Honorary Degrees

An Honorary Degree is the highest honor that Colorado College can bestow. Degree recipients are chosen with great care following thorough evaluation by the Academic Events Committee, the President's Cabinet, and the Board of Trustees. The honor is awarded to individuals who have rendered distinguished service to society or made extraordinary achievements in their profession.

Recipients with distinction in the Earth & Geosciences:

• Paul J. Morin
  • D.Sc. announced at the 2015 Commencement
  • Link to announcement PDF
• Woodward William "Woody" Fischer, '00
  • D.Sc. announced at the 2014 Opening Convocation
  • Link to announcement PDF

Link to the Colorado College Honorary Degree Recipients page.

RMAG

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Award

The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award is made in recognition of exemplary scholastic achievement to encourage excellence in the field of Earth Science. The awardee will receive an engraved RMAG geology rock pick.

• 2023-24: Emma Revenaugh, '24
• 2022-23: Cade A. Quigley, '23
• 2021-22: Abby Roat, '22

Bennett

Billie Bennett Award

Each year the CC Geology faculty identifies an outstanding graduate whose gender has been historically underrepresented in the field of geology. The department commends the student for recognition by the Laramide Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists which honors graduates of academic institutions in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

The award commemorates Billie Bennett, a 1935 B.A. and 1937 M.A. Geology woman graduate, from Colorado College, who went on to instruct Mineralogy courses at CC. She was also one of several co-founders of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society. The awardee will receive an engraved geology rock pick and Certificate of Merit from AWG.

• 2023-24: Piper Kent '23
• 2022-23: Eugenie Haring '23 and Grace Eleanor King '23
• 2021-22: Nora Wynn '22

Estwing

Estwing Outstanding Senior Geologist Award

Each year the Estwing Manufacturing Company of Rockford, Illinois, presents an award to an outstanding geology student at Colorado College for academic achievement and overall contribution to the Geology Department. The awardee will receive an engraved geology rock pick.

• 2023-24: Pierce Hayton '24
• 2022-23: Zhilin Shi '23
• 2021-22: Fiona Swope '22

McKenna

Phillip J. McKenna Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Award

• 2023-24: Annie Breyak '25
• 2022-23: Mackenzie Boyd '25, Emma Revenaugh '24
• 2021-22: Spencer Shaw '23

Buster

Patricia J. Buster Research Scholarship

These scholarships, established in 2000 in honor of Patricia J. Buster, Class of 1933, support outstanding Colorado College students in undertaking original research in geology and related Earth sciences.

• 2023-24: Annie Breyak '25, Harold Oppenheim '26, Ilene Kruger '25, Lachlan McCallum '25, Oliver van Linder '26, Sadie Almgren '26
• 2022-23: Eugenie Blake Haring '23, Matthew Louis Semel '23, Piper Kent '23, Zhilin Shi '23
• 2021-22: Fiona Swope '22, Max Sandweiss '22

Gould

Donald B. Gould Scholarship in Geology

Scholarship for Geology majors.

• 2023-24: Annie Breyak '25
• 2022-23: Annie Breyak '25, Emma Revenaugh '24 
• 2021-22: Ren Carroll '22

Putnam

Darrell M. Putman Scholarship

Scholarship for Geology majors.

• 2023-24: Jesus Lara Rivas '25
• 2022-23: Baxter Waltermire '24, Jesus Lara Rivas '25
• 2021-22: Clayton Francis Rodriguez Gould '23, Helen Haddad '22, Piper Kent '23, Ren Carroll '22

Fischer

William A. Fischer Family Scholarship

 Scholarship for Geology majors.

• 2021-22: Nora Wynn '22

Rhoads

Charles Rhoads 1959 Scholarship

Scholarship for Geology majors.

• 2023-24: Annie Breyak '25, Baxter Waltermire '24, Charlie Hite '25, David Mims '26, Jesus Lara Rivas '25, Piper Kent '23,
• 2022-23: Clayton Francis Rodriguez Gould '23, Piper Kent '23
• 2021-22: Clayton Francis Rodriguez Gould '23, Helen Haddad '22

Wold

Wold Family Fund

Scholarship for Geology majors.

• 2023-24: Baxter Waltermire '24 and Charlie Hite '25
• 2022-23: Charlie Hite '25

Hannigan

Hannigan Family Fund for Fieldwork

The Hannigan Family Fund for Fieldwork exists to benefit geology students who show considerable talent for geological fieldwork.

• 2022-23: Charlie Hite '25
• 2021-22: Cade A. Quigley '23

Creager

Creager Fund

This award provides support for Geology majors for such items as supplies for research projects, expenses related to presenting research at a conference, class field trip, or special program/field course.

• 2023-24: David Mims '26 and Jesus Lara Rivas '25
• 2022-23: Baxter Waltermire '24 and Mackenzie Boyd '25
• 2021-22: Clayton Francis Rodriguez Gould '23, Emma Revenaugh '24, and Piper Kent '23

Whitten

Barbara Whitten Prize for Women in the Natural Sciences

This prize is given to a woman student in the natural sciences who exemplifies Barbara Whitten’s model of achieving personal scientific excellence while helping others do the same.  Personal scientific excellence is a combination of an excellent academic record in the natural sciences, and/or exceptional research in a scientific field.  The recipient should also demonstrate a significant commitment to the advancement of women or underrepresented groups in the sciences through scholarly, community, pedagogical, or other work.

• 2022-23: Eugenie Blake Haring '23

Tashjian-Crecelius

Tashjian-Crecelius Family Prize for Women in Science

The Tashjian-Crecelius Family Prize for Women in Science was established in 2002 by Daniel N. Crecelius (Class of 1959) and his wife, Anahid Tashjian Crecelius in honor of Anahid's mother Elize Tashjian and her deep commitment to women's educational opportunities and achievement.

The prize is awarded to a woman student who is a major in one of the natural sciences, and who is an international or minority student. Preference is given to Armenian or Armenian-American women. The award is based on the best proposal demonstrating: 1) a meaningful scientific research project that will further the understanding of the natural sciences, or 2) travel expenses to attend a national or regional professional meeting, whether or not the student is presenting a research project or original research.

• 2016-17: Tianran Zhang '18
• 2015-16: Tianran Zhang '18