The Sociology Department has several awards for graduating seniors, most of which come with a cash prize. Awards are determined by consensus of the department faculty at the end of each spring term.
Established by Mrs. Ralph P. Holben, is given each year to the senior major in the Department who showed the greatest promise in the general field of applied sociology, this being the area to which Professor Holben devoted some forty years of teaching at Dartmouth.
Established by Mrs. John M. Mecklin (Mrs. Theodore W. Gorden) of Hanover, is awarded each year to a student majoring in sociology that is judged by the Department as having demonstrated to an outstanding degree the high intellectual standards of originality and vigor that characterized Professor Mecklin's academic career as professor of Sociology at Dartmouth.
Established by an anonymous donor in amounts up to $2,000 to be awarded to the most promising graduating senior who is pursuing graduate work, preferably in Sociology although other areas are also eligible. Sociology majors who have graduated recently are also eligible. Professor Truxal was an esteemed member of the Department and later President of Hood College.
Established by the Sociology Department in 2003 to be presented to the graduating senior with the highest academic achievement.
Established by the Sociology Department in 2005 to be presented to those students who have exhibited a strong grasp of the sociological imagination and who use that understanding to promote social justice in everyday life.
Established by the Sociology Department in 2000 to be presented to students in recognition of their high academic achievement.