Dean Hank Dobin Thesis Prize

ProCES awards the Dean Hank Dobin Prize in Community-Engaged Independent Work to students whose outstanding thesis best engages a community audience, whether through extensive research, policy recommendations, or new information and analysis.  The prize is named after former Dean Dobin, who was instrumental to the creation of the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship during his time at Princeton. Prizes are awarded on Class Day and include the following monetary awards: First Prize $1,500; Second Prize $1,000; Third Prize $750.

Nominate Your Thesis

ProCES invites students who have completed community-engaged independent work to submit their thesis for consideration each spring. To apply, students submit the following documents to [email protected] by 5pm on Monday, May 5, 2025. 

  1. The complete thesis;
  2. A short (5-7 page) report that communicates the important conclusions of the project to a non-academic audience, e.g. a community partner organization or communities implicated by the work. This short document can be considered a type of policy brief, white paper, or executive summary. This report should be adapted from the thesis and should do at least one of the following:
    • discuss the relevance of the work for a particular community or community organization;
    • highlight the implications of the research for current policies or practices affecting a community or community organization;
    • provide strategic policy or practice recommendations for a community or community organization.

Refer to this overview of community-engaged research for guidance as you approach your project research.

ProCES will archive the final version of the winning short reports to share with students and community partners and publish to its website, as appropriate.

 

Writing for a Community Audience

Not sure how to write a community-facing report of your thesis?

ProCES and the Princeton Writing Program co-sponsor an annual workshop entitled Sharing Your Thesis with Community Organizations and Practitioners to help students share their work with communities and prepare for the Dobin Prize application.  In 2025, the workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9th from 12:30-1:30pm (lunch provided). Contact [email protected] to register and to receive location information.

You can also read the short reports of previous Thesis Prize winners.