Geography
Student Awards
Each year, the Department of Geography recognizes some of our best students with the following awards:
The Brooks-Shaw Award
Named after Reginald Shaw and James Brooks, two early and influential faculty members in the CWU Geography and Land Studies Department, these annual awards are given to select undergraduate students majoring in geography who demonstrate academic excellence and promise. Dr. Shaw, known for his research on the Columbia River, served CWU from 1935 to 1952 after completing his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Many of his students, including Dr. Brooks, went on to complete graduate work in geography. Dr. Brooks graduated from CWU in 1950. He was professor in the department from 1961 to 1994, and president of the university between 1961 and 1978.
Since the inaugural awards in 1996, more than 100 students have received a Brooks-Shaw Award, with the award typically $1000 per student. A top priority of the department, and especially the Scholarship Committee, is to boost the funding of the Brooks-Shaw Endowment through new contributions from alumni (including former award recipients), faculty (current and former), and others with an interest in helping make CWU more affordable for our best students.
A list of recipients of the Brooks-Shaw Award is available here.
The Macinko Award
The $500 annual award is funded by the generosity of Maryann Macinko is named after George Macinko, who taught in the Geography Department for more than thirty years. Dr. Macinko taught a variety of courses with a particular emphasis on conservation and environmental studies, and with his wife has been very active in the local community. This award is given each year to a junior who has done well in classes and displays the potential to become a lifelong geographer.
A list of recipients of the Macinko Award is available here.
The Hultquist Distinguished Service Award
This award is named for Dr. Nancy Hultquist, who retired from the department in 2010 after many years of serving her students with unstinting care. The award is given to students who also go out of their way to serve others in the Geography Department, Central Washington University, or the broader Ellensburg Community.
A list of recipients of the Hultquist Distinguished Service Award is available here.
The Buck Minor Award
The award was funded through the generosity of CWU Geography Department alumnus Joseph Stoltman (chair at Western Michigan) who made a donation to the university in honor of his late relative and local rodeo icon Buck Minor. Buck Minor was described in the Daily Record some years ago this way: “Buck Minor is as close to a living legend as one can get. With rugged features carved from years of exposure to the elements, a quick wit and charismatic charm of a bygone era, Buck Minor epitomizes rodeo and its lifestyle.”
A list of recipients of the Buck Minor Award is available here.
Geography
You are cordially invited to attend the annual Spring Meeting of the AWG, which will be hosted by Ce
Association Of American Geographers Annual MeetingApril 9-13, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA.See List and Schedule of Attendees.
In Memoriam Of Martin Richard KaatzMartin Richard Kaatz of Ellensburg, WA died on November 24, 2012 in Ellensburg from complications f