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. Beginning in 2017, the essays will respond to a case study that presents an ethical dilemma. 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. The first prize winner is awarded $2000; second prize, $1,000; and third prize, $500 through the generosity of Trustee and alumnus Will Abele, Class of 1961.
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