Awards
The Higgins Labor Studies Program grants a number of awards each year to distinguished graduate and undergraduate students working in the field of labor and workplace studies.
John Joyce Award
Each academic year, the HLSP conducts a contest among graduate and undergraduate students for the John Joyce Award, which is given to the student who submits the best paper, poem, artwork, or other intellectual product on the U.S. worker. The award is named after foremost supporter of the Center and former president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, John T. Joyce, who attended Notre Dame in the 1950's.
2009 Winner: Brian Sarnacki '09
Former Award Winners:
In Spring 2008, two undergraduate students were awarded the John Joyce Award: Stuart Mora and Paul Mower. Stuart submitted a research paper on the Teamsters' organizing drive at Notre Dame as a case study in the decline of the labor movement. Paul's research focused on the Employee Free Choice Act and whether or not it is good for American Workers. Both students received a small monetary award and a certificate of recognition.
In the past students have submitted essays on Peter Maurin and Leo XIII's encyclical, Rerum Novarum; a dialogue between St. Thomas Aquinas and John Locke; and a research paper on democracy and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 2003, the graduate prize was awarded to Lisa Demidovich for "What Kind of Future Are Construction Workers Building for Themselves and Their Community?" and the undergraduate award was given to Maria Coleman for "Economic Effects of Child Labor and Policy Implication." A panel of judges awarded two prizes in 2002. The undergraduate award went to Megan Sheehan and Sharon Watson for "Seeing Beyond the Service: A Glimpse into North Dining Hall" and the graduate award to John Dethloff for his creative writing piece, "Femme Footwear."
George G. Higgins Social Justice Award
HLSP has also established an award for a business, community, political, religious or union leader deemed to have contributed greatly to the cause of workers and social justice. The award does not include any monetary exchange, but consists of a citation beautifully framed within a striking picture of Notre Dame's golden dome.
So far, there have been two recipients - John Joyce of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and Douglas H. Dority of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Both men have been ardent supporters of and generous contributors to the Higgins Program.