Awardees are selected every Spring before Commencement.
The Phyllis Betts Founders Award
The Phyllis Betts Founders Award is supported by The Phyllis Betts and Richard Janikowski Fund in honor of Phyllis Betts, who founded the UNC Asheville Honors Program in 1985. It is given annually to a graduating University Honors Scholar who most embodies the liberal arts ideal of polymathematics and well-roundedness, having excelled in distinct and often distant fields of study.
The Arnold Wengrow Founders Award
The Arnold Wengrow Founders Award is supported by The Phyllis Betts and Richard Janikowski Fund in honor of Arnold Wengrow, Professor Emeritus of Drama and tireless advocate for UNC Asheville. It is awarded to one or more graduating University Honors Scholars who have excelled in their coursework, as well as improved the experience of their peers through service and dedication to UNC Asheville more broadly.
The Merritt Moseley Community Award
Established in 2023, the Merritt Moseley Community Award is supported by the Phyllis Betts and Richard Janikowski Fund. Emeritus Professor of English Merritt Moseley was a long-time professor and Director of the Honors Program, and co-founded Bulldog Day in 1997, where the University Community comes together to give back. It is given to the graduating Honors student who best exemplifies engagement and participation in the Honors Program. Recipients of this award may demonstrate outstanding commitment to the Honors Program through planning and attending co-curricular and extracurricular activities, leadership in Honors-related organizations, and service opportunities related to the Honors Program.