The Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics, launched by the U-Imagine! Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies in 2014, invites students to submit an essay on a topic of ethical or moral importance. Submissions are judged on their clarity, insight, focus, originality, and quality of analysis.
The Rev. Richard Schellhase, Ursinus Class of 1945, has had a long and distinguished career in philanthropy and in the clergy. Since 1947, he has been a respected clergyman in the Evangelical and Reformed Church and its successor, the United Church of Christ. Dr. Schellhase served as Assistant Professor of Religion at Ursinus College from 1956 to 1964. He is a member of the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, California. He is the most recent holder of The Davis Chair of Judeo-Christian Values, established by Nancy Davis in honor of her late husband, Thomas, Class of 1952, a former Trustee.
The competition is judged by Ursinus alumni. Cash prizes are awarded through the generosity of Trustee and alumnus Will Abele, Class of 1961.
Submissions from 2024
Refugees and the EU: A Study of the Preferential Treatment of Ukrainian Refugees, Madelyn Cooper
The Actions of a Lonely Woman and the Effects of Online Incel Communities on Society, Antara Dabral
Abortion: Analysis of the Bioethical and Metaphysical Standpoint, Lauren Kovarick
Predictive Policing, Emily Musgrove
Capital Punishment: Analyzing the Demise of the Death Penalty's Usefulness, Emma Reyes
Submissions from 2023
Unchallenged Myth: Abolish the Family and Structure, Julian Barocas
Consent in Conversation: Education of Sexual Violence in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Emily Benning
The American Dream: Living Paycheck to Paycheck, Benjamin Henwood
Submissions from 2022
Uneasy is the Head That Imagines the Burden, Michael Adelson
Persistence in the North Pacific: The Makah People and Their Fight to Protect Their Cultural Heritage, Jeff Cocci
Unlovable Labour: Rejecting the "Do What You Love" Ideology, Trey Dykeman
Submissions from 2020
Ethical Considerations Regarding Paternalism in Medicine, Lola Holcomb
Community Psychology's Impact on Public Health and the Experience of Marginalization, Katie Hudick
Defending the Genetic Selection of Intelligence: A Moral Exploration of Principle, Chase Opperman
Submissions from 2018
Environmental Sustainability for Business Success, Kailyn Cohen
Thinking Like a Fox: Individual Choice and the Unique Role of Liberal Arts Colleges in Empowering America's Future Leaders, Christopher Tan
Submissions from 2017
Ethical Decision Making: Balancing the Rights and Needs of Stakeholders, Sarah Becker
Dissonance Between Personal Belief and Professional Values and the Challenge of Facing Other Conflicting Ideas, Christopher Tan
Jess Smith and the Design Firm, Gabriel Tenaglia
Submissions from 2016
Raj Rajaratnam: Cheater (Revised), Alicia Baker
Reparations for Racism: Why the Persistence of Institutional Racism in America Demands More Than Equal Opportunity for Black Citizens, Alexander Lowe
Feminist Futures and Campus Changes: Dismantling Ursinus College's Greek Life, Jordan Ostrum
Submissions from 2015
Ethics in Exhibitions: Considering Indigenous Art, Rachel Bonner
Killing Kindly: Applying Jens Timmermann's Kantian Ethics of Animal Welfare to the Modern System of Livestock Farming, Alexander Lowe
Of Drones and Justice: A Just War Theory Analysis of the United States' Drone Campaigns, Ethan A. Wright
Submissions from 2014
Moving to a New Paradigm: A Reflection on Ethics, Sara Bajor '15
A Defense of Stand Your Ground Legislation, Jarrett Field '14
The Awakening: Reevaluating the Anthropocentric Framework of Western Ethics, Sophie Zander '14
