The History Dept. at USMA submitted 2Lt. Jonathan Reisher’s  undergraduate thesis to the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society’s annual paper contest and Reisher won the Lynn W. Turner Prize including a $500 award. Phi Alpha Theta will publish Lt. Reisher’s thesis, “The German Scorched Earth Policy in Belorussia 1943-1944:  A Pragmatic Solution?” in the honor society’s quarterly journal.

Phi Alpha Theta (ΦΑΘ) is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.

Undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in History achieve a minimum GPA of 3.1 in History and a GPA of 3.0 or better overall. Eligible candidates must also be in the top 35% of their class.

The Lynn W. Turner Prize of $500 for the best paper by an undergraduate student member of Phi Alpha Theta.