Pardee School 2019 Student Awards Announced
During convocation ceremonies for the class of 2019 held on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena, the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies honored the achievements of some of its brightest and most talented students.
The Carole A. Chandler Citizenship Award recognizes the spirit of citizenship and a commitment to the values and mission of the Pardee School of Global Studies. The award is given to graduate or undergraduate students who demonstrated exemplary commitment to the school’s mission while maintaining academic excellence. The award celebrates the spirit of community and citizenship that was exemplified by Carole A. Chandler, the administrative co-founder and first Executive Assistant of the Center for International Relations.
This year the Chandler Award was given to two students: Kristin Leigh Bruno, who is graduating with an MA in International Affairs, and Andrew Benton Chiao, who is graduating with a BA in International Relations. Bruno and Chiao will graduate with the school’s highest honor for a student – the Chandler Citizenship Award – for demonstrating the highest standards of citizenship in service of the School’s mission while maintaining academic excellence.
A faculty nomination describes Bruno as “a real leader.” A Pardee School Dean’s Ambassador and one of the founders of the Pardee Womens’ Group (PWG), Bruno demonstrated leadership in helping mobilize a new student group at the Pardee School dedicated to advancing women in academia. She demonstrated leadership in reaching out to women leaders beyond the Pardee School and in organizing a special International Women’s Day event for the Pardee community. She demonstrated leadership in expanding the scope of the group’s work, in nurturing the interest of her fellow-students, and in ensuring the sustainability of the group.
A faculty nomination describes Chiao as “an exemplary citizen.” Chiao is the Chair of the Senate for the Boston University Student Government, a Student Admissions Representative, and a champion for health and education programs for youth, nonprofits, and refugee and asylee populations. A faculty nomination describes him as “reliably enthusiastic” about making the world a better place. It goes on to say that “his enthusiasm is infectious and helps instill [in others] a joy of learning and discovery. That joy embodies the spirit of Pardee.”
The Amb. Hermann Frederick Eilts Thesis Awards are given to the best undergraduate and graduate theses written by students at the Pardee School. The prize recognizes the value of good research and policy analysis at the Pardee School and celebrates the contribution of Ambassador Hermann Frederick Eilts, the founder of the International Relations programs at Boston University.
On the graduate level, the Eilts Award goes to Mohammad Aumar Abaas Chaudhry, MA in International Affairs, for his thesis Stable Difference: Conceptions of Inclusive Citizenship and Civic Coexistence for Religiously Pluralistic Societies in the Works of Contemporary Traditional Muslim Scholars (Adviser: Pardee School Professor of Anthropology and International Relations Robert Hefner). On the undergraduate level, the Eilts Award goes to Tal Salomon Dickstein, BA in International Relations, for his thesis Contemporary Power Transitions: Is China Ready to Challenge the U.S Hegemony? (Adviser: Pardee School Professor of International Relations and Political Science Joseph Fewsmith).
The winner of the College of Arts and Sciences Prize for Undergraduate Excellence at the Pardee School is Masha C. Vernik, who is receiving a BA in International Relations. The prize is given to the undergraduate student at the Pardee School who has demonstrated high academic achievement while also demonstrating outstanding service and leadership.
The final category of awards is the Pardee School Academic Excellence Awards. These are given to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated the highest levels of academic excellence in courses taken at the Pardee School.
The award for Graduate Academic Excellence is being given to Leanne Renee Violette, MA in Global Policy. Undergraduate Academic Excellence Awards are being given to Christopher William Brown, BA in International Relations and European Studies; Katie Jane Diclemente, BA in International Relations; and Ta-Wei Huang, BA in International Relations.