Pamela Johnson graduated summa cum laude from °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê in 1983 with a major in accounting and a minor in philosophy. She continued on to pursue a highly successful career in accounting at a time when women were not always taken seriously. Despite the challenges, she thrived and became a leader in her field. She developed a reputation for accuracy and integrity. She had a passion for mentoring others and was respected and admired by those who knew her. As the person everyone looked to for guidance and leadership, she was also deeply loved by her family. In her work and life, Pam became exactly the kind of person that we aim to cultivate at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê.
Established in 2019, the Pamela Johnson Prize in Ethics is awarded to the two best papers in ethics every year. In awarding this prize, we honor essays that demonstrate the sorts of qualities that we hope to instill in our students – namely, the ability to think critically about moral claims, the desire to seek validation for one’s beliefs and values and to be vigilant about one’s biases, and the maturity to listen to one’s opponents and to be fair minded and open to criticism. By honoring these papers, we honor Pamela Johnson, and those like her, who so beautifully exemplify the ideals of philosophy at Jesuit liberal arts colleges like °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê.
Past Winners:
2022
- First Prize: Aliah Mahsie, “Treatment of Animals” (Professor Daniel Murphy)
- Second Prize: Becka Eckdale, “Vaccine Patents: Should they stay or should they go?” (Professor Joseph Spino)
2021
- First Prize: Layalee Ashkar, “The Immorality of Capital Punishment" (Professor Daniel Murphy)
- Second Prize: Hanna Donovan, "An Argument for the Death Penalty in Response to Murder" (Professor Daniel Murphy)
2019
- First Prize: Deanna Pomeroy, “Plan B: Defending the Morality of Abortion” (Professor Daniel Murphy)
- Second Prize: Maria Musumeci, “Research Ethics: For the Good of Society” (Professor Beth Mitchell)