New Prize Rewards Students, Faculty

Harvard has begun to accept nominations for an unusual new prize that will give up to 15 undergraduates between $1000 and $2000 each for research and travel.

The award, endowed by a bequest in the will of Thomas T. Hoopes '19, will also provide about $500 for each winner's faculty supervisor and a smaller compensation for the nine-member faculty selection committee.

Hoopes wished to reward "the whole process through which students produce excellent scholarly work." Assistant Dean of the College Marlyn M Lewis 70, the committee coordinator, said yesterday.

'Literally Unique'

Lewis added that a prize which rewards both student achievement and faculty contribution is "literally unique."

To be considered for the prize, a student must be nominated by May 27, by the member of the teaching staff who has supervised his or her work. The work may be anything from a term paper to a project in the visual arts, film or music.

All undergraduates, especially non seniors, are encouraged to apply for the Hoopes Prize, Lewis said. "We don't have much of a chance to encourage students early in their academic career," she added, explaining, "We do value the effort of being a good scholar, and now we're able to do with money what we haven't been able to do."

Lewis said that she hopes to announce the winners before the June 9 Commencement exercises.

Catherine F. Hoopes, the donor's widow, said in an interview yesterday that her husband had left half of his estate--acquired through investment of inherited funds--to Harvard because he enjoyed his college days and respected the University.

"He was generous all of his life--what he did for Harvard was the culmination of this generosity," she added of the former museum curator. He left the prize so unrestricted, she said, because he himself was "so versatile--a broad thinking person who was interested in everything."

"He didn't feel that the money should go only to the needy, he felt that any student should be rewarded for hard work, and not discriminated because he doesn't need," she said.

She added that her husband also provided money for faculty advisers because teachers should be rewarded for their time.

Lewis said that the selection committee had been chosen by Henry Rosovsky, dean of the Faculty, with Sidney Verba 53, associate dean of the Faculty for undergraduate education, and Phyllis Keller, associate dean for academic planning Verba is the chairman of the committee.

"Rosovsky and Verba felt that these people [the committee members] were people who cared to give attention to undergraduate work," Lewis said.