Allen S. Wilber Scholarship

Overview

The Allen S. Wilber Scholarship provides funding of up to $11,000 for the study of social sciences or modern languages and literature at the graduate level. Recipients must complete their undergraduate degree at KU and intend to continue on to graduate study in one of the humanities, social sciences, or international and interdisciplinary studies departments, programs or centers. 

Call for Nominations

Eligibility

Academic units may identify and nominate outstanding KU undergraduate students who have expressed an interest in or have already applied to their graduate program. Self-nominations are also accepted with supporting materials provided by the graduate program.

Your proposed course of study must reflect a clear interest in the social sciences or modern languages and literatures. Nominees must be on track to graduate with an undergraduate degree from KU in Spring 2024 or have already graduated from KU in Summer 2023 or Fall 2023.  The recipient must enroll in graduate study at KU by the first day of Fall 2024 classes to receive the award. 

Nomination Process

The following materials must be submitted by the deadline indicated below:

1. Online nomination form completed by a representative of the graduate program or, in the case of self-nomination, by you.
2. Letter of support from a member of the faculty familiar with the your undergraduate work and plans for graduate study
3. Letter of support from the Chair of the department or the Director of Graduate Studies

The letter of support from a faculty member should address the nominee’s 1) interest in graduate study, 2) undergraduate record, and 3) potential for success in their chosen program. The nomination letter should provide a clear indication of how this scholarship fund would be used to maximize the student’s proposed research focus during their first and/or subsequent years of study. The letter may also provide information on any aspect of the nominee's background, experience, community involvement, or other biographical details that will help the fellowship committee evaluate their likely success in their chosen field of study and potential contribution to their graduate program. The letter from the Chair/Director of Graduate Studies may address these same criteria, but will be relied upon to 1) verify the department’s support for the student’s nomination, 2) indicate what other funds (if any) would be used to leverage the award dollars, and 3) in the case of multiple nominees, provide an evaluation of their relative strengths.

A copy of the nominee’s advising report will also be provided to the award committee. No extraneous materials will be considered.

Submission Instructions

Nominations with all required materials must be submitted using the form on the COGA website by noon (12:00 p.m.) on Friday, April 5, 2024. If you have questions or would like more information, please email coga@ku.edu or call 785-864-4201.