Undergraduate Student Awards

Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, the College of Education is proud to award a wide variety of awards to deserving students of the College of Education. Awards are awarded on a competitive basis to College of Education students acknowledging excellent academic achievement, commitment to the profession, and outstanding participation in professional and service activities.

Who is eligible for an award?

University students with any number of credit hours who are enrolled in an undergraduate curriculum in the College of Education or College of LAS with a minor in secondary school teaching are eligible to apply. Applicants for awards should be enrolled in Pre-Teacher Education or Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, or one of the Secondary School Teaching Minor programs (Science: Biology; Science: Chemistry; Science: Earth and Space Science; Science: Physics; English Language Arts; Mathematics; and Social Science: History).

Applicants must be in good academic standing (i.e., not on academic probation) and should have a commitment to maintaining satisfactory and continuous progress toward the degree objective and teacher certification.

Incoming freshmen and transfer students who meet the criteria for an award will be automatically considered based on information from admissions materials; no additional application process is required.

What types of awards are available?

• General Awards
• Elementary or Early Childhood Awards
• Secondary Education Awards
• Financial Need Awards
• Nontraditional Student Awards
• Geographically-based Awards

What are the procedures and deadlines for applying for an award?

Applications for 2010-2011 awards are due March 15, 2010. They are submitted electronically through Awards Manager. Applicants begin by logging in using their netID and Active Directory password. The online application can be saved before submitting so applications can be completed over a period of time. Applications in progress can be accessed at Awards Manager.

The following documents should be prepared for upload into Awards Manager:

• Required: Résumé (school/volunteer experiences completed to meet admissions or coursework requirements should be clearly distinguished from other experiences)
• Required: Responses to three essay questions.
• Optional: for consideration for awards based on financial need, applicants must submit their Financial Aid Award letter. This letter should be printed then scanned and uploaded into Awards Manager. Applicants have an option to write a short statement on Awards Manager website describing additional information or extenuating circumstances they wish to be considered by the committee. Information on how to locate the Financial Aid Award letters is available online.
• Optional: Awards are available for non-traditional undergraduate students who are facing life challenges in completing their programs. Undergraduate students who are parents or have other significant family responsibilities or who began their undergraduate program several years after high school are encouraged to complete a short statement on the Awards Manager website describing relevant circumstances.
• Optional: Awards are available for students from particular areas of the state. Applicants who meet these criteria should write a short statement on the Awards Manager website describing their connection to the relevant geographic area.
  

How are the recipients chosen?

Application materials are reviewed by the College of Education Undergraduate Honors & Awards Committee. Award criteria vary slightly depending on the donors’ wishes, but in general, the committee considers academic achievement, commitment to the profession, and participation in professional activities and experiences.

When are the awards announced?

Announcement of Student Award Recipients will be made the May prior to the Awarded Academic Year. Recipients will be honored at the College of Education Student Recognition Banquet held annually in November. Attendance at the Student Recognition Banquet is mandatory and is a required condition of all of the College of Education awards. Many of our donors also attend and they want, and expect, to meet the students who will benefit from their generosity.