How is the Pepper Prize Winner Selected?
The George Wharton Pepper Prize winner is selected annually by the Lafayette College community through a multi-step voting process that extends throughout the spring semester.
Early in the semester, the Lafayette community is asked to nominate a senior whom they feel most exemplifies the Lafayette Ideal. Students who are nominated are notified and invited to apply for the George Wharton Pepper Prize. Although nominations are given weight in the finalist selection process, they are not required; the Pepper Prize application is open to the entire senior class.
Once the application period ends, a committee is formed to evaluate the applications. Per the policy informed by the Deed of Gift, the Pepper Prize selection committee is composed of professors from faculty-led committees, administrators from various student-facing offices, and non-senior members of the student government. Invitations to participate on the selection committee are sent by the Dean of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs. The committee reviews applications using the following criteria to narrow the candidate pool down to 10 finalists: personal statement (reflection), nominations, academic awards, campus service, community service, special interests (e.g. athletic participation) and GPA. Strong consideration is given to thoughtful, well-rounded personal statements and heart-felt nomination(s) explaining why the senior most represents the Lafayette Ideal. One strong nomination far outweighs a number of nominations without substance, but again, nominations are not required and the application is open to all seniors.
Once the finalists are named, they are photographed and featured in The Lafayette with a brief statement of why they feel they embody the Lafayette Ideal. The Dean of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs organizes celebratory meetings with the finalist cohort. In late April, members of the Lafayette community (all voting faculty, full time administrators, and the student body) vote to select the winner of the George Wharton Pepper Prize. The winner is recognized in The Lafayette, at Commencement, and via a plaque that hangs in Farinon, listing all Pepper Prize winners in the College’s history.
According to the Deed of Gift, “The very nature of the award, and its operation since 1923, clearly demonstrate that group activity, campaigning, and the like, for any one number of the Senior Class is unethical. This is not an election in its usual sense. The entire procedure should be completely devoid of practices which sometimes occur in municipal elections and in elections for student office.”
Therefore, soliciting nominations or votes, whether through email, social media, or word-of-mouth lessens the honor of the award and could lead to a disqualification of consideration.