Rhodes/Marshall/Mitchell Scholarship Competition

August 6, Internal Submission Deadline

I wish to alert you to the August 6 internal UNT deadline for submitting Rhodes, Marshall, or Mitchell Scholarship applications to the UNT nominating committee. If you plan to apply for any of these opportunities, please contact James.Duban@unt.edu (cc. Lily.Geilhausen@unt.edu) ASAP. Let us know for which scholarship(s) you will apply.

UNT has a single nominating committee for these three scholarships, each of which allows graduating seniors to study abroad for one-to-two years. August 6 is the receipt deadline for electronic submission of all forms, essays, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. Those should go to James.Duban@unt.edu, with a CC to Lily.King@unt.edu. While these competitions now feature national-level electronic uploads, the UNT Faculty Nominating Committee consults only hard-copy materials that arrive at Sage Hall 320K for purposes of preliminary deliberation. Students should not confuse national-level application and nomination deadlines with the requisite internal UNT deadline of August 6.

If you plan to apply for more than one of the following three scholarships, you must submit a complete paper application, including a formal transcript and all requisite letters of recommendation (tailored to each scholarship), along with completed application essays.

The Rhodes Scholarship

The UNT nominating committee seeks outstanding students to compete for the Rhodes Scholarship, generally deemed the most prestigious of competitive awards for graduating seniors, or for age-eligible alumni who have not yet enrolled in graduate school. Rhodes Scholars attend the University of Oxford to earn their next academic degree—usually the master's, or another bachelor's degree.

The UNT nominating committee advances students whose GPAs range from 3.8 to 4.0 and who, via research outcomes or creative projects, have gone well beyond what is required in the classroom. Applicants should have made, or be in the process of making, original contributions to their fields of study. Evidence of such contribution may reside in refereed (usually co-authored) publication (or forthcoming) manuscripts, or in the research mentor's observations about vital research-in-progress. In the arts and related fields, a student's performance-based activities, as judged by the testimony of professors or other authorities, signify contribution to one's discipline.

Viable candidates must boast significant leadership and humanitarian endeavors—both on- and off-campus.

Candidates should also be able to explain compellingly their need to study with particular faculty at the University of Oxford, and within a particular college at Oxford, to earn a master's degree or another bachelor's degree. Applicants must not have passed their 24th birthday on 1 October in the year in which they are applying, although that stipulation may change (keep your eye on their updated webpage). International students from the following countries are eligible to apply through their home countries: Canada, Australia, China, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nambia, and Swaziland, India, New Zealand, Germany, Zimbabwe, Bermuda, Commonwealth Caribbean, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Pakistan, Zambia. So, please do apply if you are an eligible international student from these countries. You must nonetheless meet UNT's August 6 internal deadline in cases where the international competition requires UNT nomination. Some international deadlines may in fact precede August 6.

N.B.: Applicants for the Rhodes Scholarship may not seek any editorial feedback. UNT will not nominate anybody who violates this provision of the application. You may, however, show your application essays to persons from whom you request a letter of recommendation, but you must alert them to the fact that you are not at liberty to receive any stylistic feedback, even if that feedback were to address something as simple as a typo.

The Marshall Scholarship

Whereas the Rhodes takes a student to the University of Oxford, the Marshall Scholarship allows students to attend any university in the United Kingdom. Like the Rhodes, the Marshall Scholarship rewards leadership, creativity, and advanced research, while expecting applicants to have a cogent rationale for their wish to earn a further degree at any commonwealth university (in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland). Leadership is likewise a “must,” but in a manner that differs somewhat from the way that Rhodes conceives of leadership. From having served as a guest judge on the regional Marshall Scholarship competition, I have surmised that the Marshall Scholarship Commission values leadership endeavors which suggest that the applicant will eventually be at the forefront of his or her field of study, or in advanced U.S. leadership positions generally. Such leaders will therefore enhance U.S.-British relations and interests, further justifying the investment that Great Britain makes in U. S. Marshall Scholars.

As publicized on the Marshall website, eligibility requirements stipulate that nominees be U.S. Citizens and have graduated from their undergraduate college or university after April 2018 (likely to change to 2019 this year). These requirements may change; so keep your eye on the Marshall Scholarship web page.

Stated otherwise, no age requirement exists for Marshall Scholarship applicants; instead, there is a mandatory time span relating to one's year of graduation.

Students in the College of Music: Please note that the Marshall Scholarship may send students to any of the Royal Colleges of Music.

The George Mitchell Scholarship

Sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, the Mitchell Scholarship has rigorous academic and leadership requirements. Applicants must also articulate a rationale for earning their next academic degree at any of Ireland's nine universities. Students may apply if they are U.S. Citizens and no older than 30 years of age. As with those who apply for the Rhodes Scholarship, students seeking the Mitchell may receive no feedback on their applications. Recommended GPA for UNT Nomination is 3.8-4.0, with a highly specific rationale for studying in Ireland—Why? And with whom?

Applicants wishing to gain UNT nomination for Rhodes, Marshall, or Mitchell scholarships should work on their applications throughout the early summer, showing completed applications and essays to their recommenders (for purposes of letters of recommendation) at least two weeks prior to the August 6 internal UNT nomination deadline. By August 6, students must submit copies of all essays, transcripts, and letters of recommendation to James.Duban@unt.edu, with CC to Lily.Geilhausen@unt.edu. The UNT nominating committee (for all three scholarships) will not consult applications uploaded to the official foundation/commission websites during the internal nominating process.

If you are applying for more than the Rhodes, complete the Rhodes first; then, if you wish, ask for advice about your Marshall essays. But know that you may not incorporate that advice back into your Rhodes essay. Nor may you adopt sentences (for purposes of generating the Marshall essays) —word for word—from your Rhodes essay.

Again, all applications, letters of recommendation, and official transcripts are due to Lily.King@unt.edu by 11:59 p.m., August 6. You must submit a complete set of materials for each of the scholarships for which you aim to apply. Students who bypass internal submission documents—even if they have uploaded electronically at the commission/foundation websites—will eliminate themselves from the UNT nominating process.

If you plan to apply for any of these scholarships, please respond, in a separate email, to James.Duban@unt.edu (with cc to Lily.King@unt.edu). Please use your UNT email address and check that regularly for the next half year. That is how I shall correspond with you, including possible invitations to on-campus nominating interviews. My first response will be to invite you to a general orientation session following the final-exam period.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships in the Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering

Internal UNT “hard-copy” submission deadline: October 6.

The Goldwater Scholarship recognizes research-oriented sophomores and juniors in the physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The Goldwater Foundation defines “sophomore”—regardless of a student's years-in-residence or accumulated semester credit hours—as somebody who, beyond the current academic year (that is, beginning in the fall semester of the current calendar year) will remain an undergraduate for another two academic years. “Junior,” in turn, signifies a student who will, beyond the fall of that current calendar academic year, will remain an undergraduate for at least further academic year.

The Goldwater Foundation will not fund somebody who plans to become a medical practitioner, but the Foundation will fund students who aim to pursue the MD/Ph.D. when the MD component of that degree is vital for ongoing research.

No university may nominate more than 4 students, although that number increases to 5 if one (or more) of those students is a transfer student. UNT competition is particularly demanding. Nominees usually have a 4.0 GPA or, at worst, one B in a field of study distant from mathematics or science. Our nominees and winners also possess “continuity of research”—that is, a minimum of 1.5 to 2+ years of research (summers count as one semester) by the spring semester of the year of nomination and are able to boast a significant contribution to the project of their PI. Moreover, expectation exists—usually evidenced by co-authorship with a research mentor—that applicants already have made a significant contribution to their mentor's investigation (and thus to the field of study in general), with original contributions going beyond the findings of past and recent “literature.”

Hard Copy of completed applications—including essays, official transcripts, and letters of recommendation—are due at The Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships (Sage Hall 320) by October 6 to assure that the student's eligibility to compete for UNT Nomination. UNT students do not upload anything to the official Goldwater Competition website unless they know that the UNT Faculty Nominating Committee has selected them to represent UNT in this competition. We will not read the applications of students who upload applications prior to receiving authorization to do so. More information about the internal process will follow at the orientation session.

Students who plan to compete should attend the online three-hour Zoom orientation session. Dr. James Duban (Director, Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships) will thereafter work with students and their faculty mentors to encourage the production of lucid, cogent, and winning essays. The most ambitious UNT students begin working on their applications, and continue doing so, for three hours a day, throughout the summer and early fall.

To allow me to invite you to the Zoom session, please RSVP to James.Duban@unt.edu, with a cc to Lily.King@unt.edu. The subject line should read “Goldwater Orientation, Will Attend.” No internal message is necessary. Kindly use your official UNT email address rather than a private email address) and check that email address regularly for the next year. I would appreciate your RSVP as soon as possible. Without having your name on the listserv you will miss future instructions and the opportunity to have your application considered by the UNT faculty nominating committee.

Morris and Stewart Udall Scholarships in (a) Environmentalism, or (b) Native American Health Care

Internal UNT deadline for institutional endorsement: February 15 of the new calendar year.

If you plan to apply, please contact Dr. James Duban at James.Duban@unt.edu , with a CC to Lily.King@unt.edu. He will place your name on a listserv, and invite you to an orientation session later this week.

The Udall Scholarship rewards outstanding sophomores and juniors who have established records of commitment to environmental concerns and whose future professions will entail the betterment of the environment, or of environmental public policy, or of Tribal Public Policy, or of Native-American Health Care. (Only Native Americans and Alaska Natives are eligible to apply in the last two categories.)

For purposes of the Udall competition, students are considered sophomores if, following the current academic year, they will spend two more academic years as undergraduates; they are juniors if, following the current academic year, they will be with us for one more academic year—regardless of the sum of their current semester-credit hours, or internal UNT sophomore- or junior-level status.

The Udall Foundation selects students from diverse fields of environmental study, including biology, chemistry, journalism, environmental modeling, environmental ethics, or environmental law. Organized, continuous commitment to beyond-the-classroom environmental projects is a must, including significant environmental leadership endeavors, along, if possible, with environment-oriented internships or related employment.

The GPAs of past UNT nominees have averaged 3.6-4.0; applicants must be U.S. citizens, or U.S. nationals, or permanent residents.

Here are some of the past questions to which you would have to provide informative responses in the course of apply for the environmental OR tribal-healthcare scholarships:

1. In one or two sentences, describe your [environmental and/or Native American Tribal Health] goal.
2. What are your professional aspirations? What issues, needs or problems do you hope to address. Indicate in which area(s) of the environment, or tribal public policy, or Native American health care you are considering making your career and specify how your academic program and overall education plans will assist you in achieving your goals (2000-character max, with spaces).
3. List awards, honors, scholarships—up to 6
4. List any programs and activities in which you have participated on campus or in your community while in school. You will have space to list 11 college and 4 high school activities. [Presumably, several of those will relate to the environment, or American Tribal policy/health.]
5. List summer employment
6. List public service and community activities [again, several of those will ideally pertain to the scholarship criteria.]
7. Describe non-course-related research [presumably environmental or Native American Policy, health]. Indicate the ways in which the experience will assist you in achieving your goals. (1500 characters, max)
8. Describe a leadership experience in which you made a difference on campus or in your community (optimally with reference to environmentalism or Native American Policy/Health.
9. Describe a specific activity or experience that has been important in clarifying or strengthening your commitment to the environment, or tribal public policy, or Native American health care (1000 characters, max).
10. Describe briefly your most significant public service, community, or campus activities associated with your interests in the environment, or tribal public policy, or Native American health care, in which you regularly participate (2200 characters, max, with spaces).
11. Additional information (1100 characters, max)
12. In 800 words or less, discuss the notion of civility in public discourse.

The UNT campus deadline for submitting a completed “paper” application to the Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships (Sage Hall 320K), for nominating deliberation, is February 15, but you should attend a UNT orientation before beginning to compose your application. Students who send the above email responses to Dr. Duban and Ms. Adell will receive an invitation to attend a Zoom orientation. The campus nominating committee considers only “paper” submissions. Students who work entirely online, or who bypass the internal nominating committee with an online upload, will disqualify themselves.

Harry S. Truman Scholarships for College Juniors (and Some Seniors) Interested in Public Policy and Careers in Public Service

Internal Review deadline: November 15 of the new academic year.

The highly prestigiousHarry S. Truman Scholarship awards students $30,000 toward a graduate degree in fields leading to careers in public service and public policy. Students may compete for the scholarship as college juniors, unless they plan to finish all coursework (including previous semester hours at community colleges) in no more than 3 years. In such rare cases, seniors are eligible. For the purposes of the Truman Scholarship competition, a junior, during any academic year is somebody who plans to graduate between December and August of the following academic year. Stated otherwise, you must remain on campus, pursuing your bachelor's degree, at least one full year following your semester of application.

Students who plan to attend law school are eligible, though they must enter careers in public advocacy. In any of these scenarios, applicants must have an interest in becoming a “change agent”—that is, somebody who has an impact on public policy at the city, state, or national level of engagement.

To gain campus nomination, students must

--have a very strong GPA
--have worked in a city, state, or federal office, OR have worked on a political campaign
--have an immensely impressive record of volunteerism
--have a significant leadership endeavor (usually off campus) to which their supervisor can attest in a letter of recommendation
--plan to graduate between December or August of the NEXT (not the current) academic year (that makes a student a “junior,” according to Truman Scholarship rules, no matter how many credit hours he or she possesses.) In an exception to this rule, seniors may apply if they plan to graduate after having been at college (including all community-college credit hours) for no more than three academic years, or less.

November 15 is the deadline for completing the Truman Scholarship application (including letters of rec., transcripts, etc.) and submitting paper copy of it to the internal UNT nominating committee at Sage Hall 320K. Students should not confuse this internal nominating deadline with institutional endorsement deadlines that occur in January of the next calendar year. Online submissions have no bearing at this stage of deliberation. Only official UNT nominees will receive UNT nomination review and possibly a go-ahead to upload material for review by the Truman Foundation. Students who upload application material in advance of the “paper-based” nomination process will disqualify themselves.

To be eligible for a UNT nomination, students should, well before October 1, research their prospective master's and/or Ph.D. programs and explore whether they are a good fit for that graduate program.

UNT can boast four Truman Scholars and eight Truman Scholarship finalists. Still, we wish to build on that foundation with your enthusiasm and participation.

If you wish to apply, please contact me, via your UNT email address, at James.Duban@unt.edu, with a cc to Lily.King@unt.edu. Simply have a subject line that reads, “Truman Scholarship, will apply.” We'll add your email address to a listserv of likely candidates; I'll then invite you to an online Zoom orientation session. I correspond with candidates exclusively via that listserv; so please use and regularly check your UNT email address. Do not begin the application before you attend this orientation meeting.

Rotary Global Grants ($35,500) to Study and Conduct Research Abroad in 2022-2023

You must apply by Sept. 1, of the new academic year.

If you wish to apply for this opportunity, please send an RSVP, via UNT email, to James.Duban@unt.edu, with a CC to Lily.King@unt.edu. Also, please have the subject-line read, “Rotary List.” We will then notify you of a comprehensive orientation session, time and zoom address to be announced. All correspondence will occur thorough that list.

UNT has had some 9 winners in the 6 years the scholarship has been available. International students may apply, as long at their country has a Rotary Club (easy enough to determine via a Google search).

The motto of Rotary International is “service above self,” and the Rotary Global Grant, encourages current graduate students and undergraduates (who will graduate in December or August of the current academic year to apply by September 1. They must plan to conduct graduate research in one or more of the following six vital areas of social remediation:

1—Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution
2—Disease Prevention and Treatment
3—Water and Sanitation
4—Maternal and Child Health
5—Basic Education and Literacy
6—Economic and Community Development

Students whose study falls outside of these interests should not apply for the Global Grant.
Whereas the “old” Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship culminated in Rotary's placing a student in a specified program of study abroad, applicants for Global Grant now apply in the fall of the coming academic year, to an international university they wish to attend in directly following undergraduate graduation, or during the course graduate work to conduct research for a thesis or dissertation. Applicants customarily pursue a one-year master's degree in their area of social remediation. It is essential that, this summer, you determine the colleges to which you will apply independently, and that you be able to submit your grant application to a Rotary Club in your home district by September 1 of the new academic year. This is very manageable if you begin working on this project over the summer. Rotary does not, of course, expect you to be accepted, by September 1, by your university of choice. It is sufficient that you have applied.
The applicant must speak the language of the prospective host country and be prepared to engage in community service while studying there. If you are still working on second-language proficiency, you may apply to any English-speaking country. UNT graduate students may spend the year at an international university if they are able to conduct research pertinent to their UNT theses or dissertations.

International students may apply through local Rotary districts.

UNT students, collectively, have won over a million dollars in Ambassadorial and Global Grant Scholarships. Dr. James Duban will offer prospective applicants a thorough orientation, introduce them to area Rotary clubs, and provide editorial feedback on the several application essays.

Again, if you wish to apply for this opportunity, please send an RSVP to James.Duban@unt.edu, with a CC to Lily.King@unt.edu . Also, please have the subject-line read, “Rotary List.” I will soon notify you about the time and place of a comprehensive orientation session.

Applicants definitely need this orientation session. In many respects, the endorsement of the UNT Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships has become tantamount to a University Endorsement.

Rotary Global Grants ($35,500) to Study and Conduct Research Abroad following the coming academic year. You must work on the application all summer to be prepared to apply, via the recommendation of the Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships, by Sept. 1 of the new academic year.

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