However, we have many outstanding students as majors. I have felt for a long time that we also needed to recognize more of these students, so three years ago the Department instituted some Outstanding Achievement Awards for graduating math majors, the award being based on overall work throughout their undergraduate career. I fund these latter awards from annual, undesignated giving to the Department. The awards are announced at a reception hosted by the Associate Chair just before graduation each spring, and it has turned into a fun and well-attended event in the Department. Many faculty attend, probably because it is very nice to see students they have taught be recognized for their hard work.
Scholarships are an even more important source of support for students.
I remember how happy I was as a rather unspectacular sophomore math student at the University of Kansas in 1959 receiving a U.G. Mitchell scholarship for my junior and senior years. I visited the KU Math Department just this fall and found that they still are able to give many of these scholarships to math students. Not surprising, however, is that the stipend is no longer large enough to cover tuition, a sad fact about the relative cost of attending college these days. As I look back, this was a big help to me as a student, perhaps more of an emotional boost than a financial one. Mathematics students win more than their share of these.