AWARDS: Harron Award nominations, please
Attn: Students, Faculty and Staff
From: Harron Award Faculty jury
The Faculty is currently accepting nominations for the ROBERT HARRON AWARD.
The ROBERT HARRON AWARD is presented each year to the student (M.S. [FT or PT]; M.A.; Knight Bagehot; Ph.D.) who has demonstrated excellence in writing and reporting as well as exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students. It is popularly known as the “nice guy/gal” award.
The award was established in memory of Robert Harron, a former sportswriter and long-time assistant to the presidents of this university, through gifts from his many friends.
While all members of the School (faculty - full-time and adjucts, staff and students) may submit nominations, only students in the Class of 2009 (part-time and full-time, M.S., M.A., Knight Bagehot, Ph.D.) are eligible for the prize, which will be announced with other awards on Journalism Day (this is a separate prize from SPJ’s “Student of the year” and the other awards determined by the Faculty.
A committee will examine the nominations and use the input to pick the winner of the prize. Please understand that this is NOT a popularity contest, and you are not “voting.” You are providing background information on a particular student. The Faculty makes the final decision.
We are looking for concrete examples that describe, as much as possible, the spirit of the award (see first para above), with special emphasis on the exemplary kindness and courtesy to fellow students (while maintaining high
academic standards).
Please send a short memo (one or two paras), via e-mail, in the format described below.
Compose a message to “sree@sree.net” and write “Harron Nomination — student’s name” (making the right substitution, of course). Please DO NOT write to the entire faculty.
Deadline: Thursday, May 4, 2009, at 10 a.m.
Nominations that are not in the format described above will not be accepted.
ONE SUGGESTION: Since the nominees will never see your nomination officially, you might want to Cc: or Bcc: him or her. Every year, nominators write so many nice things that disappear into the ether.
See below for slightly disguised examples from previous years.
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Subject: Harron Nomination–Suzy J. Schooler
Suzy Schooler deserves the Harron Award.
Throughout the year, Suzy has been both a leader and a friend to the entire class. When there is something to be done, she organizes. When she finds out that someone is sick, she asks if she can help. And when she
learns about good news she tells the class and tries to schedule a celebration.
Quite simply, Suzy is a leader. She has boundless amounts of intelligence, enthusiasm, generosity and goodness. First semester, she organized work for the homeless, needy children and a book club, among
other activities. And in “Critical Issues,” when some people were falling asleep, she never ceased to liven things up.
I have not known her for a long time, but she is a very special person and truly deserves this award.
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Subject: Harron Nomination–Suzy J. Schooler
I’d like to nominate Suzy Schooler.
Suzy came to mind immediately when I heard about this award. I know Suzy from RW1 first semester and Sports Journalism class this semester, and I have found her to be one of the most hard-working and spirited students at Columbia. Her energy and love for journalism are infectious. She never complains (a rare feat for a student here) and she is always ready with a smile and a word of encouragement during the tough stretches of deadlines.
Most important, Suzy has obviously made a commendable effort to befriend as many students as she could this year. She is often introducing people with common interests and after-Columbia plans. In my case, she made sure to get me in touch with a friend of a friend who would be able to help on my job search.
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To: sree@sree.net
Subject: Harron nomination–Suzy J. Schooler
I’d like to nominate Suzy Schooler.
My first experience with her was when she served as editor of the election newspaper. She really did a fabulous job of motivating and bringing together the entire staff. While under the stress of this difficult position, not once did she lose the friendly, caring manner which makes her so special. Since then, I’ve seen Suzy offer her assistance on several occasions to fellow students–helping with story ideas, cover letters or reporting problems. Beside this, she is a consumate professional, an excellent writer, an outstanding reporter. And she always has a smile and a cheerful “hello.” Suzy definitely deserves this award.
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