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An article by a Millersville University graduate was chosen as the winner of the 2025 Raymond J. Cunningham Prize by the American Historical Association. The national honor, which recognizes the best article published in a journal written by an undergraduate student, was presented to Claire DeVinney, a May 2024 graduate who is currently a student in the history doctoral program at the University of Rochester.
DeVinney’s senior thesis, “‘This Popular & Malcontent Temper:’ Pennsylvania Currency and Transatlantic Commerce, 1720–1723,” appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, published by The Pennsylvania Historical Association.
The Raymond J. Cunningham Prize carries with it a cash award of $500 for the author and $500 for the publishing journal, and a complimentary one-year membership to the AHA. The prize, which will be awarded at the AHA’s 139th Annual Meeting in Chicago in January, was officially announced on October 15 on the AHA website. A full citation will be featured in the January issue of Perspectives on History, the newsmagazine of the AHA.
DeVinney’s project analyzes Pennsylvania’s political controversies during an economic depression in the early 1720s. Pennsylvanians proposed various conflicting solutions, including devaluing metal currency, issuing paper currency, and taxing or prohibiting imports. “Past historical works have tended to present these political debates in terms of class: rich vs. poor and merchants vs. farmers,” says DeVinney. “I argue that Pennsylvanians’ relationships to transatlantic trade, rather than their wealth, most significantly shaped their stances on commercial and monetary policy.”
“It’s a significant, national honor for Claire,” says Dr. Tanya Kevorkian, professor of history and DeVinney’s thesis advisor, who wrote a letter nominating DeVinney for the award. Dr. Robyn Davis, associate professor of history and department chair, and Dr. Clarence Maxwell, assistant professor of history, were active members of DeVinney’s thesis committee, according to Kevorkian.
DeVinney refined her thesis as a participant in the McNeil Center for Early American Studies Undergraduate Research Workshop in 2024. “I was able to apply for it because Millersville University is part of the McNeil Center consortium,” says DeVinney. “Dr. Kevorkian was my faculty advisor for the workshop as well.”
“To have her undergraduate thesis recognized as the best article published in a journal by an undergraduate student is truly impressive and a reflection of Claire’s hard work and scholarly ability,” says Millersville President Daniel A. Wubah. “This is also a proud moment for Millersville. The guidance provided by Dr. Davis, Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Kevorkian demonstrates the kind of mentorship and support that helps our students achieve at the highest levels. I am grateful for their dedication to fostering such excellence. Claire’s success is a point of pride for all of us and a fine example of the strength of our academic programs.”
“I am happy to see my scholarship reflect well on Millersville University,” says DeVinney. “Drs. Kevorkian, Davis and Maxwell are dedicated and caring professors who represent the University excellently to their students; I hope that my work is a credit to their instruction and mentorship and to the education I received at Millersville.”
