Awards and Scholarships

School-Level Awards and Scholarships

Arminda B. and Jean C. Bepko Scholarship in Women’s Studies This award provides a scholarship for an outstanding student obtaining a minor in women’s studies at IUPUI.

Margaret A. Cook Foreign Study Award Each year an award will be made to one or more students majoring in the liberal arts at IUPUI to assist in participating in a study-abroad program sponsored by Indiana University. Priority will be given to junior or senior students majoring in a modern foreign language. Selection will be based on cumulative grade point average, language ability, and the applicants’ plans for continued study of modern foreign languages. The award has been established in honor of Professor Margaret A. Cook, who helped establish the first foreign language programs at IUPUI and who devoted her life to improving our understanding of foreign cultures.

Preston Eagleson Award The Preston Eagleson Award is presented to an IUPUI student for outstanding achievement in a paper written on the Afro-American experience. The prize honors Preston Eagleson, the first black American to receive an advanced degree from Indiana University.

The James R. East Scholarship This scholarship will be awarded annually to an alumnus or alumna of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis.

Faculty Medal for Academic Distinction This award is presented to a graduating senior who, in the judgment of the Faculty Affairs Committee of the School of Liberal Arts faculty, is clearly outstanding in scholastic achievement, interdisciplinary interests, and extracurricular activities.

Marius J. Fauré Family Scholarship The Marius J. Fauré Family Scholarship is awarded each year by the Department of French to an outstanding student with junior status who has a declared major in French language and literature. The Fauré scholarship honors Mr. and Mrs. J. Fauré, and was established by their daughter Louise Fauré, who was a devoted student of French at IUPUI. Marius Fauré was an immigrant from Sète, France, and was for many years a landscape architect in the Indianapolis area.

Sidney W. Houston Memorial Scholarship An annual scholarship is awarded in honor of Professor Sidney W. Houston, who served from 1963 to 1975 in the Departments of English in the Indianapolis regional campuses of both Purdue University and Indiana University. The recipient shall be an outstanding student in the language and literature departments of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts or in the area of technical communications in the IUPUI Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. The recipient must have completed at least 56 credit hours, but no more than 90, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and must be considered a person of moral responsibility and high professional potential.

Sarah Jamison Keller Scholarship A scholarship for tuition is annually open to a senior majoring in English language or literature at IUPUI who is a resident of the state of Indiana and who has achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.3 for all undergraduate courses and not less than a 3.5 cumulative average for all courses in English language and literature. The winning candidate will have submitted as part of his or her candidacy a scholarly or critical essay in English on any aspect of English language or literature; the essay is to be judged by a committee of the English department faculty. The scholarship pays the tuition for no more than 15 credit hours in the fall semester of the student’s senior year and is renewable for the following spring semester for no more than 15 credit hours provided the student achieves a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.7 for all courses in English language and literature taken in the preceding fall semester.

Robert V. Kirch Scholarship An annual scholarship is awarded to an outstanding political science student in honor of Robert V. Kirch, the first chairperson of the IUPUI Department of Political Science and a lifelong student of state and local politics.

Loretta Lunsford Scholarship A scholarship of $3,000 will be awarded to a student who has a declared major in the School of Liberal Arts with a minimum GPA of 3.4. Preference will be given to candidates with an interest in educating others and with a willingness to volunteer five hours a week in any kind of educational organization or institution.

Museum Studies Award The Museum Studies Certificate program recognizes with its award an outstanding student whose record reflects both academic excellence and a commitment to the museum field.

Rebecca E. Pitts Fiction and Poetry Award An annual competition in fiction writing is held in honor of Professor Rebecca E. Pitts, who served from 1966 to 1976 in the Department of English. Applicants must be currently enrolled at IUPUI or have been enrolled during the last 18 months before each spring’s competition.

Rebecca E. Pitts Scholarship A scholarship is awarded annually to one or more students majoring in the liberal arts at IUPUI who has completed at least 90 credit hours and who plans to seek a graduate degree in a liberal arts discipline. The scholarship is intended to assist an outstanding student in attaining an extraordinary educational experience that will enhance her or his opportunity for advanced study. Applicants must propose uses for the scholarship and describe how the opportunity would make a difference in their respective education; applications will be evaluated by a faculty committee along with information about educational plans, past academic performance, and potential for future achievement. The scholarship has been established in honor of Professor Rebecca E. Pitts, whose lifelong study of literature instilled in many students a desire for learning at the highest levels of excellence.

Clara Margaret Powell Award This award is presented to an undergraduate student with exceptional research skills. The scholarship is intended to support the recipient’s research project or to support attendance at a conference.

Mary Louise Rea Short Story Award An annual award is presented in recognition of Professor Mary Louise Rea, who served from 1946 to 1985 in the departments of English in the former Indianapolis regional campus of Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts. The recipient shall be the winner of the annual competition in short story writing. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the following IUPUI creative writing courses or have been enrolled during the preceding 18 months before each spring’s competition: W103, W203, W301, W401, and W411.

John M. Riteris Award This scholarship is awarded annually to a philosophy student who demonstrates a commitment to the study of philosophy and the potential for high quality work in the discipline. The recipient is selected by the faculty of the Department of Philosophy.

SLA Student Council Outstanding Awards

Outstanding Club Advisor The SLA Student Council, in recognition of the importance of extracurricular activities related to the majors or minors, presents an award to the faculty member who has gone out of the way to assist in strengthening an SLA club.

Departmental/Program Secretary Award The SLA Student council, in recognition of the critical role of departmental secretaries in providing information, advice, and sympathy—lifelines for students majoring in liberal arts—has created a special award for them.

Thelander Memorial Prize The Thelander Memorial Prize is awarded to an IUPUI student for superior achievement in a paper on a historical subject. The prize is presented by the Department of History faculty in memory of a former member of that department, Theodore Thelander Jr.

Departmental and Program Awards