Brian Tennyson Named Outstanding Maryland Honors Student

ST. MARY'S CITY, MD (04/12/2011)(readMedia)-- St. Mary's College of Maryland senior Brian Tennyson (Ellicott City, Maryland) earned the 2011 John and Edythe Portz Award for Outstanding Maryland Honors Student at a four-year institution. The Maryland Collegiate Honors Council (MCHC) gives the Portz Award annually to acknowledge the achievements of honors students who excel academically and through community involvement.

The Portz Award is given based on a student's grade-point average, faculty recommendations, student involvement, and completion of a student project – research or creative work – done in an honors program. Every MCHC member institution in good standing may nominate one candidate for the award.

Tennyson is mathematics and physics double major, the president of both the Math Club and Physics Club, and an active member of the club fencing team. He participates in the Nitze Scholar Program at St. Mary's, which is designed for highly motivated students with exceptional academic potential and a demonstrated interest in studying leadership and practicing service. He is also involved in the leadership and organization of the Substance and Alcohol Free Environment (SAFE) Housing program at St. Mary's. Tennyson plans on beginning a Ph.D. program in physics in the fall.

"Brian's also an all-around decent guy," said Professor Michael Taber.

St. Mary's was approved for a chapter in 1997, after a rigorous review process that took more than three years to complete. There are 280 Phi Beta Kappa chapters across the United States today, with a membership exceeding 500,000.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.