Prizes and Awards

Vassar awards prizes each year from certain endowed funds, according to the terms of the gifts. Sociology Department award recipients are selected by the department.

Hinerfeld Family Annual Award

This award is given to the student/students who exhibit a record of outstanding work in sociology. A faculty committee will review the academic accomplishments of Sociology majors to select a winner.

Leslie A. Koempel Prize

This prize is given to the best senior sociology thesis each year. A faculty committee will review senior theses to select a winner.

Lilo Stern Writing Prizes

Established in 1996 to honor the memory of Lilo Stern, a Professor of Anthropology at Vassar College for over 20 years. Prizes are given for the best research paper and essay submitted for a course in anthropology, geography, sociology, or a multidisciplinary course taught by faculty in those departments during the academic year.

Other distinctions

Apart from these endowed prizes, the Sociology Department awards departmental honors to majors who rise to a distinguished level of performance in Sociology coursework, including a Senior Thesis (SOCI 300 and 301). The department also nominates highly promising students to the international sociology honor society Alpha Kappa Delta.