Student Awards

Each year the International Relations Program faculty and staff identify several undergraduate students to receive our special named awards for outstanding academic performance and special contributions to the undergraduate program. The recipients’ names are entered on the award plaques hanging in the International Relations Program office, and each recipient receives a plaque to keep. The recipients of these awards are also listed in the program for the College of Arts & Sciences Convocation every year. 

Senior Awards

The Goodwin Cooke Leadership Award is given annually to a graduating senior who has exhibited leadership in the activities of the International Relations Program.  This award honors Ambassador and Professor-of-Practice Goodwin Cooke, who served for nearly two decades as Director of Undergraduate Studies in International Relations at Syracuse University, following a distinguished career as a US Foreign Service Officer. 

The Julian R. Friedman Internationalism Award is given annually to a graduating senior for outstanding academic achievement, community involvement, and a commitment to the spirit of internationalism which Professor Friedman’s life represented.  Dr. Friedman taught in the Political Science Department at the Maxwell School and was active with human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The Harlan Cleveland Policy Award for excellence in international policy issues is given annually to a graduating senior for academic achievement and enthusiastic involvement in international policy issues which Harlan Cleveland’s career represented.  Dr. Cleveland was Dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs and formerly US Assistant Secretary of State and US Ambassador to NATO.

The G. Matthew Bonham International Relations “Scholar of the Year” Award is given annually to a graduating senior for academic excellence in International Relations and for the difficulty of the curriculum chosen. The award is named in honor of Professor G. Matthew Bonham who joined the faculty of the Maxwell School in 1992 and served as Chair of the International Relations Program from 1992-2008. 

The Mary E. Lovely Award for Service in International Relations is given annually to the graduating senior that has performed exceptional service to the International Relations program. This award honors Dr. Mary E. Lovely, a Professor in the Economics Department from 1989-2022, and former Chair of the International Relations Program, 2011-2017. Dr. Lovely’s career at Syracuse exemplified service, scholarship, and devotion to students. 

Junior Award

The Matthew Ross Wanetik Memorial Scholarship honors the life of Matthew Wanetik, an undergraduate student at Syracuse University from August 2006 until his death from an undetected heart ailment on 3 October 2008 while studying abroad. This award has been created for perpetuity and will annually go to an undergraduate student in the junior year majoring in International Relations and/or Political Science, who is actively engaged in the campus community, and exemplifies Matt's kindness, curiosity, and charm.  This engagement might include membership in a learning community, fraternity/sorority, or recognized student organization, and/or participation in community service/volunteer work or off-campus study.

More information about Matt and the memorial scholarship, including application, award amount, and the list of recent recipients, is available on the Wanetik Memorial Scholarship page.