Scholarships and Awards in English
The English Department awards over a dozen scholarships and other awards and also nominates students for those University-wide scholarships and awards that require departmental nominations. For more information about applying for scholarships and awards in 2008-2009, contact Dr. Michael Leddy.
University Awards with Departmental Nominations
- 1. Attainment Fund Scholarship -- at least sophomore standing.
Criteria: GPA, financial need, employment record, extracurricular activities.
Nomination Date: February 26
Amount: $300
2. Livingston Lord Scholarship -- junior standing.
Criteria: Character, scholarship, "potential for outstanding success in his[/her] academic area" (nominations due in late January).
Nomination Date: late January
Amount: $2000
3. Martin Luther King Scholarship -- all students in good standing.
Criteria: "in thought and deed, living examples of the ideals and values expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr."
Nomination Date: late February/early March
Amount: $250, split according to the number of awards
4. Hobart F. Heller Award -- junior or senior standing with majority of university attendance at EIU.
Criteria: scholarship, character, sense of purpose, service to the university community.
Nomination Date: April 15
Amount: Plaque
5. Union Board Award -- senior standing.
Criteria: academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, participation in community-related activities, office or leadership positions in student government or similar organizations.
Nomination Date: March 7
Amount: Plaque + Name on Plaque in Student Union
6. Eunice W. Dougherty Scholarships -- juniors majoring in one of twenty disciplines, including English.
Criteria: Cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher (based on all undergraduate coursework) with at least 15 graded semester hours at EIU (normally awarded in late Spring).
Nomination Date: Announced mid-April
Amount: Variable
7. University Honors -- English Departmental Honors Student
Criteria: academic excellence, achievement
Nomination Date: mid-February
Amount: $750
Departmental Honors
Criteria: outstanding scholarship and character, need (only after the number of nominees has been reduced to three).
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $6000 in 2002 (may be divided among three or more recipients)
2. Howard DeForest Widger Scholarship -- enrollment in a teaching curriculum as an English major.
Criteria: character, scholarship in English, and skill in teaching with promise of service of distinction.
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $500
3. Isabel McKinney Scholarship -- two types of awards:
a. one awarded to two continuing freshman majors;
b. one awarded to one or more graduating seniors eligible to enroll in the English graduate program in the fall.
Criteria: high scholastic standing, need, for graduate students the committee's "evaluation of written material authored by the nominee or applicant."
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: 2 @ $500 for 3 years/Freshmen; 1 @ $1000 for a senior (may be divided)
4. Raymond L. and Carolyn Miller Fischer Scholarship -- sophomore standing.
Criteria: scholarship, specialization in English literature. Alternates years with Speech Communications with English giving out the award in odd-numbered years.
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $800 in 2002
5. English Alumni Scholarship -- full-time sophomore or junior English major, 35-80 hours of EIU work by the end of the semester in which the award is made, overall GPA of at least 3.2.
Criteria: strong character and potential for leadership, need for financial assistance.
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $600 in 2002
6. Betty J. Hawkins English Scholarship -- full-time sophomore or junior English major, 35-80 hours of EIU work by the end of the semester in which the award is made, overall GPA of at least 3.2.
Criteria: strong character and potential for leadership, demonstrated strong writing skills (though not to be based on a writing competition), need for financial assistance.
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $500
7. Dr. Robert V. Wharton Scholarship -- full-time sophomore or junior English major, 30-95 hours of EIU work by the end of the semester in which the award is made, overall GPA of at least 3.25.
Criteria: demonstrated financial need, non-traditional student, preference to single parents, preference to students with a keen appreciation of and facility for the study of literature.
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $500
8. Frances W. McColl Scholarship -- full-time junior English major in Teacher Education (alternate years with Journalism; English in odd-numbered years), must enter the senior year as a full-time student in the designated academic area.
Criteria: outstanding scholarship and leadership.
Date: Spring Semester (next English award, 1999)
Amount: $500
9. Winnie Davis Neely (Vehicle staff and Sigma Tau Delta)
Criteria: determined by Vehicle staff and Sigma Tau Delta
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: variable
10. Louise Murray Award for Children's Literature -- undergraduates with declared majors in English, Education majors, and students pursuing any English minor.
Criteria: winner(s) chosen from submissions of critical writing about youth literature or original writing for children or young adults in genre/formats such as poetry, picture book, chapter book/novel (chapters from a longer work will be accepted) (chosen by a subcommittee of Children's Literature specialitsts).
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $300 divided among winners
11. Literary Essay -- undergraduate and graduate students in English
Criteria: mimimum length, 1200 words; one entry per student; awards in graduate and undergraduate categories. (may be chosen by a subcommittee of readers including a representative of the S&A committee)
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: $400, to be divided as the subcommittee recommends 12. Outstanding Senior to be profiled in Warbler -- requires 250-word nominating essay to appear in Warbler
Criteria: Committee's judgement.
Date: February 15
Amount: non-monetary
12. Genelle Voigt Jackson English Scholarship--undergraduate full-time student, majoring, or intending to major in a degree program in the Department of English, and accepted to, and agreeing to attend, EIU.
Criteria: financial need; student from West Salem, IL, or neighboring communities; overall GPA of at least 3.0 from his/her high school.
Amount: $10,000 divided between 4 students @ $1250 per semester.
13. Freshman Writing Contest -- administered by the English Club
Criteria: as determined by the English Club
Date: Spring Semester
Amount: as determined by the English Club