Merit and Scholarship Awards

Sigma Lambda Alpha Initiates

This honor society in our field was formed in the late 1970s by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. Requirements for membership include sound character, a minimum GPA of 3.2 for undergrads and 3.5 for graduate students, and membership is open to students at Junior level or above. Graduating students who are members of Sigma Lambda Alpha may choose to wear Honor Cords at graduation ceremonies.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Daniel Kim, Mark Spears, Heather Faivre, Changmo Kim, Vanessa Slivinski, Bram Barth, Lu Peng, Amber Phillippe, Yi Qu, Shuangshuang Wu, and Xin Wu
2010 Katie Amoruso, Joseph Blecha, Rhonda Castillo, Jennifer Czaja, Brandon Goldberg,
Samuel Heppard, Katherine Hoffman, Allison Jacobson, Shawn James, Alexzandra Jaskolka,
Katarina Katsma, Michael Kehl, Anna Langenfeld, Jeffrey Norberg, Jose Miguel Ruiz,
Pongsakorn Suppakittpaisarn, and Xucan Zhou
2009 Trisha Hurst, Martin Holland, Clare Johnson, Tim Martin, Sean McKay, Luke Schissel,
Rebecca Taylor, Shirley Vassell, and Shimon Zimbovsky


Wadsworth Scholarship

More than a decade ago, Brent & Jean Wadsworth established a scholarship endowment for students committed to the occupation of landscape architecture. Through these scholarships, students are encouraged to be generous with their time, skill, and resources in volunteer, non-profit, and pro bono opportunities, as they become successful members of the profession. The Wadsworth Scholarships provide one semester of in-state tuition for outstanding Juniors in Landscape Architecture.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Elle Perisin and Heather Faivre
2010 Katie Pitstick and Kealan O'Neill
2009 Katherine Hoffman, Katarina Katsma, and Pongsakorn Suppakitpaisarn


Beatrice Hornemann Scholar (Zonta Award)

This award is in honor of Beatrice Hornemann, an alumna of the program and a member of the Zonta service organization. This award is given to an outstanding woman graduate student in the department each year for academic achievement, creativity and contributions to the department.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Annie Varma
2010 Trisha Hurst
2009 Bethany Harre


Bruce Borland Scholarship

This endowed fund was established to commemorate the life of Bruce Borland (BLA 1981) and to support the education of students interested in golf course architecture.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Jason Buckley and John Palarz
2010 Tim Jung and Jason Schroen
2009 Jeffrey Norberg


Golf Builders Association Award

This scholarship is awarded to a junior who is a resident of Illinois, with high academic standing. This is the third year that this scholarship has been awarded.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Changmo Kim and Kealan O'Neill
2010 Jennifer Czaja and Jose Miguel Ruiz
2009 Brian Concordia and Barrett Schroeder


Natalie Alpert Prize

In memory of Professor Natalie Alpert, this endowed fund provides a cash award for the best paper in landscape history, at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Cesar Pena and Renee TeVogt
2010 Zheng Li and Alexzandra Jaskolka
2009 Sarah Rowe and Erich Sprague


Gary Kesler Prize

This fund was established in honor of former colleague and Associate Head Gary Kesler, to be awarded annually to a student who exhibits excellence in the mastery of technical principles in landscape architecture.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Kealan O'Neill
2010 Katherine Hoffman
2009 Alex Sammett


Dan Ryan Prize

This prize was established in the Department of Landscape Architecture in 2002, in memory of Daniel J. Ryan, in acknowledgement of his exceptional talents and willingness to help others. This special recognition is awarded to a Sophomore in landscape architecture who is nominated by his or her peers in the class—for exceptional ability in design and visual communications. The nominee will also demonstrate a willingness to help fellow students, and contribute positively to studio culture and collegiality.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Jason Buckley
2010 Erik Kepler
2009 not awarded in 2009


Chalet Nursery Horticulture Prize

This award is presented to the landscape architecture student with the highest grade in the two-semester woody plant sequence (HORT 301 and 302) from last year.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Jeffrey Norberg
2010 Alex Sammett
2009 Katharyn Hurd


Robert Riley Scholarship

Established to honor Professor Emeritus Robert Riley, the purpose of this scholarship is to recruit and support new graduate students joining the MLA program in the Landscape Architecture Department. It is awarded to an incoming graduate student in the Fall.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Jessica Roberts


Alumni Merit Scholarship

This Fund provides scholarships for Juniors in Landscape Architecture, who demonstrate strong academic performance, service, and professional promise.

Year Student Recipient
2011 Eli Andonova, Heather Faivre, and Lin Ye


<<Back to Main Awards Page