The Graduate College announces the Spring 2012 competition for the Gwen Frostic Doctoral Fellowships and the Patricia L. Thompson Dissertation Award. Funding for the Frostic Fellowships originates in an endowment generously made by the late poet, artist, and naturalist Gwen Frostic, Western Michigan University Class of 1929. The Patricia L. Thompson Dissertation Awards are made possible by a gift from Dr. Donald Thompson, former vice president for research and dean of the Graduate College; the awards are to assist doctoral students with expenses associated with the dissertation.

Eligibility and Fields of Study - Nominations will be received on behalf of doctoral students in all fields who have filed an approved dissertation proposal with the Graduate College. Nominees will be considered simultaneously for both awards unless they are a prior recipient (in which case they will be considered only for the award not already received). It is expected that recipients will be in good standing academically and will have met the residency requirement, where applicable, and making good progress toward the doctoral degree.

Awards - Frostic Doctoral Fellowships of up to $4,000, and one Thompson Dissertation Award of up to $1,500, will be disbursed to recipients for defraying or reimbursing education expenses, including tuition and fees, cost of research materials, and travel. Recipients must be registered as a graduate student at WMU to receive a reimbursement. Funds must be spent in the year (365 days) following conferral of the award. The award terminates when the doctoral degree has been conferred upon an award recipient.

Nomination Process - Students must be nominated by their dissertation advisor or the department graduate advisor, with a letter of transmission from the department chair or program head. These letters should indicate the significance of the dissertation research, the accomplishments of the student, and the scholarly or scientific promise of the student. Nominees must also submit the following materials:

A cover letter of up to 3 pages, in which the nominee discusses his/her qualifications for the Fellowship, including how the nominee’s graduate research has been presented and recognized (publications, presentations, awards, etc.). The nominee should also use this letter to give a summary of the proposal/prospectus that is suitable for an audience of non-experts in the student’s field. The project summary should include a statement of the problem, explain the methodology, place the project in context within the discipline and relevant literature, comment on possible applications outside the field, and help a general audience understand what is significant, novel, ground-breaking, and/or timely about the project and why it is deserving of support. The cover letter may be single-spaced; please use a standard 12-point font (e.g., Times New Roman, Calibri), 1-inch margins, and left justification (ragged right margin).
A current curriculum vitae.
A budget for expenses directly related to the dissertation.

Deadline – All nomination materials must be received at the office of the Graduate College in Walwood Hall by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2012. For further information, please contact Dr. Julie Nemire, Director of Awards and Special Projects, Graduate College, at (269) 387-8208 or julie.nemire@wmich.edu

Revised 1/18/2012

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