Awards and Medals

For Service to the College

The Honored Professor Award

Since 1987, the president of Smith College has annually presented the Honored Professor Award to a faculty member who has given long and distinguished service to the college. The president selects the honored professor based on distinction in teaching, scholarship and contributions to the academic community, and presents the award at Commencement.

  • 2025: Jay Garfield and Steven Williams
  • 2024: Alice Hearst
  • 2023: Justin Cammy and Daphne Lamothe
  • 2022: Alex Keller and Rick Millington
  • 2021: Nancy Bradbury and Sam Intrator
  • 2020: Joseph O’Rourke and Kate Queeney
  • 2019: Barbara Kellum
  • 2018: William Oram and Robert Merritt
  • 2017: John Brady
  • 2016: Andrea Hairston
  • 2015: Susan Etheredge
  • 2014: Donald Baumer
  • 2013: Donna Divine
  • 2012: John Patrick Coby
  • 2011: Thomas Riddell
  • 2010: Daniel Horowitz and Helen Horowitz
  • 2009: David Cohen
  • 2008: Mahnaz Mahdavi
  • 2007: Marjorie Senechal
  • 2006: Howard Nenner
  • 2005: Myron Glazer
  • 2004: Donald Robinson
  • 2003: Randall Bartlett
  • 2002: Thomas Derr and Dennis Hudson
  • 2001: Jill deVilliers and Peter deVilliers
  • 2000: Susan Van Dyne
  • 1999: Ken Hellman
  • 1998: Philip Green
  • 1997: Peter Rose
  • 1996: Cynthia Taft Morris
  • 1995: Malgorzata Pfabé
  • 1994: Jeanne Powell
  • 1993: Marshall Schalk
  • 1992: Stanley Elkins
  • 1991: Quentin Quesnell and Jean Higgins
  • 1990: Leo Weinstein
  • 1989: Helen Searing
  • 1988: Ty Unno
  • 1987: Adrienne Auerswald

The John M. Greene Award

The John M. Greene Award is bestowed upon those individuals who have rendered service to the college “beyond the call of duty” and who personify the Smith motto, “To virtue, knowledge,” in their service and in their lives. The award, given since 1980, was named for John Morton Greene, pastor and adviser to Sophia Smith.

The Smith College Medal

In 1962, the trustees of Smith College voted to establish the Smith College Medal. It is given annually to those alums who, in the judgment of the trustees, exemplify in their lives and work the true purpose of a liberal arts education. A committee made up of alums, representative of the trustees and the faculty, and staff recommends candidates for the award to the board of trustees. Those chosen receive their medals at Rally Day.

The medal was designed by noted sculptor and printmaker Elliot M. Offner, who taught at Smith from 1960 until 2004. The medal depicts the Grécourt Gates and the Smith College motto, To Virtue, Knowledge.

Nominate an alum for the Smith College Medal

1965

  • Lucia Johnson Bing 1906
  • Marie Poland Fish 1921
  • Helen Fogg 1924
  • Frances Miner ’27
  • Gertrude Weil 1901

1966

  • William Bodden
  • Eleanor Clark MSS ’51
  • Laura Cabot Hodgkinson 1922
  • Margaret Seabury Cook Thomson 1911

1967

  • Ruth Chester 1914
  • Marjorie Carr Jamison 1909
  • Myrtle Fish Thompson 1922

1968

  • M. Alison Frantz 1924
  • Katherine Graham Howard 1920
  • Sylvia Scaramelli Sammartino 1925
  • E. Clementine Miller Tangeman ’27
  • Dorothy Hamilton Walmsley 1917

1969

  • Dorothy Dulles Bourne 1915
  • Margaret Storrs Grierson 1922
  • Hortense Mayer Hirsch 1907
  • Meroe Morse ’45
  • Helen Appleton Read 1908
  • Alice Winchester ’29
  • Jane Wright ’42

1970

  • Lucy Wilson Benson ’49
  • Julia McWilliams Child ’34
  • Bernice Barber Dalrymple 1910
  • Eleanor Mackenzie Harpur ’34
  • Margaret Goldthwait Taylor 1921

1971

  • Ethel Bailey 1911
  • Dorothy Dunning Chacko 1925
  • Elizabeth J. Low Lucas 1917
  • Joyce Bernhardt Siegel ’55
  • Katharyn Stubbs Wright ’35

1972

  • Adelaide Cromwell ’40
  • Madeline McWhinney Dale ’43
  • Miriam Wood Haseltine 1916
  • Gloria Heath ’43
  • Edith Blakeslee Phelps ’38
  • Ellen Sulzberger Straus ’46

1973

  • Claire Davinroy (posthumously)
  • Eudorah Morse Moore ’40
  • Alice Orme Smith 1911
  • Madeline Stanton 1919
  • Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft 1926

1974

  • Christine von Wedemeyer Beshar ’53
  • Dorothea de Schweinitz 1912
  • Ruth Mehrtens Galvin ’42
  • Lillian Witten Mosee 1918

1975

  • Cornelia Baker Mendenhall
  • Constance Morrow Morgan ’35

1976

  • Virginia Dougherty Glover ’43
  • Barbara Cooney Porter ’38
  • Felice Nierenberg Schwartz ’46
  • Esther Ziskind Weltman 1922

1977

  • Anne Rudolph Conover ’28
  • Virginia Dougherty Glover ’43
  • Peggy Clark Kelley ’35
  • Emelie Perkins 1910
  • Jean Sovatkin Picker ’42

1978

  • Marylin Bender Altschul ’44
  • William I. P. Campbell
  • Mary Giffin ’39
  • Nell Hirschberg ’28
  • Marion Scranton Isaacs ’30

1979

  • Margaret Booth Andersen ’46
  • Iva Dee Hiatt
  • Alexandra Lappas ’60
  • Maida Herman Solomon 1912
  • Sally Stewart Ronk ’34

1980

  • Dorothy Etzensperger Allensworth ’29
  • Barbara Bates ’49
  • Lucile Atcherson Curtis 1913
  • Katherine Woodruff Fanning ’49
  • Barbara Polk Washburn ’35

1981

  • Susan Tracy Addiss ’51
  • Dora Chun ’38
  • Louise de Schweinitz Darrow 1918
  • Madeleine L’Engle ’41
  • Helen Hotchkin Means 1919
  • Gertrude Ridgway Stella ’37
  • Mary Rines Thompson ’40
  • Bernice McIlhenny Wintersteen 1925

1982

  • Cornelia Hahn Oberlander ’44
  • Alice Parker Pyle ’47
  • Glenda Copes Reed ’66
  • Eleanor Sanger ’50
  • Kate Belcher Webster ’46

1983

  • Mirra Bank Brockman ’67
  • Shirley Rich Krohn AM ’46
  • Sue Li ’55
  • Joanne Melniker Stern ’44

1984

  • Janet Welsh Brown ’53
  • Dorothy Goodwin ’37
  • Alden Brigham Mayer ’51
  • Nancy Backer Stevenson ’49
  • Virginia Verral Weldon ’57

1985

  • Joan Stitt McMenamin ’46
  • Cynthia Moss ’62
  • Mary Gordon Roberts ’60
  • Ruth Leger Sivard ’37
  • Dorah Heyman Sterne 1919

1986

  • Barbara Curtis Adachi ’45
  • Julia Chase-Brand ’64
  • Sophie Chandler Consagra ’49
  • Katherine Scranton Rozendaal ’31

1987

  • Laura Bornholdt ’40
  • Louise Wolff Kahn ’31
  • Dorcas Eason MacClintock ’54
  • Marian Molthan ’49

1988

  • Janet MacDonald Bates ’37
  • Sally Curtiss Fahrenthold ’59
  • Elizabeth Rudel Gatov ’33
  • Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg ’43

1989

  • Priscilla Haas Blum ’46
  • Nelly Schargo Hoyt ’43
  • Madeleine Marion Will ’67
  • Virginia Wing ’45
  • Caroline A. Matano Yang ’58

1990

  • Joan Lebold Cohen ’54
  • Elizabeth McCard Shipley ’28
  • Juliet Taylor ’67
  • Jane Yolen ’60

1991

  • Nancy Keebler Bissell ’61
  • Catharine MacKinnon ’69
  • Helen Baum Oakes ’45
  • Miriam Meyers Ritvo ’37
  • Pearl Yau Toy ’69
  • Joan Selverstone Valentine ’67

1992

  • Lucy Lippard ’58
  • Frances Wilson Peabody 1925
  • Lynn Hecht Schafran ’62
  • Gladys Stevens Thacher ’50
  • Jane Wallace ’47

1993

  • Aileen Adams ’66
  • Murdina MacFarquhar Desmond ’38
  • Joan Kent Dillon ’47
  • Mary Chase Pell ’37

1994

  • Joan Griggs Babbott ’48
  • Nan Darling Borton ’62
  • Eleanor Munro Kahn ’49
  • Rhea Cottler Levine ’60

1995

  • Sylvia Kamerman Burack ’38
  • Suzanne Hammond Corkin ’59
  • Emilie Smith Kilgore ’57
  • Lynden Breed Miller ’60

1996

  • Natalie Zemon Davis ’49
  • Liebe Sokol Diamond ’51
  • Joyce Poole ’79
  • Elizabeth Stage ’72

1997

  • Thelma Golden ’87
  • Helene Zimmermann Hill ’50
  • Carolyn Dineen King ’59
  • Gwendolyn Grant Mellon ’34

1998

  • Margaret Lang Bauman ’60
  • Wendy Kaminer ’71
  • Pamela Gundersen Miller ’60
  • Charity Cannon Willard ’36

1999

  • Stella Chess ’35
  • Joy Frisch Hakim ’51
  • Virginia K. Tippie ’72

2000

  • Diana Eck ’67
  • Helen Edelstein Freedman ’63
  • Ruth DeYoung Kohler ’63
  • Elisabeth McLane-Bradley ’42
  • Marilyn Carlson Nelson ’61

2001

  • Pamela Bowes Davis ’68
  • Molly Ivins ’66
  • Ann Kaplan ’67
  • Judith Tick ’64

2002

  • Jennifer Louise Kelsey ’64
  • Celinda Constance Lake ’75
  • Ann Matthews Martin ’77
  • Eleanor Walsh Wertimer ’44
  • Lois Quick Whitman ’48

2003

  • Constance E. Laurence Brinckerhoff ’63
  • Susan I. Moldow ’67
  • M. Lucile Reid ’72
  • Sandra L. Skoglund ’68
  • Marilyn Ray Smith ’65

2004

  • Carol Thompson Cole ’73
  • Rose Epstein Frisch ’39
  • Amy Kaiser ’65
  • Anne Moore, M.D. ’65
  • Elizabeth Olson Goldring Piene ’67

2005

  • Candace McKee Ashmun ’46
  • Judith Levenson Clapp ’51
  • Susan Low Bloch ’66
  • Anne E. Kazak ’77
  • L. Stoner Winslett ’80

2006

  • Julia M. Bolz ’83
  • Roberta Schenker Kurlantzick ’65
  • Beverly Mitchell ’65
  • Margaret Byard Stearns ’57

2007

  • Sarah Chasis ’69
  • Mary Ann Freedman Hoberman ’51
  • Carolyn Scerbo Kaelin ’83
  • Amy-Jill Levine ’78
  • Trudy Rubin ’65

2008

  • Irene Cebula Baird ’45
  • Tammy Baldwin ’84
  • Anne Clayton Brower ’60
  • Lella Gandini AC 1978
  • Catherine “Katie” T. Hunt ’77

2009

  • Helen “Penny” Chenery ’43
  • Naomi Lynn Gerber ’65
  • Kathleen Marshall ’85
  • Beverly Morgan-Welch ’74
  • Preeti Simran Sethi ’92

2010

  • Danielle Brian ’85
  • Luma Mufleh ’97
  • Stephanie Kulp Seymour ’62
  • T. Christine Stevens ’70
  • Sarah E. Thomas ’70

2011

  • Sarah Franklin ’82
  • Alice Kahn Ladas ’43, MSS 1946, Ed.D.
  • Susan McWhinney-Morse ’55
  • Shirley Sagawa ’83
  • Laurel Touby ’85

2012

  • Barbara Brenner ’73
  • Janet Fish ’60
  • Betsy Humphreys ’69
  • Dolores Kunda ’77
  • Cynthia Wade ’89

2013

  • Carol T. Christ ’66 (Hon.)
  • Anne De Groot ’78
  • Kay Holekamp ’73
  • Janet Clarke McKinley ’76
  • Gail Kern Paster ’66
  • Sherry Rehman ’85

2014

  • Susan Hiller ’61
  • Susan May Molineaux ’75
  • Amy Ellis Nutt ’77
  • Farah Pandith ’90

2015

  • Cynthia F. Bearer ’72
  • Stephanie D. Neely ’85
  • Jane Abramson O’Connor ’69
  • Gillian Martin Sorensen ’63

2016

  • K. Rea Carey ’89
  • Joan White Harris ’52
  • Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ’02

2017

  • Helen Keplinger ’94
  • Vickie Shannon ’79
  • Gloria Steinem ’56
  • Laura D’Andrea Tyson ’69
  • Ellen Weiss ’81

2018

  • Rochelle “Shelly” Braff Lazarus ’68
  • Ann Stringfellow Masten ’73
  • Rebecca Rabinow ’88

2019

  • Phoebe A. Haddon ’72
  • Carolyn Kuan ’99
  • Lydia Tenaglia-Collins ’88
  • Nicola “Niki” Sauvage Tsongas ’68

2020

  • Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows ’88
  • Frances E. Jensen ’78
  • Carolina A. Miranda ’93
  • Suki Terada Ports ’56

2021

  • Mitsuru Claire Chino ’88
  • Clare Coleman ’92
  • Kimberly Drew ’12
  • Anne Angen Gershon ’60

2022

  • Deborah Archer ’93
  • Jessie Banhazl ’06
  • Jane Lakes Harman ’66
  • S. Mona Ghosh Sinha ’88

2023

  • Shaharzad Akbar ’09
  • Vanessa Daniel ’00
  • Victoria (Tori) Murden McClure ’85
  • Kathleen E. Toomey ’73

2024

  • Sarah Belal ’01
  • Brenda Ekwurzel ’85
  • Tomi-Ann Roberts ’85
  • Cheryl Brown Wattley ’75

2025

  • Deborah Farrington ’72
  • Iris González ’11
  • Nancy Weiss Malkiel ’65
  • Margaret Nyamumbo ’11

2026

  • Elim Chan ’09
  • Wendy Brown Dean ’87
  • Theanne Griffith ’08
  • Lori Tharps ’94
Smith College Medal

Sherrerd Prizes for Distinguished Teaching

2026 Awards Ceremony

Thursday, October 22, 4:30 p.m.
Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center, Carroll Room

The Kathleen Compton Sherrerd ’54 and John J. F. Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching is given annually to Smith faculty members to recognize sustained and distinguished teaching by long-time faculty members as well as to encourage younger faculty members whose demonstrated enthusiasm and excellence influences students and colleagues.

About the Prize

The Kathleen Compton Sherrerd ’54 and John J.F. Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching was made possible by a grant to the college by Smith alumna Kathleen Compton Sherrerd, a 1954 graduate, and her husband, John J.F. Sherrerd.

Smith has long placed a high value on teaching and welcomes the establishment of the Sherrerd Prize as a visible symbol of its commitment and dedication to superior pedagogy. "Smith College has traditionally emphasized the importance of dynamic, diverse and interactive teaching in imparting the principles of the sciences and liberal arts to its high-achieving students," said President Carol T. Christ at the establishment of the prize. "The college considers the teaching of its students to be among its most essential objectives as a leading institution of women's education."

The Sherrerd Center for Teaching & Learning was founded in 2009 through a generous bequest from the Sherrerd family.

Requests for Nominations

Do you know a Smith faculty member whose teaching has had a significant impact on students? Smith students, faculty and alumnae are invited to nominate outstanding teachers for the Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished Teaching.

Please submit your nomination using one of the following methods:

Guidelines for Sherrerd Award Nominations

The information presented in individual nominations is vital to the Sherrerd Award Committee’s selection process. Concrete examples of a teacher’s work inside and outside the classroom help guide the committee’s decision process. Specific examples are also important in nominations.

Recommenders are also encouraged to consider the following questions:

  1. What sets this person apart among teachers at Smith College?
  2. Is there anything unique or unusual about this instructor’s teaching style that heightened your learning?
  3. Are there specific examples of engagement with students you would like to highlight? 

If you send a nomination email, please be sure to include:

  • Your name
  • Whether you are a Smith student, faculty member, or alumna
  • The name of the teacher you are nominating

Recipients

  • Kelly Anderson, senior lecturer in the study of women, gender, and sexuality
  • Anna Mwaba ’10, assistant professor of government
  • Sujane Wu, professor of East Asian languages and cultures

  • Nate Derr, associate professor of biological sciences
  • Howard Gold, professor of government
  • Lucy Mule, professor of education and child study

  • Jennifer Beichman, Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences
  • Alicia Grubb, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
  • Jina Kim, Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature and of the Study of Women and Gender

  • Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy
  • Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art
  • Erin Pineda, Phyllis Cohen Rappaport ’68 New Century Term Professor of Government

  • Jeffrey Ahlman, Associate Professor of History
  • Samuel Ng, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
  • Candice Price, Associate Professor of Mathematics & Statistics

  • Maren Buck, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
  • Gaby Immerman, Senior Laboratory Instructor in Biological Sciences
  • Michelle Joffroy, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

  • Carrie Baker, Professor of the Study of Women and Gender
  • James Lowenthal, Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor of Astronomy
  • Denise McKahn, Associate Professor of Engineering

  • Randi Garcia, Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Statistical and Data Sciences
  • Judith Keyler Mayer, Senior Lecturer in German Studies
  • Kiki Smith ’71, Professor of Theatre

  • David Gorin, Associate Professor of Chemistry
  • Suk Massey, Lecturer in East Asian Languages and Literatures
  • Tina Wildhagen, Associate Professor of Sociology and Dean of the Sophomore Class

  • Mark Brandriss, Senior Lecturer in Geosciences
  • Ginetta Candelario ’90, Professor of Sociology and Latin American and Latino/a Studies
  • Laura A. Katz, Elsie Damon Simonds Professor of Biological Sciences

  • Payal Banerjee, Assistant Professor of Sociology
  • Naomi J. Miller, Professor of English and the Study of Women and Gender
  • Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, Assistant Professor of History

  • Justina Gregory ’67, Sophia Smith Professor of Classical Languages and Literature
  • Sara B. Pruss, Associate Professor of Geosciences
  • Alan N. Rudnitsky, Professor of Education and Child Study

  • Rodger Blum, Professor of Dance
  • Caroline Melly, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
  • Mary Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics

  • Andrea Hairston ’74, Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies
  • Susannah Howe, Director of the Design Clinic and Senior Lecturer in Engineering
  • Douglas Patey, Sophia Smith Professor of English Language and Literature

  • Michael Barresi, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
  • Floyd Cheung, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature
  • Jennifer Guglielmo, Associate Professor of History

  • Leonard Berkman, Anne Hesseltine Hoyt Professor of Theatre
  • Susan Van Dyne, Professor of the Study of Women and Gender
  • Gregory White, Professor of Government

  • Nicholas Horton, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
  • Róisín O’Sullivan, Associate Professor of Economics
  • Michael Thurston, Professor of English Language and Literature

  • Kimberly Kono, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
  • Beth Powell, Lecturer in Psychology
  • Kate Queeney, Associate Professor of Chemistry

  • Randall Bartlett, Professor of Economics
  • John B. Brady, Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor of Geology
  • Patricia Marten DiBartolo ’89, Professor of Psychology

  • Mary Harrington, Tippit Professor in the Life Sciences
  • Sabina Knight, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
  • Borjana Mikic, Associate Professor of Engineering
  • Kevin Quashie, Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies

Fall

  • Justin Cammy, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies
  • John Hellweg, Professor of Theater
  • Samuel Intrator, Associate Professor of Education and Child Study

  • Kevin Shea, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

    Spring

  • Giovanna Bellesia, Professor of Italian Language and Literature
  • H. Robert Burger, Achilles Professor of Geology
  • Glenn Ellis, Associate Professor of Engineering
  • Marguerite Harrison, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese

  • Patrick Coby, Professor of Government
  • Susan Etheredge, Associate Professor of Education and Child Study
  • Dana Leibsohn, Associate Professor of Art
  • William Oram, Helen Means Professor of English Language and Literature

  • David Cohen, Professor of Mathematics
  • Shizuka Hsieh, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
  • Mahnaz Mahdavi, Associate Professor of Economics
  • Vittoria Poletto, Senior Lecturer in Italian Language and Literature

The Sophia Smith Award

The Sophia Smith Award was established in 1996 by the Board of Trustees to honor the college’s founder and benefactor, Sophia Smith, on the bicentennial of her birth. The trustees sought to honor individuals like Sophia Smith who, by virtue of their intelligence, energy, vision and courage, have made significant and lasting contributions to the education of women.

Recipients

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg, February 19, 1997
  • Ruth J. Simmons, May 3, 2001