Anthropology Award

The James Houston Award in Anthropology

This is an annual award established and presented for the first time in May 1979. It is made possible by contributions from the faculty in anthropology and geography and by a generous gift from Alice and James Houston whose interest in researching, recording and teaching about the cultures and habitats of Native America has been a constant inspiration.

The fund is administered by the Rhode Island College Foundation and consists of a prize to be awarded annually in anthropology. The chair of the Department Honors Committee will coordinate the selection of the prize recipient. The award will be financed from the interest earned on the principal of the fund. The presentation will be made as part of the Cap and Gown Day Program held in May.

Selection Criteria

• The recipient must be a graduating senior majoring in anthropology.
• The recipient must have a general academic grade point average of 3.0 and a 3.5 average in their major.
• The recipient must have demonstrated significant involvement in the department and in the concerns of the discipline beyond course responsibilities.

Selection Process

The Department Honors Committee will:

• Screen the records of graduating majors to determine which students meet the academic criteria.
• Solicit statements from department faculty concerning eligible students.
• Make files on candidates available to the faculty for their perusal.
• Report the names of the nominees to the department at the March department meeting.
• Notify the selected recipient and advise the appropriate administrative officer(s).

It is the desire of the donors that this fund should benefit the college and its students in perpetuity. If the need for this fund should cease to exist or so diminish as to provide unused income, then another use for the funds, consistent with the donors' intentions, shall be determined by the Foundation Board of Directors.