Graduate Dr. Mark Neels Wins Hay-Nicolay Prize
Mark Neels, PhD, a 2015 graduate of the SIUE and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) cooperative doctoral program in historical studies, has been presented the Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize by the Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA) and the Abraham Lincoln Institute, Inc. (ALI).
The prize recognizes and encourages young scholars to conduct research on Abraham Lincoln and his times, and includes a $1,000 award. Neels’ dissertation entitled Lincoln’s Conservatives: Conservative Unionism and Political Tradition in the Civil War Era was written under co-chairs Kay Carr, PhD, of SIUC, and SIUE’s Jason Stacy, PhD, associate professor of historical studies, with support from Erik Alexander, PhD, assistant professor of historical studies at SIUE.
“Congratulations to our stellar co-op doctoral graduate Dr. Mark Neels on this momentous achievement,” said Carole Collier Frick, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Historical Studies in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences. “We were always impressed with Mark’s enthusiasm for work, his positive attitude to life and his seemingly boundless energy. This is an award well deserved.”
Neels was also an adjunct professor in the SIUE Department of Historical Studies in 2014-15.
Neels is listed online with past dissertation prizewinners as selected by the ALA and ALI. He presented his work at the ALI meeting on March 18 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Photo: Dr. Mark Neels
