School of Graduate Studies Awards Convocation – Monday, April 19, 5pm to 6:30pm

2010 will be the 21st year of the School of Graduate Studies fellowship program. Last year we gave ten types of awards, presenting more than 50 graduate fellowships with a total value of over $700,000.

Superior Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards:
The School of Graduate Studies gives an award recognizing superior graduate teaching assistants. Faculty and departments are asked to nominate outstanding graduate teaching assistants. There are normally about six recipients each year. They are recognized at our Annual Awards Celebration and receive a small monetary award.

Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award:
One thesis is chosen each year to receive this award. Each academic unit offering the master’s degree with a thesis option may nominate one thesis for the annual competition. There are usually around 60 theses completed each year at UMKC and anywhere from 5 to 10 of those are nominated for the award. The selection is made by a group of faculty representing the Graduate Officers committee and the Graduate Council. The winner receives a $250 award and their thesis is then nominated for consideration in the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis competition. This competition is held in the fall to meet the deadlines of the MAGS award. Brittney Scarborough from the department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is the winner for 2009 for "Assessing the Relationship Between Neighborhood Structure, Perceived Disorder and Fear of Crime." Her thesis advisor was Toya Like, Ph.D.

Outstanding Dissertation Award:
One award will be given this year. In some years we have given up to three awards to dissertations representing research in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Humanities. This year there were 36 dissertations eligible for the award and 5 were nominated for the award. The winner of the Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2009 is Dr. Rebecca Seyferth an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. graduate from English and History, for "Experimentation and Transformation: The Dramas of Percy Bysshe Shelley Reconsidered." Her dissertation advisor was Stephen Dilks, Ph.D.

The fellowship categories and their awards are as follows:

Minority Master’s fellowship:
Up to six each year. The award is a 6-hour fee remission for the following Fall and Spring semesters.

Minority Doctoral fellowship:
We give 4 or 5 each year. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend.

Chancellor’s Doctoral fellowship:
This is a 2-year award and we give 10 new ones each year. Each unit offering a doctoral degree and each discipline in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program may nominate one student for this award. Of those nominated, only 10 will be selected. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend.

Preparing Future Faculty fellowship:
This is a 3-year award targeted toward exceptional students who aspire to become college or university professors. We give up to 5 new ones each year. The award is an 18-hour fee remission for the academic year and a $11,500 stipend. PFF fellows are paired with a faculty mentor and participate in a wide variety of teaching excellence seminars and mentoring activities throughout their 3-year fellowship tenure. These seminars and activities are also open to all other doctoral students at UMKC.

Arthur Mag Graduate fellowship:
This award was established in the early 1980s through a generous contribution from the Edward Swinney Trust of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. The selection criteria include high academic achievement, evidence of good citizenship and commitment to public service.

These criteria were established to reflect traits possessed by Mr. Mag who was a long-time community leader and benefactor of the University.

There are three new Mag scholars each year. The award is open to doctoral students from the College of Arts and Sciences, law students in the LLM program, and master’s and doctoral students in the Bloch School of Business and Public Administration.
Recipients receive a $15,000 stipend and up to 18 hours of fee remissions.

Dissertation Research fellowship:
Between 5 and 10 of these awards are given each year to students who are the final stages of their doctoral programs. These fellowships carry a stipend of $15,500 and up to 18 hours of fee remissions.

Nationally Competitive Fellowships and International Academic Programs

Like their counterparts at the University of Chicago, Ivy League schools, West Coast universities and other highly ranked institutions, UMKC students have been recognized for their scholarly achievement and leadership service.

Some of the nationally competitive prestigious merit-based fellowships UMKC students have won:

• DAAD:
  Scholarships to Germany for a minimum of four (one semester) and a maximum of 10 months (one academic year). Recipients are awarded a monthly stipend of approximately € 650 (US $900 - $1000), plus additional funds to help defray travel and research expenses as well as health insurance
  
• Environmental Protection Agency GRO Environmental Fellowship:
  For junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000 per year of academic support and up to $7,500 of internship support for the three-month summer period.
  
• Fulbright:
  a substantial award for international study and research. Size varies according to country, but generally covers round-trip transportation, language or orientation courses (where appropriate), tuition, book and research allowances, maintenance for the academic year based on living costs in the host country, and health and accident insurance.
  
• Gilman:
  Up to $5,000 for American undergraduates who are also Pell grant recipients to pursue overseas study for college credit.
  
• James Madison:
  Up to $24,000 awarded to superior current teachers who must be able to complete graduate study within 5 calendar years of part-time study.
  
• Javits:
  Stipend of $30,000, and institutional payment in lieu of fees $12,891 for up to 4 years of graduate study.
  
• Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship:
  $5,000 to PKP members entering the first year of graduate or professional study.
  
• Presidential Management Fellows Program:
  2- year Federal government internship for outstanding women and men from a variety of academic disciplines and career paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Entry level salaries at GS 9, 11, 12 Levels (approx. $41,000-$59,000).
  
• Rotary Ambassadorial:
  $25,000 for one academic year of study in another country.
  
• Truman:
  Up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields.
  
• Udall:
  Undergraduate scholarships of up to $5,000 in fields related to the environment, and to Native American and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care or tribal policy.
  

International Academic Programs is an office dedicated to assisting students in their applications for these nationally competitive merit-based fellowships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is important that the faculty be aware of the opportunities and to encourage their strong students to come to the office to talk in depth about the possibilities. The office serves students across the entire university system, and works closely with faculty mentors who are deeply committed to students receiving fellowships. For further information about these and many other fellowship opportunities, consult the website at www.umkc.edu/international.

This fall International Academic Programs will be hosting a fellowship workshop for students early in the fall semester – September 17th, 2009 from 4:15 PM until 5:15 PM in the Adminstrative Center Plaza Room. For more information and to RSVP, please email international@umkc.edu.

If you would like to know more about the International Academic Programs services and opportunities see the April 29th post or visit their web site and blog.