Awards & Accolades

Dr. Richard F. Southby was a faculty member at the George Washington University from 1979 to 2006, having served as department chair, associate dean, interim dean of the former School of Public Health and Health Services, distinguished professor of global health, and executive dean in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Health Affairs. He was granted emeritus status by the Board of Trustees in 2006. Dr. Southby was the founding director of the Police Science Program in the College of Professional Studies.The Dr. Richard F. Southby Police Science Prize is presented to an exceptional graduating student from the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Police and Security Studies program.The prize was established by Dr. Southby’s wife, Dr. Janet R. Southby, Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.

The Founding Dean Arterton Award is given to the graduating student who epitomizes professional distinction and ethical conduct in political management. F. Christopher Arterton, who served as dean of the Graduate School of Political Management from its founding in 1987 to 2010, established this award to celebrate the core ideals valued by a school of professional politics.

Before joining the GSPM, Professor Arterton taught political science at Yale, MIT, and Wellesley, achieving national recognition as a scholar of American politics and as a professional pollster. As the founding dean of the GSPM, Arterton advanced his vision that, beyond teaching abstract theory, institutions of higher education have an affirmative obligation to prepare their students for practical participation in democratic governance and electoral politics. In the process, Dean Arterton created the new academic discipline of political management. Having led the merger of the school into the George Washington University, Arterton subsequently expanded the school’s curriculum of political management to include programs in legislative affairs, strategic public relations, and the politics of governance. During the 23 years of Dean Arterton’s leadership, the GSPM emerged as the foremost academic institution of applied democratic politics in the world.

During his time leading the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) from 2013 to 2016, the Honorable Mark Kennedy encouraged students to devote themselves to expanding the reach of freedom around the globe with the goal of making democracy work more effectively. The Mark and Debbie Kennedy Frontiers of Freedom Award recognizes the GSPM graduating student who best exhibits actions or preparations to promote or protect the expansion of political and economic freedom beyond the borders of the United States.

The College of Professional Studies Undergraduate Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes the undergraduate student who best demonstrates the college’s core competencies of strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership, and ethics.

The College of Professional Studies Graduate Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes the graduate student who best demonstrates the college’s core competencies of strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership, and ethics.

This honor is awarded to the part-time faculty member in the College of Professional Studies who has provided extraordinary service to the students and the college. The award recognizes both enlightened teaching and meritorious efforts to advance the college and its programs.