AWARDS

Vincenza Julian '26 CLAS is the 2026 Fritz Nova Award recipient.

The Fritz Nova Award, the Political Science Department’s Medallion of Excellence, goes to the graduating senior whom the department selects for outstanding overall performance in the major.

Fritz Nova, PhD (1915-1995) was a respected professor of Political Science at Villanova University from 1953 through his retirement in 1985, having served as Chair of the department from 1962-1968.

Gavin Crozier '26 is the 2026 recipient of the Robert Langran Service Award.

The Robert Langran Service Award honors a graduating Villanova senior with a major in Political Science who has maintained academic excellence and has contributed significantly, through their service, to improving Villanova University and their community.

Robert Langran, PhD (1935-2019) was a beloved faculty member of the Department of Political Science from 1959 until 2015. In 1967 he revived the Villanova men’s tennis program after a 25-year hiatus and in 1968 he formed Villanova’s first women’s tennis team, serving as head coach for the following 25 years. In 1992, Villanova honored Dr. Langran as an inductee to the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame. Dr. Langran dedicated his life to serving others, from his students, to his family, to his department (serving as chair from 1968-1978 and 2008-2009) and to his beloved university.

Olga Sofia Solares '26 CLAS is the 2026 Gerald Malloy Leadership Award recipient.

The Gerald Malloy Leadership Award honors a graduating Villanova senior with a major in Political Science who has maintained academic excellence and has demonstrated distinguished leadership of their peers and community, by serving in leadership roles in student activity groups, organizing extra-curricular activities or through steadfast stewardship in community organizations.

Thereasa Whyte '26 is the 2026 Best Paper Award recipient.

The Department of Political Science gives a Best Paper Award to the student that wrote the best paper from any class during the academic year. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the Best Paper Award is presented to Thereasa Whyte for her paper, “Framing Racial Justice in Divided Societies: Black Lives Matter in the United States and France." It was written for Dr. Cera Murtaugh's PSC1900 Research Seminar in the Fall 2025.