My Debt Story

All TRIO programs are required to provide financial literacy as part of their programming. The Earn.org is a great site to get information for your programs. Also, they have great video segments on their famous mydebtstory competition from last year. The videos can be accessed here.

National Military Family Association Scholarships

Please pass this on to military vets and their families. This scholarship is available for spouses of active duty or reserve uniformed service members. More information can be accessed here.

Interest free student loans from the Hattie Strong Foundation

This is probably one of the oldest student loan programs in the country. It only operates at six universities in the country. And they are all in the DC/MD area. You can learn more about the interest free student loans here. The next deadline is Jan. 15th.

Question about Pell Grant eligibility for felony drug offenders

I recently received an email asking me to explain the regulations governing eligibility for Pell Grants for individuals convicted of felony drug charges. First, you can be eligible for Pell grant if you have a prior felony drug conviction. However, it depends on the type of drug conviction, the date of the conviction, if the conviction occurred while receiving Pell grant aid, and whether you have successfully completed a certified drug rehab program. Here are some basic rules:

• If you were convicted of possession of illegal drugs for the first time, you won’t be eligible for federal aid until at least one year since your conviction.
• If you were convicted for selling for the first time, you won’t be eligible for federal aid for at least two years from the date of your conviction.
• If you have more than one offense for selling or more than two offenses for possession, you can only regain eligibility after you complete an approved rehabilitation program.

My advice would be to fill out the 2011-2012  Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet for Question 23 to access eligibility.

Top 50 companies that employ HBCU students and graduates (2011)

Since 2002, HBCUconnect has been working with thousands of companies and organizations to assist them in their efforts to reach students and graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. You can find the top 50 employers of HBCU students and graduates for 2011 here.

40 Awesome Conferences for Forward-Thinking Professors

One of the advantages of maintaining a blog that is widely read by a number of professionals is the volume of  emails I get about conferences. Sometimes I have to shift through the emails to come across a gem. I received an email yesterday highlighting upcoming conferences in higher education. It is published by onlinecollege.org. The conference list can be found here. 

African American gender gap in graduate school enrollment

The Council of Graduate Schools has released new data on enrollments for the 2010-11 academic year. That year, there were 1,476,674 American citizens or permanent U.S. residents enrolled in U.S. graduate schools. Of these, 176,836, or 12 percent, were African Americans. So, in relation to relative percentages of the U.S. population, African-Americans have reached parity with whites in total enrollments in graduate school.


Of the more than 176,000 African Americans enrolled in graduate school during the 2010-11 academic year, a whopping 71.6 percent were women. There were 126,488 black women enrolled in graduate school compared to only 50,254 black men. For whites, 60 percent of all students enrolled in graduate programs were women.

Scholarships for women

Through the HORIZONS Scholarship, established in 1988, Women In Defense encourages women to pursue careers related to the national security and defense interests of the United States and to provide development opportunities to women already working in national security and defense fields. The scholarship is designed to provide financial assistance to further educational objectives of women who are U.S. citizens either employed or planning careers in defense or national security areas. (This is not law enforcement or criminal justice.) The amount of the awards varies each year.

A panel of judges, composed of WID members, considers applications and makes awards once each year. WID is in a key position to shape the future defense and national security workforce. WID leaders and members encourage the study of professions related to science, technology, education, and math that support national security professionals.

Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund

What is the Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund?
The fund was established as part of a bequest from the estate of Jim Leach. He wanted to see that his partner Tom Markowski's vision of a scholarship for gays and lesbians was brought to fruition. The purpose of the fund is to award scholarship money to deserving students. Selected candidates must demonstrate their dedication to excellence in their lives through service, education, or employment. The Selection Committee attempts to identify students who show promise of becoming positive role models for other LGBTQ people.

There have been several large gifts to the scholarship fund over the years and smaller contributions of cash and other support that have allowed the fund to grow and thus to benefit. One aim of the Selection Committee to ensure that the fund continues in perpetuity.

Though no targets are set, candidates that are selected represent a mix of gender and school enrollment that reflects the applicant pool. The scholarship is not need-based; awards are made on the merit of the candidate's work, community involvement, and their future goals.

Who is eligible to apply?
Scholarships of up to $1,500 per year are available to LGBTQ graduate and undergraduate students who plan to attend San Francisco State University, Stanford University, or University of California Berkeley* during the academic year of the award.
* Due to limited funding, this does not include schools affiliated with the GTU. 

The use of Skype in undergraduate and graduate school admissions outreach

This weekend, I attended the 18th annual Compact for Faculty Diversity – Institute on Teaching and Mentoring held in Atlanta Georgia. The institute is a four-day conference that has become the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country. The aim of the Institute is to provide scholars with the skills necessary to succeed in graduate study and to prepare them for success as faculty members. Select faculty mentors and graduate school administrators also attend and get an opportunity to share best practices in mentoring, teaching, recruitment, and retention.

During a session on recruitment and retention of students of color, I learned that many faculty and administrators continue to struggle with recruiting qualified under-represented students to enroll in their programs. This was especially true for those in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) departments.

With this challenge in mind, I offered a number of suggestions during this session on novel ways in which web 2.0 tools can be used to enhance outreach to under-represented student populations. One tactic in particular received a number of positive comments. It was the use of Skype in recruitment activities.

I have used Skype (a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet) to host guest speakers in my program. I primarily used the video call option on Skype when conducting seminars with invited speakers and advising students when they cannot meet face-to-face with me. Some of my guests on Skype have been graduate admission counselors, department chairs, and professors. I found that it broadens the range of contacts with graduate programs that I offer my students. For instance, graduate school admissions counselors, graduate and postdoctoral students, and professors at three institutions in three states presented information seminars using Skype over a one week period to over fifty undergraduate students. It would have been cost prohibitive to reproduce this level of face-to-face contact for all fifty students at each of the institutions.

Thus, one advantage of using Skype to provide undergraduate and graduate program information to students is that it cuts down on program travel cost. In other words, it can cost thousands of dollars for a student to visit a graduate program a thousand miles away or for a college but substantially less cost to host a graduate admissions counselor on Skype. Furthermore, using Skype can provide students with targeted information about an undergraduate or graduate program as well as their admission requirements. Select faculty could be targeted to highlight the institution, department, and his/her research using Skype. A better understanding of the faculty can help clarify students’ graduate school selection since the research mentor/student fit has been shown to predict graduate school persistence.

Students enrolled at the recruiting institution can highlight the institution’s culture, norms, programs, dorm life in addition to a number of other factors prospective students want to learn about. Student to student contact is one of the best methods for recruiting. Students want to know if there is a culture at the university that would support them. Hearing this information from a student enrolled at that university is priceless.

Most importantly however, graduate schools and programs also could use Skype in a targeted way to increase their outreach to under-represented groups. Undergraduate institutions could identify primarily minority high schools for their recruitment. College or university admission personnel could coordinate with the high school guidance counselors to schedule the session using Skype and high school guidance counselors could recruit interested students. Alternatively, graduate school recruiters can contact institutions and programs serving under-represented students such as Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, the Louise Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Programs (LSAMP), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-serving institutions and Tribal colleges) in order to conduct information sessions via Skype. Graduate school recruiters can work with department heads in the STEM fields to promote their programs among these groups by developing collaborative partnerships to host information sessions. For example, a university can have an institutional, regional, or national informational session using Skype and send invitations to colleges to tune in. This model has been used by President Obama and a host of other politicians and organizations to successfully host debates, meetings, and seminars.

Skype is not a new tool used by colleges and universities to conduct business. It is already being used in academe to connect students with employers. For example, the Freeman’s Career Management Center at Tulane University has effectively used Skype to allow Fortune 500 companies to deliver one-hour information sessions to its students. This year, Dartmouth College hosted a virtual career fair that included 32 employers using Skype to connect to students. Moreover, The National Association of Colleges and Employers suggests on their website that the use of Skype in connecting businesses with students will increase in the future.

Furthermore, Skype is already being used in education to host seminars. ‘Skype in the classroom’ is a free community to help teachers use the software to help students learn. The “Skype in the classroom’ community forum page is filled with hundreds of postings of individuals seeking speaking engagements, classrooms looking to collaborate with other classrooms, book club invitations and so much more. What is missing on ‘Skype in the classroom’ is a critical mass of colleges and universities seeking recruiting engagements to high school or college students.

Some college undergraduate admission offices are using Skype effectively, in that, prospective undergraduate students are provided the opportunity to interview using the software. For instance, Wake Forest provides prospective students with two options to interview – face-to-face or using Skype. The Skype option provides flexibility to students and assumes a level of empathy by the institution to financial and contextual challenges that under-represented students face in opting for a face-to-face interview. Colleges and universities are even using it to interview prospective faculty. In recognition of this trend, a recent article by Stephens Winzenberg in the March 2^nd 2011 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted best practices for prospective faculty interviewing using Skype.

Skype is not a new phenomenon on college campuses. However, its use as a tool in recruiting undergraduate and graduate students and specifically under-represented students can be enhanced. Targeting undergraduate programs and high schools that provide services to under-represented students are ripe for outreach by institutions seeking to expand the pool of prospective students from diverse background. Using Skype would go a long way in increasing contact between students and graduate programs, increase the amount of information prospective student receive from institutional representatives, enrolled students, and/or faculty members and at the same time decrease institutional recruitment cost.

Stafford loan versus Private loan

Why students are taking out private loans when they have not maxed out on their Stafford loan is beyond me? See the latest report here on why students are not maxing out on their federal loans.

Campus Equity Week - AAUP

Many faculty members across the country struggle with issues around equity in pay and benefits. Campus Equity Week starts Oct 24 - 30. Here is a website on what you can do on your campus and what other have done!

NACME Fellowships

The NACME Fellows program was created to provide an opportunity for individuals and companies interested in establishing a named scholarship program in support of NACME’s mission to increase the representation of underrepresented (URM) minorities in engineering. Click here for more information.

Scholarship database for Mississippi public colleges and universities

Click here for more info.

The Georgia Association of Special Programs Personnel (GASPP) will sponsor its 10th Annual Student Initiative Weekend November 12-14, 2010

The Georgia Association of Special Programs Personnel (GASPP) will sponsor its 10th Annual Student Initiative Weekend November 12-14, 2010, at the newly renovated Atlanta Airport Marriott, in College Park, GA. The Student Initiative Weekend consists of the Educational Talent Search Academic Bowl, the Educational Talent Search High Q Competition and Essay Contest, the Upward Bound Scholars’ Bowl Competition, the Ronald E. McNair Post- Baccalaureate Achievement Program/Student Support Services Debate Competition, and the Student Leadership Conference which consists of a variety of leadership trainings and workshops. There will also be a semi-formal Awards Banquet held on Saturday evening.

ALERT - House 2012 Budget Bill

The proposed House 2012 Budget Bill will end aid to many minority-serving institutions while cutting spending on Hispanic-serving institutions by 83 percent and on historically black colleges by 36 percent. I am writing my Congressman right NOW! You should too.

The Professor is in! Interesting website for graduate students.

He proclaims to deliver deliver the real-life, hands-on information you need now to get through the hoops of academe. Click here for more information.

Free CollegeBoard workshops for HS counselors

CollegeBoard offers free workshop for counselors. Get the information that will help you get your students ready for college. Fall Counselor Workshops bring you the latest program developments, tools and resources to help your students succeed. Click here for more information.

New College Board Report: Latino College Completion Rate at Only 19.2%

New College Board Report: Latino College Completion Rate at Only 19.2%, National at 41.1%. Click here for the full report.

IBM Ph.D. Fellowship

The IBM Ph.D. Fellowship program also supports our long-standing commitment to workforce diversity. IBM values diversity in the workplace and encourages nominations of women, minorities and all who contribute to that diversity.

Please feel free to post this program announcement in your department area. This announcement will also be posted on the Internet at IBM Fellowship page on September 22, 2011 and will be linked to the Internet nomination form. Award recipients will be finalized mid February, 2012 followed by emails to all participants.

Seton Hall University offers deep discount on tuition

Starting next year, Seton Hall University will try to ease that follow-up blow for early applicants with strong academic credentials, giving them two-thirds off the regular sticker price for tuition, a discount of some $21,000. Click here for more info.

In-state tuition for undocumented students

A state higher education board approved a measure yesterday that allows students who immigrated to the United States illegally to pay in-state tuition rates at Rhode Island’s public university and colleges after the General Assembly declined to take up the issue. Click here for the story.

Joint PhD/JD Program in Law and Developmental Psychology at Cornell

The 6-year Dual PhD and JD at Cornell

Combining the scientific power of a research-based PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Department of Human Development and an excellent legal education from Cornell Law School, the Dual Degree develops the new generation of leading scholars in the field of of psychology and law.

Howard Hughes International Fellowship

New Fellowship Funds Research for 48 International Graduate Students. Click here to learn more.

'Hotspots' and international scientific collaboration - Inside Higher Ed

This is a great article highlighting international education.

'Hotspots' and international scientific collaboration - Inside Higher Ed

The Council on Foreign Relations Fellowships

The Council on Foreign Relations is pleased to announce five fellowship competitions for 2012-2013:

-International Affairs Fellowship (IAF), Nominations due by September 30
-IAF in Nuclear Security, sponsored by the Stanton Foundation, Nominations due by September 30
-IAF in Japan, sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd., Nominations due by September 30
-IAF in South Korea, sponsored by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies, Nominations due by September 30
-Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowship, Applications due by December 16

From the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on LHHSE - TRIO level funded in FY 2012 budget

This afternoon, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education approved its FY 2012 bill. Although the text of the legislation has not been made public, COE has learned that it includes level-funding for both TRIO and GEAR UP. The bill also level funds the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and maintains the maximum Pell Grant award of $5,550. Meanwhile, the bill infuses nearly $1 billion into initiatives prized by the Obama Administration – Race to the Top ($700 million), Investing in Innovation ($150 million), and Promise Neighborhoods ($60 million – twice the allocation from FY 2011). This bill makes it clear that while certain Administration priorities were protected, others – such as TRIO – were not.

The American Bar Association Fellowship

The American Bar Association has an undergraduate research fellowship in Law and Social Sciences.  Applications are generally due in February—the 2012 Application is not up yet.   Students must have a 3.0GPA and desire to pursue a degree program in Law or the Social Sciences to apply.  Students will work on research over the summer and receive a $3600 stipend. Click here for more information.

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard Scholarship list (for US and Non-US citizens)

Great resource. Click here for her list.

New framework for instructing students how to write well in college.

This Framework describes the rhetorical and twenty-first-century skills as well as habits of mind and experiences that are critical for college success. Based in current research in writing and writing pedagogy, the Framework was written and reviewed by two- and four-year college and high school writing faculty nationwide and is endorsed by the Council of Writing Program Administrators, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project. Click here for the framework.

Merit-based scholarships listed by intsitution - Great site for scholarships!

Click here for Meritaid.orgmeritaid.org. Scroll down to the right hand margin for information by institution.

AERA Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop

AERA Undergraduate Student Education Research Training WorkshopAERA invites fellowship applications for an Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop to be held at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Vancouver (April 13-15). This workshop is designed to build the talent pool of undergraduate students who plan to pursue doctorate degrees in education research or in disciplines and fields that examine education issues. Applicants are sought who have potential and interest in pursuing careers as education researchers, faculty members, or other professionals who contribute to the research field. Visit the AERA Undergraduate Student Education Research Training Workshop webpage for the complete program description and application information. Application Deadline: November 15, 2011

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students

Great conference! Check here for more information for this years conference.

If you do know how Single Stop USA can help your students, maybe it is time that you do

Single Stop USA is a revolutionary initiative to slash poverty nationally with an approach that is simple, effective and ultimately paradigm-shifting. Read more about their community college initiative here.

Single Stop bridges the information gap separating low-income families from life-changing public benefits, tax credits and other essential services that remain untapped and inaccessible. These basic resources - food, health insurance, child care and tax refunds - increase the likelihood that families are healthy and stable, with parents who work and children who attend school.

Single Stop USA is the ambitious nationwide expansion of Single Stop NY, a remarkably successful program launched by the Robin Hood Foundation to connect the working poor in New York with government funds and services intended for them.

Incorporated as a non-profit in March, 2007, Single Stop USA encompasses the existing New York program, as well new efforts throughout the country. In its first five years, Single Stop USA will deliver $2 billion in benefits to up to a million households.

These efforts change the way America combats poverty by focusing on prevention rather than intervention. Benefits provide a cushion against the small setbacks - a sick child, car trouble, temporary job loss - that can become catastrophes in the lives of the working poor.

Single Stop USA check it out!

Study Finds Minority Students Benefit From Minority Instructors

I found this article posted in the Chronicle interesting. I have the original research paper by Robert Fairlie, Florian Hoffmann, and Philip Oreopoulos. Email me if you would like a copy.

Are your students buying their college admissions essay?

Honesty on Application Essays 

From InsiderHighered.com

February 3, 2011

By Scott Anderson

Scholarship from Parsons Child and Family Center (primarily NY area)

Parsons Child and Family Center
60 Academy Rd.
Albany, NY 12208-3103
Telephone: (518) 426-2600
FAX: (518) 447-5234
E-mail: info@parsonscenter.org
Limitations: Scholarships to post high school individuals who demonstrate the desire to establish careers in human services. Specific assistance also to families and children, in the Albany, NY area, with foster care, residential care, education for children with learning disabilities and other needs.
Geographic focus: Giving primarily in New York
Financial data: Year ended 06/30/08: Assets, $21,356,395 (M); Expenditures, $32,660,257; Total giving, $2,157,221; Grants to individuals, totaling $2,157,221.
Type of grantmaker: Public charity
Fields of interest: Education; Human services; Children, foster care; Residential/custodial care; Disabilities, people with
Types of support: Scholarships--to individuals; Grants for special needs
Application information: Applications accepted.
Initial approach: Telephone
Additional information: Applicant financial need would be taken into consideration.
 
Program description:
James Jacob Scholarship Fund: Applicant must be enrolled in an education program that is post high school and in the human services field, e.g. social work, education, psychology, or medicine. The program must lead to a degree or recognized accreditation. PCFC staff, their immediate family members, PCFC clients or their immediate family members may apply. Preference is given in any case to a current grant recipient whose performance is satisfactory in an accredited program and who wishes to continue. Scholarship award goes toward tuition and books, with option to renew payment annually upon mutual agreement to continue, until the educational program is completed.

Fellowship and grant opportunities from American Council of Learned Societies

American Council of Learned Societies
(also known as ACLS )
633 3rd Ave., Ste. 8C
New York, NY 10017-6795
Telephone: (212) 697-1505
FAX: (212) 949-8058
E-mail: grants@acls.org
 
Limitations: Fellowships and grants to American and international scholars for advanced research and study in the humanities and social sciences.
Geographic focus: National; international
Financial data: Year ended 09/30/09: Assets, $96,803,918 (M); Expenditures, $17,090,265; Total giving, $11,283,442; Grants to individuals, totaling $4,941,611.
Type of grantmaker: Public charity
Fields of interest: Arts, research; Visual arts, architecture; Performing arts, dance; Performing arts, theater; Performing arts, music; Humanities; Art history; History/archaeology; Language (foreign); Language/linguistics; Literature; Philosophy/ethics; Theology; Social sciences, research; Social sciences; Anthropology/sociology; Economics; Psychology/behavioral science; Political science; Law/international law; International studies; Religion, research; Albania; Bulgaria; China; Czech Republic; Eastern & Central Europe; Estonia; Hungary; Latvia; Lithuania; Poland; Romania; Slovakia; Yugoslavia (Former)

Types of support: Fellowships; Research; Scholarships--to individuals; Awards/grants by nomination only; Foreign applicants; Postdoctoral support; Graduate support; Travel grants; Doctoral support; Stipends
Application information: Applications accepted. Application form required.
Initial approach: Letter, e-mail or fax
Publications: Application guidelines; Annual report; Occasional report.
 
Program description:
ACLS Collaborative Research Awards: Awards of up to $140,000 are available to support collaborative research in the humanities and related social sciences, by offering teams of two or more scholars the opportunity to collaborate intensively on a single, substantive project. Eligible fields of specialization include, but are not limited to, American studies, anthropology, archaeology, art and architectural history, classics, economics, film, geography, history, languages and literatures, legal studies, linguistics, musicology, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, rhetoric/communications/media studies, sociology, and theater/dance/performance studies. Proposals in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies are welcome, as are proposals focused on any geographic region or linguistic groups, only if they employ predominantly humanistic approaches (e.g. economic history, law and literature, political theory). Up to $60,000 of the grant award will be given towards salary support.

ACLS Digital Innovation Fellowships: This program supports digitally-based research projects in all disciplines of the humanities and humanities-related social sciences. It is hoped that projects of successful applicants will help advance digital humanistic scholarship by broadening understanding of its nature and exemplifying the robust infrastructure necessary for creating further such works. Fellowships are intended to support an academic year dedicated to work on a major scholarly project that takes a digital form. Eligible applicants must have a Ph.D. conferred prior to the application deadline, in any field of the humanities or the humanistic social sciences. Each fellowship carries a stipend of up to $60,000 towards an academic year's leave and provides for project costs of up to $25,000.

ACLS Fellowships: Provides awards to individual scholars at the postdoctoral level to pursue research in the humanities and social sciences. The program offers up to $60,000 for full professor and equivalent, $40,000 for associate professor and equivalent, and $30,000 for assistant professor and equivalent, for six to twelve months of research leave between July and February. Fellowships include residencies at the New York Public Library.
ACLS Public Fellows: Recent Ph.D.s in staff positions at partnering agencies in government and the non-profit sector are eligible for two year fellowships in administration, management, and public service. Dependent on the position, a $50,000 to $78,000 stipend and health benefits will be provided.
African Humanities Program: This program provides grants to sustain individuals doing exemplary work, so as to ensure continued future leadership in the humanities, in sub-Saharan Africa. Awards are made for projects in various fields, including history, archaeology, literature, linguistics, film studies, art history and studies of the performing arts, ethnographic and cultural studies, gender studies, philosophy, and religious studies. Eligible applicants must be residents of a country in sub-Saharan Africa and have a current affiliation at an institution in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda.

American Research in the Humanities in China: Grants of up to $50,400 are available to scholars in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences who have received a Ph.D. or its equivalent by the time of application. Fellowships are from four months to one year of continuous research in China. Applicants must submit a carefully-formulated research proposal that reflects an understanding of the present Chinese academic and research environment. The proposal should include a persuasive statement of the need to conduct the research in China. Support is offered to specialists in all fields of the humanities and humanities-related social sciences, and is not limited to China scholars.

Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellowships: Provides $64,000, plus $2,500 for research and travel, to provide time and resources to enable advanced assistant professors in the humanities and related social sciences to conduct their research under optimal conditions.

Comparative Perspectives on Chinese Culture and Society: This program awards funds in support of planning meetings, workshops, and/or conferences leading to publication of scholarly volumes. The program will support collaborative work of three types: grants up to $25,000 will be offered to support formal research conferences intended to produce significant new research published in a conference volume; grants up to $15,000 will be offered for support of workshops or seminars, designed to informally facilitate new research on newly available or inadequately researched problems, data, or texts; and grants of up to $6,000 will be offered for planning meetings to organizers of the above-described types of projects.

East European Studies Programs: This program provides funds to help develop expertise in the U.S. needed for broad knowledge and analysis of developments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Components of the program include: Dissertation Fellowships in East European Studies (up to $18,000 to support field work, archival investigations, or dissertation writing); Early-Career Postdoctoral Fellowships in East European Studies (up to $25,000 to support postdoctoral research and writing in East European studies in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences); Conference Grants (up to $25,000 to support formal research conferences that intend to produce significant new research on Eastern Europe publishable in a conference volume); Travel Grants (grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 to support travel for presentation of papers at scholarly conferences); Language Grants to Individuals for Summer Study (grants of up to $2,500 to support intensive summer study of Albanian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, or Slovene); and Research on Heritage Speakers of Eastern European Languages (a grant of up to $20,000 to an individual or collaborative team for a research project on heritage speakers of an eastern European language in the U.S.)

Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellowships for Recently Tenured Scholars: These fellowships are open to scholars engaged in long-term, unusually ambitious projects in the humanities and related social sciences. Appropriate fields of specialization include, but are not limited to, archaeology, anthropology, art history, economics, geography, history, language and literature, law, linguistics, musicology, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology. Proposals in the social science fields listed above are eligible only if they employ predominantly humanistic approaches. Proposals in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies are welcome, as are proposals focused on any geographic region or any cultural or linguistic group. Each fellowship carries a stipend of $75,000.

Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship Program in American Art: Ten fellowships of $25,000 each are available for a one-year term for the current academic year to postgraduate students who are engaging in dissertation research in art history. The fellowships may be carried out in residence at the fellow's home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for research. They may not be used to defray tuition costs or be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant. An applicant must be a candidate for a Ph.D. to be granted by a department of art history in the U.S. The applicant's dissertation must be focused on a topic in the history or visual arts of the U.S., and applicants must have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships: This program provides stipends of $25,000, plus funds for research costs of up to $3,000 and for university fees of up to $5,000, to assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. Eligible applicants must be Ph.D. candidates in a humanities or social science department in the U.S. (applicants from other departments may be eligible if their project is in the humanities or related social sciences, and their principal dissertation supervisor holds an appointment in a humanities field or related social science field), have all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation completed before beginning fellowship tenure, and be no more than six years in the degree program.

Mellon/ACLS Recent Doctoral Recipients Fellowships: This program provides a $30,000 stipend to help assist young scholars in the humanities and related social sciences in the first or second year following completion of the Ph.D. Eligible applicants are limited to scholars who have been awarded Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships in the prior year's competition, alternates selected in the prior year's Mellon/ACLS competition, and those awarded other dissertation fellowships of national stature that require applicants to complete their dissertations within a specific period.

The Vanderbilt University - EDGE Ph.D. Pre-VU Recruitment event

The VU-EDGE Ph.D. Pre-VU Recruitment event will provide an opportunity for a select group of highly talented underrepresented students to learn more about the Ph.D. programs at Vanderbilt and, more importantly, the process of developing from a graduate student into an independent researcher. The event also seeks to provide Vanderbilt faculty members with an additional pool of students who in the past might not have applied for admission to a Ph.D. program at Vanderbilt due to their not being aware of the graduate education opportunities at Vanderbilt.
Participants will arrive in Nashville during the afternoon or evening of Wednesday, November 2, 2011.  The official event will begin on Thursday morning, November 3, 2011 with a tour of our campus and Nashville. The event will continue until Saturday November 5th.

College Choices for Adults

Good site for those considering attending fully online institutions or advising students that are considering this choice. There is finally graduation and persistence data for some of these institutions . Check it out at College choices for adults website.

Certificate for Online Adjunct Teaching

The Certificate for Online Adjunct Teaching (COAT) course is an online training course designed for higher education instructors who have experience teaching in the traditional (face-to-face) classroom and are interested in transitioning to online teaching. This inter-institutional project provides training for adjunct faculty on the basic competencies needed to teach online. This is an excellent opportunity!

The Official Blog of the National Association for College Admission Counseling

Great Blog and tons of info! Definitely worth a browse. NACAC

2011 Joint Conference - The National Society of Black Physicists and The National Society of Hispanic Physicists

The 2011 Joint Annual Conference of NSBP and NSHP will be held September 21-24, 2011 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, Texas. With over 600 participants, this meeting is the largest gathering of African-American and Hispanic physicists in the world. This is an exceptionally good meeting for students to attend. Students can present posters or oral presentations, attend professional development sessions, scientific sessions; network with fellow students and with faculty. The conference includes one of the largest and most successful physics career fairs in the U.S. The sponsors include the National Science Foundation, the University of Texas at Austin and the Southeastern University Research Association.

Abstract Submission Deadline:	Thursday, September 1, 2011
Registration Deadline:	Tuesday, September 5, 2011
Hotel Reservation Deadline:	Tuesday, September 5, 2011

So hurry

The 2012 United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI)

The USHLI has developed into one of the most powerful, nationally and internationally recognized Latino organizations in the country by organizing and conducting nonpartisan voter registration and leadership development programs in 40 states. Our organization has been able to maintain a stable presence in hundreds of communities over the years by promoting empowerment and civic responsibility.


USHLI is led by Dr. Juan Andrade Jr., one of only two Latino recipients in history of a Presidential Medal "for the performance of exemplary deeds of service for the nation" and "excellence in promoting leadership and civic participation". Committed to securing a brighter future for our country, USHLI constantly strives to improve and adapt our society to the ever changing complexion of the nation. As we move forward, USHLI will continue its mission and is determined to fulfill the promises of the United States in the spirit of Cesar Chavez who always believed, "Si Se Puede"!

There regional conference are coming up very soon. Click here for dates and registration information.

Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference 2012

The Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference is being held from Jan. 19 - 22nd at Texas A&M. Click here for more information

The Society for Professional Journalism SPJ Convention

The SPJ conference is in New Orleans this year. It will be held from September 25-27th. I find this conference very beneficial to my journalism and mass communication students. Click here for more information about the conference.

The Newberry Library Fellowships - a number of scholarships and fellowships - please read the page carefully

The Newberry Library is an independent research library concentrating in the humanities with an active educational and cultural presence in Chicago. Free and open to the public, it houses an extensive non-circulating collection of rare books, maps, music, manuscripts, and other printed material. The Newberry offers exhibits based on its outstanding collections, musical and theatrical performances, lectures and discussions with today's leading humanists, seminars, and teacher programs. Anyone who is at least 16 years old and who is conducting research on a topic covered by the collections may become a reader. Click here to go to their fellowship page!

Cases online - this is a great resource to engage students in the sciences

CASES (Creating Active Student Engagement in the Sciences) Online is a collection of investigative lessons, or "cases," for K-12 and undergraduate science education. Using principles of Problem-Based Learning and Investigative Case-Based Learning (and related student-centered pedagogies), our cases are designed to engage students in exploring the science behind real-world problems. Our cases address a variety of learning objectives across the sciences and mathematics. Although our K-12 cases were designed for use in Georgia and meet our state education standards, we have also included the relevant National Science Education Standards.

Emory University Scholarship Board

Emory University in Atlanta has set a very good scholarship board. You can check it out here.

The Women Fund - Houston TX Scholarship

The Women's Fund - 2012 Scholarship Essay Contest

                                    Put this on your calendar for May 2012

The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Research invites all graduating, college-bound high school senior girls to participate in its 16th annual scholarship essay contest. The Women’s Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that for over 30 years has been providing Houston area women and girls with the tools they need to be advocates for their health. This scholarship endowment was generously established by the Hoglund Foundation. Click here to learn more

Council on Undergraduate Research

CUR 14th Biennial Conference
June 23-26, 2012
Hosted by The College of New Jersey

(click here for more information)

Leveraging Uncertainty: Toward a New Generation of Undergraduate Research

In current crises of economic viability, urban decline, environmental degradation, and cultural meaning, we face deep and broad-based concerns, both for personal prospects and larger social contracts. We can be swept along by those changes, or we can use them as opportunities for positive transformation. We know that research must inform our responses to these new conditions. And we know that undergraduate research offers experiences and skills that our students can draw on for successful future study, meaningful work lives, and social engagement. This conference will ask us to consider new models of undergraduate research that create possibilities where others might see peril.

The subthemes for the 2012 CUR National Conference are as follows:

• Research Transcending Historic Disciplinary Boundaries
• Sustaining Undergraduate Research in an Era of Fiscal Uncertainty
• Online Technology in Undergraduate Research: Possibilities, Threats and Challenges
• The Challenges and Opportunities of Undergraduate Research in a Broad Global Context

Submission Deadline for Interactive Sessions and Catalyst Discussions is November 15, 2011.
Submission Deadline for Poster Presentations is February 1, 2012.

Scholarship for Hispanics/Latinos in TX from the Penrose Foundation

Penrose Foundation
c/o Patricia Schieffer
777 Main St., Ste. 3250
Fort Worth, TX 76102-5342
Telephone: (817) 332-1328
Contact: Sharon Schieffer Mayes, Dir.
Limitations: Scholarships to students of Latino descent who maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester.
Geographic focus: Giving primarily in Texas
Financial data: Year ended 12/31/09: Assets, $1,055,726 (M); Expenditures, $46,618; Total giving, $19,500; Grants to individuals, totaling $19,500.
Type of grantmaker: Independent foundation
Fields of interest: Hispanics/Latinos
Types of support: Scholarships--to individuals
Application information: Applications accepted.
Initial approach: Letter
Deadline(s): Apr. 1
Applicants should submit the following:
1) Essay
2) Transcripts
3) SAT
4) Letter(s) of recommendation
5) ACT
Additional information: Application must also include a copy of parents' last three income tax returns.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Scholarship and Internship Information

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
911 2nd St., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002-3501
Telephone: (202) 543-1771
Contact: Esther Aguilera, Pres. and C.E.O.
FAX: (202) 546-2143
Toll-free tel.: (800) EXCEL-DC
Limitations: Internships, including transportation reimbursement, housing, and stipends, to promising Latino undergraduate students. The Caucus also provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate Latinos as well as fellowships to allow promising Latinos to participate in public service.
Geographic focus: National
Financial data: Year ended 12/31/09: Assets, $7,286,166 (M); Expenditures, $5,451,018; Total giving, $580,162; Grants to individuals, totaling $580,162.
Type of grantmaker: Public charity
Fields of interest: Government/public administration; Leadership development; Public affairs; Hispanics/Latinos
Types of support: Fellowships; Internship funds; Graduate support; Undergraduate support; Travel grants; Stipends
Application information: Applications accepted. Application form required. Application form available on the grantmaker's web site.
Deadline(s): Jan. 31 for internships; Feb. 28 for fellowship; Apr. 15 for scholarships
Applicants should submit the following:
1) Transcripts
2) Letter(s) of recommendation
3) SAR
4) Resume
5) Financial information
6) Essay
Publications: Application guidelines.
Program description:
Scholarship Awards: This scholarship opportunity is afforded to Latino students who have a history of performing public service-oriented activities in their communities and who plan to continue contributing in the future. There is no GPA or major requirement. Students with excellent leadership potential are encouraged to apply. Recipients will receive a one-time scholarship of: $5,000 to attend a graduate-level academic institution; $2,500 to attend a four-year academic institution; or $1,000 to attend a community college or AA/AS granting institution. Undergraduate recipients will also receive a DELL Notebook Computer and Microsoft Package. The institute will be responsible for managing the disbursement of the scholarship monies to the recipients. In a two-fold effort to monitor the progress of scholarship recipients and promote college retention, total scholarship monies will be equally divided and distributed on a yearly basis as long as recipients maintain good academic standing (i.e. if the scholarship is received as an entering freshman, the $2,500 award will be distributed in 4 equal installments of $625 a year). Scholarship awards are designed to cover tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other educational expenses associated with college enrollment.
Congressional Internship Program: This program provides college students with Congressional placements on Capitol Hill for a summer period of eight weeks (June to August) and a winter period of twelve weeks (January to April) to learn first-hand about the U.S.'s legislative processes. Housing, travel, and a $2,500 stipend are provided.
Public Policy Fellowship Program: The mission of the fellowship is to offer Latino youth the support, training, and resources needed to ultimately become the effective leaders of tomorrow. Every year, the program brings together a pool of educated and civic-minded young individuals in an effort to shape them into the next generation of Latino leaders. The institute provides participants with domestic round-trip transportation to Washington, DC; health insurance; and a gross monthly stipend of $2,200 to help cover housing and local expenses (fellows with a graduate degree receive a $2,600 monthly stipend)