Religious Studies
Honors and Awards
The J. Arthur Baird Prize Fund
This prize honors the memory of J. Arthur Baird, Synod Professor of Religious Studies and a member of Wooster's faculty from 1954 until his retirement in 1986. This prize is awarded annually to the student who, in the estimation of the Department of Religious Studies, has demonstrated the greatest aptitude in the area of New Testament studies.
The Paul DeWitt Twinem Bible Award
This award was established in 1925 by Mrs. Mary Fine Twinem in memory of her husband, Paul D. Twinem, of the class of 1915, and is given at graduation to the senior who, in the opinion of the staff of the Department of Religious Studies, has shown the highest degree of excellence in Biblical studies.
College-Wide Honors and Honor Societies
The Dean's List includes students meeting the following criteria during a semester: enrollment for at least four full credits in letter-graded courses, semester grade point average of 3.650 or higher, no final grade of I (Incomplete) or NC (No Credit). Students who demonstrate satisfactory progress in 451 or completion of 452 are eligible for the Dean's List with three courses which are letter-graded.
Departmental Honors are awarded at graduation to students who meet the following standards: (1) a grade of "H" on the Senior I.S. Thesis or unanimous vote of the department; (2) an average of 3.5 in all courses taken in the major department; (3) an overall average of 3.2 for four years at Wooster.
Latin Honors, first awarded in 1998, are awarded at graduation based on overall grade point average in Wooster-graded courses: summa cum laude for 3.900 to 4.000; magna cum laude for 3.750 to 3.899; and cum laude for 3.500 to 3.749. To graduate summa cum laude, a student must receive a grade of "H" on the Senior I.S. Thesis. Latin Honors are not a substitute for Departmental Honors.
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national society for the recognition of high scholarship, has a chapter, the Kappa of Ohio, at Wooster. The student membership is made up of those seniors who are first in academic rank, a few being elected at the beginning of the senior year on junior standing, and others at the end of the year.