Departmental and University Awards

USC Geography annually recognizes the achievements of the department's undergraduates by conferring the Julian J. Petty and Donald O. Bushman Awards on the outstanding graduating senior and outstanding cartography student, respectively. In addition, the department offers the Bennett S. Masaschi Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 to a student with at least a 3.0 GPA and financial need.

Graduate students must submit a research paper they have presented at a conference to compete for the Paul E. Lovingood Award. The Davis Award is awarded to married graduate students who face the important responsibilities of successfully supporting and raising a family - yet they demonstrate a level of extreme high excellence in scholarship, including professional activities.

The College of Arts and Sciences Rising Senior Award is awarded to a rising senior with an outstanding academic record in all areas of achievement.

The Julian J. Petty Award

Named in honor of the late Dr. Julian J. Petty, who taught geography at the University from 1929 to 1967 and was the first Head of the Department of Geography, this award is conferred each spring on a graduating geography major in recognition of excellence in scholarship.

Eligibility for the award. The recipient of the award:


1. must be an undergraduate major in geography
2. must be cleared for graduation in the spring semester of the year when the award presented, or have graduated in the previous summer or fall semester
3. should display excellence in the classroom with a high overall GPA and high GPA in geography courses
4. should demonstrate interest in the discipline through participation in professional activities or geographic research

Selection Procedure.

1. Candidates for the award are nominated by undergraduate advisors
2. The Awards Committee makes the final selection based on comparative merit
3. In unusual years, when there is more than one highly qualified nominee, the Committee may select more than one recipient for the award. Likewise, if there is no qualified candidate for the award in a given year, the Committee may chose to make no award.
4. The Chairman of the Awards Committee will:
   1. notify the recipient(s) in writing as well as in person and confirm his or her availability to receive the award
   2. notify the parents of the recipient(s) in writing and invite their presence at the appropriate awards ceremony
   3. notify the organizers of the appropriate awards ceremony of the award recipient(s)
   4. arrange to have the appropriate plaque(s) and inscription(s) made and the check(s) made out
   5. arrange for the presentation of the awards at the appropriate awards ceremony

The Donald O. Bushman Award
Conferred on the outstanding student in cartography during the spring of each year, this award is named in honor of the late Dr. Donald O. Bushman, who taught geography and cartography at the University from 1953 to 1973.

Eligibility for the award. The recipient of the award:


1. must have been enrolled in cartography 341 and/or 541 during the preceding year (the fall, summer, or spring semesters of the preceding calendar year)
2. should display a sincere interest in cartography as well as demonstrate a mastery of the subject
3. will normally be an undergraduate major in geography at the time the award is made
4. should be available to receive the award in person at the time of the presentation

Selection Procedure.

1. Candidates for the award are nominated by geography instructors who have taught sections of cartography 341 and/or 541 during the preceding calendar year.
2. The Awards Committee makes the final selection based on comparative merit.
3. In unusual years, when there is more than one highly qualified nominee, the Committee may select more than one recipient for the award. Likewise, if there is no qualified candidate for the award in a given year, the Committee may chose to make no award.
4. The Chairman of the Awards Committee will:
   1. notify the recipient(s) in writing as well as in person and confirm his or her availability to receive the award
   2. notify the parents of the recipient(s) in writing and invite their presence at the appropriate awards ceremony
   3. notify the organizers of the appropriate awards ceremony of the award recipient(s)
   4. arrange to have the appropriate plaque(s) and inscription(s) made and the check(s) made out
   5. arrange for the presentation of the awards at the appropriate awards ceremony

The Bennett S. Masaschi Memorial Scholarship
The Bennett S. Masaschi Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded each year to an undergraduate student who has at least a 3.0 GPA and who demonstrates financial need. The scholarship was established by John and Susan Masaschi in honor of their son, Bennett, who completed his B.A degree in geography at USC in 1975.

Eligibility for the Award. The recipient of the scholarship:

1. must be an undergraduate major in geography
2. must be in residence and taking courses full time during the school year for which the award is made
3. must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA
4. must demonstrate financial need

Selection Procedure

1. Candidates for the award will be identified by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, based on their cumulative GPA at the end of the Fall semester and their academic status as either juniors or sophomores.
2. Candidates will be contacted by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, provided with information and an application form, and invited to apply.
3. The application will consist of a brief form and a one- to two-page statement written by the applicant in which they state their interest in being considered for the scholarship, address the issue of financial need and how the scholarship would benefit them, discuss their interests in the field of geography, and provide any other relevant information which might be helpful to the Awards Committee.
4. The Awards Committee of the Geography Department will select the scholarship recipient based on comparative merit and need.
5. If there is no qualified candidate in a given year, the Committee may choose not to make an award.
6. Application for and selection of the recipient of the scholarship will take place early in Spring semester. The award will be made formally during Awards Day ceremonies in April of each year. The scholarship will apply toward the tuition of the following school year.
7. The Chair of the Awards Committee will:
   1. notify the winner of the scholarship
   2. notify the organizers of the Awards Day ceremonies of the name of the scholarship recipient
   3. arrange to have the winner’s name inscribed on the departmental awards plaque
   4. arrange for the transfer of the $1000 scholarship to the recipient’s tuition account
8. Recipients are eligible to apply for a second year of support, but preference will be given to new applicants.

Grace and Allan Davis Scholarship Endowment
The Grace and Allan Davis Scholarship Endowment award will be granted based on the following criteria: Student(s) majoring in Geography with an emphasis in the geographic techniques area of remote sensing, GIS, or computer cartography. Preference given to married students with children that have financial needs. There being no students in that category then married students that have financial needs will be considered next followed by single students with financial needs. Graduate students will be given preference over undergraduate. Minimum award of $500 as funding will allow.

The Paul E. Lovingood Award
Dr. Paul E. Lovingood Jr., a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Department of Geography, retired in 1988 after twenty-seven years of service. His generous gift to the Educational Foundation enables the Department to present an annual award of $500 to the author of the outstanding graduate research paper.

Lovingood Award Submission Procedures


• Student Eligibility: Any Geography graduate student is eligible to compete for the Lovingood Award if that student was enrolled for at least one hour of graduate credit during either the Spring semester in which the competition occurs, or during the previous Summer or Fall semesters.
• Paper Eligibility: To be eligible for the Lovingood Award competition, any paper, solely authored by an eligible student, must have been accepted for and presented at any professional conference during the acceptable time frame.
• Acceptable Time Frame: To fall within the acceptable time frame the paper must have been presented at a professional conference during the period running from April 30th of the year of the competition, back in time to May 1st of the previous calendar year (i.e., May 1, 2002 - April 30, 2003).
• Submission Requirements: Four copies of a written paper of no more than eight pages, excluding the title page, tables, figures and bibliography, must be submitted to the director of graduate studies by April 30th. It should be double-spaced on 8 1/2 by 11 inch pages. The title page must include:
  1. the title of the paper
  2. the author's name
  3. a statement of details of the professional meeting at which the paper has been or will be given
  4. the date the paper is submitted for the award.
• Advice to Graduate Students: You should submit a copy of your solely authored paper to the graduate program director as soon as it has been accepted by a professional conference program committee. There are no additional submission requirements.
• Judging the Competition: A three-member committee, appointed by the Department Chair, will judge the submitted papers on the basis of academic merit. The Committee will promptly report the outcome of their deliberations to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Rising Senior Award
Departmental Criteria for the award, in addition to Eligibility Requirements by the College. The recipient of the award:

1. Must have completed at least four geography courses that count for the major
2. Have a 3.5 GPA in geography courses
3. Should demonstrate interest in the discipline through participation in professional activities or geographic research
4. Have a declared track in the area of geographic specialization in the undergraduate major
Selection Procedure:
1. Candidates for the award are nominated by undergraduate advisors
2. The Awards Committee makes the final selection based on comparative merit
3. In unusual years, when there is no qualified candidate for the award in a given year, the Committee may chose to make no final selection
4. The Chairman of the Awards Committee will notify the recipient(s) in writing as well as in person and confirm his or her availability to receive the award
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