In 1997, the South Carolina Honors College instituted the Distinguished Honors Alumni Award, the highest honor given to its graduates. Each year, this award is presented to recognize an SCHC graduate who excels professionally or who has contributed time and effort to the betterment of the Honors College or to society.
Nominators must submit a nomination letter. Nominations will be active for three years or until the nominee is no longer eligible for the award, whichever occurs first. Nominations may be updated during the three-year period.
Nominations may be submitted in one of three ways:
2024 Distinguished Honors Alumni recipient, Josh Dawsey is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for journalism and writes for The Washington Post. He earned the Pulitzer in 2022 for his contributions to the Post's investigation of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. In 2024 he earned a second award for a series of co-authored Washington Post articles on gun history and culture in America.
2024 Distinguished Honors Alumni recipient, Dr. Elizabeth Mack is a pediatric critical care physician currently serving as immediate past president of the South Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson. Her research and clinical interests include high reliability, quality and safety, health equity, child health advocacy and patient/family engagement.
2024 Distinguished Honors Alumni recipient, Jim Stuckey is the vice president and general counsel of Dominion Energy. Stuckey served as a senior advisor to South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. During his tenure in the Governor’s office, he was part of the initiative to remove the Confederate flag from the State House dome.