Senior Distinction

The Senior Distinction award recognizes outstanding senior projects or theses at the Department and School/College level.

RWU encourages undergraduate students to dive deeper by engaging in research and scholarship. The Senior Distinction award recognizes outstanding undergraduate senior projects or theses (“project(s)”) at the department and school/college level. Senior Distinction provides an opportunity to encourage, elevate, and celebrate student scholarship.

This award recognizes outstanding undergraduate student work for any of the following:critical or textual analysis;creative performance or exhibit; a business plan; interpretation of a text or art object;laboratory or field experiment;case study;novel or short stories;or an applied project.

Students may be able to receive academic credit for completing the project. These credits may be part of a formal course or may be earned by enrolling in an independent study course.

Eligibility and selection requirements will be set by the department or school. Each school/department will provide to the Provost’s Office a written document outlining the eligibility requirements (i.e., minimum GPA, proposal, prerequisites, etc.) and selection criteria that will be used to confer this honor.

Conferral Process

Notice in Commencement Program

Each department/school will nominate students to receive Senior Distinction recognition using the Nomination for Senior Distinction Form by May 1 for inclusion in the Commencement Program. Nominations may be made prior to the completion of the project for inclusion in the commencement program. If at the time of nomination, the project has not been completed and certified, the Certification of Completion and Evaluation for RWU Senior Distinction Form must be completed for “Senior Distinction” to be noted on the student’s transcript. The Provost’s Office will then provide the information to the Office of Special Events for inclusion in the Commencement Program.

Official Transcript Notation

If the student was nominated for Senior Distinction before the completion/certification of the project, the nominating faculty mentor must compete the Certification of Completion and Evaluation for RWU Senior Distinction Form to certify completion and certification of the project/thesis by May 31 (January 2 for December graduates). The Provost’s Office will forward the names of these students to the Registrar’s Office by June 1 (January 2 for December graduates) to be notated on the student’s official academic transcript.

Open Periods for Form Completion

Faculty will receive email notification from the Provost's office when these forms are open for submissions.

  1. Students work with their faculty mentor to determine eligibility for Senior Distinction as per the school/departmental guidelines.
  2. Students work with their faculty mentor to identify a minimum of one (1) additional evaluator for their thesis/project. The student and faculty mentor have the option of adding a second evaluator.
  3. In March the Provost’s Office solicits faculty nominations for Senior Distinction. Faculty complete the Nomination for Senior Distinction Form by May 1 for May graduates. Nominations may be made prior to the completion/certification of the project.
  4. The Provost’s Office will provide Senior Distinction information to the Office of Special Events for inclusion in the Commencement Program (regardless of project completion/certification).
  5. If project completion and certification is noted on the Nomination for Senior Distinction Form, the Provost’s Office will notify the Registrar’s Office to note “Senior Distinction” on the student’s transcript.
  6. If the student was nominated for Senior Distinction before the completion/certification of the project, the nominating faculty mentor must compete the Certification of Completion and Evaluation for RWU Senior Distinction Form by May 31 in order for “Senior Distinction” to be noted on the student’s transcript.
  7. For December graduates, the nominating faculty mentor must compete the Certification of Completion and Evaluation for RWU Senior Distinction Form by January 1 for notification on the student’s transcript.
  8. After the thesis/project is evaluated by the nominating faculty mentor and the additional faculty evaluators, the student should submit a final copy in electronic format to Mary Wu, the Digital Scholarship/Metadata Librarian. The thesis/project will be deposited to the RWU Digital Commons for long-term preservation and access. Please refer to the Library’s Thesis Submission Guidelines for instructions, or contact Mary Wu (mwu@rw.edu) for further assistance.
  9. The Provost’s Office will forward the names of students certified for Senior Distinction to the Registrar’s Office on June 1 (January 2 for December graduates) to be notated on the student’s official academic transcript.