Awards & Scholarships

award bookThe Department of Geography/Geology has established a program of awards to encourage, reward, and recognize student excellence in the department. Each award includes a certificate and cash award, and inscription of the recipient's name on a plaque permanently displayed in the department. The awards are presented to students at the department's annual Spring Banquet. All majors and minors are encouraged to attend the banquet which is normally held in late April or early May.


The following awards are regularly presented:

Writing Achievement Award

-$200.00 is awarded to the student who has written the best paper in geography or geology, as judged by a faculty panel. 

Benjamin Ofori-Amoah Urban and Regional Planning Award

-$200.00 is granted to a junior or graduating senior student who has demonstrated capacity and potential for excellence in the field of urban and regional planning.

         Geography and Geology Department Academic Honors Award

-$200.00 is awarded to the graduating student who holds the highest-grade point average.  To be eligible for consideration for this award the student must earn a minimum of eighteen geography and geology credits at UWSP.   

         GeoClub Academic Scholarship

-$200.00 is presented to a student who is declared geography or geoscience major with two semesters left before graduation, at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA, and a minimum of 9 credits in geography and geology courses at UWSP with at least three credits above the 100 level. 

         GeoClub Potential as a Professional Geographer or Geoscientist Scholarship

-$200.00 is awarded to student who is a declared Geography or Geoscience major with at least two semesters left before graduation, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, a minimum of 9 credits of Geography and Geology courses at UWSP with at least 3 credits above the 100 level, write an essay of at least 250 words explaining why they show potential as a geographer or geoscientist, and be active in the GTU/GeoClub meetings and events (other professional and university activities and hobbies related to geography or geoscience also are considered in determining the awardee). 

        Gamma Theta Upsilon Award for Excellence in Geography

-Presented by the Kappa Pi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, $200.00 and a certificate is awarded to a student for their service to Gamma Theta Upsilon/GeoClub, the discipline of Geography or Geoscience and academic achievements. 

National Council for Geographic Education and the Association of American Geographers Award for Excellence of Scholarship

-A certificate and $200.00 award, presented by the National Council for Geographic Education and based on the recommendation of the department, is given to a graduating geography major for excellence of scholarship based on cumulative grade point average and professional development

        Specht Cartography Award 

-$200.00 is awarded to the student submitting the most outstanding cartographic project or limited map portfolio, as determined by a faculty panel. 

      Departmental Scholarship

        Raymond and Ellen Specht Cartography Scholarship (2)

-The Department of Geography/Geology encourages qualified students to apply for the $2,000.00 Raymond and Ellen Specht Cartography Scholarship, given to the department in memory of Raymond and Ellen Specht, former UWSP faculty.

To be considered for the scholarship, recipients must: a) be full-time UWSP Geography major; b) have completed at least 12 UWSP geography credits; c) be a Geographic Information Science and Cartography option candidate or have an elective emphasis in Geospatial Techniques; d) have demonstrated capacity and potential for excellence in the field of cartography; e) and be enrolled in classes at UWSP for the following semester unless a graduating senior is planning to attend graduate school to major in the field of geography with a specialization in cartography, however preference will be given to continuing majors.