mellon Challenge Fund for Faculty Development and the Reverend E.L. McConnell Scholarship Fund.
Endowed Chairs and Professorships
Distinguished faculty members with long terms of service to the college may be designated for one of the following endowed chairs or professorships: James Earl Copenhaver Professorship in Chemistry; Holbert L. Harris Professorship in Free Enterprise; Hawthorne Chair in Political Science; Hull Chair of Economics and Business; David C. and Richard H. Hull Chair in the Natural Sciences; Billie Sue Hurst Professorship in Chemistry; Jack and Mary Ellen McConnell Professorship in Biology; Geraldine A. Meyung-Dr. Clyde Alley Chair in International Studies; C. Lee Richardson, Sr., and Mahala Reeves Richardson Chair of American History; Allen B. and Agnes Rowlett Chair of Creative Studies; Floyd Bunyan Shelton Chair of Religion; Henry Carter Stuart Chair of English; and John M. Wolfe and Rebecca McMullin Wolfe Chair of Religious Education.
Lecture Series
The Iron Mountain Review, published annually by the English Department, reprints the proceedings of the college’s annual literary festival, along with some new writing by that year’s featured author and a bibliography on his or her work. Each year since 1982 the literary festival has celebrated the achievement of a writer with strong ties to the Appalachian region, including such notable figures as James Still, Fred
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Campus Policies
Endowed lectureships enable the college to bring to campus guest speakers of national stature: the Bays Blackwell Lectureship (statesmanship and public service); the Richard Joshua Reynolds Lectureship (humanities and the arts); the Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Lectureship (religion); the Marcus A. and Mary E. Talbert Lectureship (science); and the Robert B. Platt III Lectureship on Contemporary Ecological Perspectives (environmental studies). Lectureships have also been established in English, honoring Daniel G. Leidig, and in biology, honoring Nancy Pence Groseclose.