Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

This $1,000 scholarship was established by Purdue University Fort Wayne attendees Cynthia and Alan Schmidt to honor their mothers, who were strong women active in local women’s and social justice issues and organizations. 

Eligibility Requirements

• Be a women’s studies major
• Have a minimum GPA of 2.8 at PFW or a high school GPA of 2.8
• Have demonstrated financial need

Allen County residency will also be a consideration, but is not a requirement.

Preference will be given to candidates who are actively involved in women’s studies extracurricular activities and/or social justice issues.  

A recipient of the scholarship is eligible to be among the candidates considered in one or more subsequent years so long as the candidate continues to meet eligibility requirements. 

Scholarship selection will be made by a selection committee as directed by the director of the women’s studies program.

Students with questions about their eligibility should contact Suzanne LaVere, director, at [email protected] or 260-481-6696.

Community Friends of Women’s Studies Inc. awards competitive scholarships to women’s studies majors who have entered Purdue Fort Wayne for the first time, who have newly declared women’s studies as their major, or who are in the early stages of the coursework in women’s studies. The scholarship amount is $200 for one semester, with the possibility of renewal over the course of the student’s education at Purdue Fort Wayne, up to $1,600.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be women’s studies majors
• Must be enrolled in 12 or more credit hours at PFW
• Must have 9 or fewer credit in women’s studies (including in-progress courses) when first applying for the award
• Must demonstrate prior academic success appropriate to their rank at PFW. For incoming and newly enrolled students, measurements of success include high school GPA, class rank in high school graduating class, SAT or ACT scores, GPA at another university, or any combination of these. For newly declared majors and students in the early stages of coursework within the major, a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 is required.

To apply, students must submit the scholarship application form, along with an essay (500 to 700 words) on why they chose women’s studies as a major. Application forms are available through the women’s studies office (Liberal Arts Building, Room 21) or online. Applications are accepted twice a year and are generally due by the sixth week of the fall and spring semesters.

Renewal
The $200 scholarship will be renewed each semester provided students maintain an overall 3.5 GPA, enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, and continue to make progress on their women’s studies major as determined by the program director.

For updated deadline information, send a message to [email protected].

The Joan Daley Uebelhoer Outstanding Women’s Studies Major Award honors the student who represents the very best of women’s studies, including excellence in scholarship, a commitment to social justice, and activism on behalf of women. The award is named after Joan Daley Uebelhoer, a longtime instructor in the women’s studies program at Purdue Fort Wayne and a devoted community leader and activist. Donations to the Community Friends of Women’s Studies fund the award each year.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be a women’s studies major        
• Have completed at least 12 credit hours toward the women’s studies major
• Have a 3.5 or above GPA in the major
• Demonstrate a commitment to activism and service on behalf of women

Faculty can nominate students for this award, or a student may self-nominate. All nominees are asked to submit a short essay (formatted in Microsoft Word) of no more than 250 words illustrating their commitment to social justice and their activism on behalf of women. Essays should be sent to [email protected]. The deadline for applications is the second week of March.

If you are unsure if you are eligible, the women’s studies office can help you locate your credit hours and women’s studies GPA.

The Linda C. Fox Merit Scholarship was established in spring 2009 to honor the longtime director of our program. The funding for this academic merit scholarship is generously donated by Community Friends of Women’s Studies Inc. During the award’s first four years of existence, it was given to the top performing women’s studies major for a particular year. In 2012, the Community Friends of Women’s Studies expanded the scholarship to include all women’s studies majors who meet the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be a women’s studies major
• Have completed at least 9 hours toward the requirements of the women’s studies major
• Have completed or registered for a combined 60 credits of coursework (generally, this means having a class standing as an advanced sophomore, a junior, or a senior at the time of the award)
• Have an overall GPA of 3.5 or above

Each spring, the director of the women’s studies program identifies students eligible for the scholarship. Students with questions about their eligibility should contact Suzanne LaVere, director, at [email protected] or 260-481-6696.

The Marthe Rosenfeld–Mary Lee Richeson Scholarship was established in 1993 to provide financial support to students conducting research in women’s studies. The award may be used to cover tuition, materials, and services associated with the research project.

Proposals focusing on any area related to women’s and gender studies are welcome, but proposals related to lesbian studies are especially encouraged. Up to two awards may be made each academic year.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be a women’s studies major or minor
• Have junior or senior class standing at the time of application
• Have completed at least 12 credit hours in women’s studies courses
• Be in good academic standing
• Be enrolled in at least 3 credit hours at the time of application

Project Eligibility
Only projects that meet the following criteria will be considered:

• Research must be on a topic related to women.
• The student’s work must result in a finished product (research paper, data set, DVD, etc.) that will be useful to others and that does not duplicate previous research.
• The student must have primary responsibility for conducting the research.
• The project must be sponsored by a full-time faculty member.

Proposal Guidelines
Students should submit a one-to-two-page proposal that includes the following:

• A description of the project and its expected outcome
• Evidence that the student has the background and skills needed to complete the project and that the project does not duplicate previous research (evidence could include coursework completed, a working bibliography, faculty recommendations, etc.)
• A budget outlining the costs of materials and services required and a justification for the expenses; the budget may also include funds for the tuition fee to enroll in WOST W495 Readings and Research in Women’s Studies
• An explanation of how the project fits into the student’s course of study and its relevance to future goals

Evaluation Criteria
The Women’s Studies Awards Subcommittee will evaluate each proposal based on how well it addresses the proposal guidelines above. It will also consider the following criteria in its decision:

• The originality, significance, and feasibility of the proposed project
• The clarity, organization, and documentation of the proposal
• The value of the project to applicant’s education and career goals

Deadlines

• December 1 for funding to begin in spring or summer
• July 1 for fall semester

For more details, send a message to [email protected].

Community Friends of Women’s Studies Inc. generously funds an award each year to recognize the best research paper written by a student in a women’s studies class. The award comes with a $100 monetary award.

Faculty can nominate student papers, or students may submit a paper on their own. The deadline for submissions is March 1 for essays written the previous calendar year. Essays should be submitted electronically directly to the women’s studies office at [email protected]. The papers will be read anonymously, and we will need to remove student names to do so, so we ask for editable submissions only. Please also include the cover sheet for the submission. Papers submitted not following this process will be returned to the student for correction and submission.

Any paper is eligible for the award provided it meets the following requirements:

• Electronic submission with cover sheet in an editable format
• Must have been written for a WOST prefixed or WOST cross-referenced class during the most recent spring, summer, or fall semesters
• Must include research, either secondary, primary, or a combination of both