The Department of Slavic Languages recognizes outstanding student achievement with a number of graduation awards as well as membership in Dobro Slovo, the National Slavic Honor Society.
Zoya Frolova, Roman Feast (2007)
The Eric Duffell ’96/Dobro Slovo Award in Russian Language, Literature and Culture
This award is presented each year at the Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences Tropaia ceremony to a graduating senior for outstanding achievement in the field of Russian language and culture. It is the Department’s highest graduation honor and is named in memory of Eric Duffell ’96, who received the award at the first combined College Tropaia after the merger of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Leroy W. Grever Memorial Award
The Leroy Grever Award was established as a memorial to the late Leroy W. Grever (1948 – 1977), a faculty member of the Russian Department in the Georgetown University School of Languages and Linguistics, the precursor to the current Department of Slavic Languages. This award is presented to the student who has exhibited strong moral character, who has maintained a strong academic record, and who plans to pursue graduate studies.
The ACTR Scholar Laureate Award
The American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) provides national recognition for one outstanding junior or senior student at Georgetown each year. The nominee is a student who best embodies an enthusiasm for studying the Russian language and learning about Russian literature and culture.
Dobro Slovo, the National Slavic Honor Society
Dobro Slovo was originally founded as a local Slavic Honorary Society on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley on October 29, 1926. In 1963, with the help and encouragement of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European languages- AATSEEL, Dobro Slovo became the National Slavic Honor Society.
There are now over 130 local chapters with a total membership of 6,200. Dobro Slovo serves as a means for the recognition of academic excellence in the study of Slavic languages, literature, history, and culture. The Society serves as an incentive for scholarly interest in Slavic life and culture. The National Slavic Honor Society has been patterned after other existing honorary organizations. The Key of the Society is as representative of academic excellence in Slavic studies as the Phi Beta Kappa is for academic studies as a whole.
In order to qualify for membership, students must:
- have completed two years (or equivalent) of study of Slavic languages, literature, culture, or related subjects with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (B+/A-);
- maintain a minimum overall academic average of 3.0 (B); and
- indicate an active and continuing interest in Slavic languages, literature, culture or related fields of Slavic studies.
Interested students should write to the chapter advisor of Dobro Slovo, Prof. Svetlana Grenier.