Scholarships and Awards

The Lester Wolfson Poetry Prize was established to honor the memory of IU South Bend’s first and longest-reigning chancellor, Lester Wolfson.  An English Professor by training and a lover of poetry, Wolfson’s legacy continues to inform the arts and humanities programs at IU South Bend.  The Lester Wolfson Poetry Prize for current and incoming English MA Students awards a $2,500 scholarship to one outstanding student-poet.

ELIGIBILITY 

• English majors in their senior year with at least 90 credits hours completed who intend to start their English MA program at IU South Bend after graduation.
• Current English MA students who will enroll in graduate classes for at least one more semester before they graduate.
• Ongoing interest and activity in the writing of poetry.
• Willingness to contribute to the creative writing community at IU South Bend.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• A cover page with the following information: full name, university ID, mailing address, email, total credit hours completed, semester and year of first or intended enrollment in ENG MA, and expected graduation date.
• A personal statement not to exceed 500 words that describes the student’s ongoing interest in the writing of poetry, including a detailed discussion of the student’s creative activities.
• Three sample works of original poetry written by the student.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1st

The application deadline for the Lester Wolfson Poetry Prize is 5pm on March 1^st. Applications should be emailed as Microsoft Word or PDF attachments to the Director of the English MA Program.  The prize selection committee will announce the award winner in April.

WOLFSON PRIZE WINNER RESPONSIBILITIES

The Lester Wolfson Poetry Prize Winner will be expected to contribute actively to the creative writing community at IU South Bend.  Contributions may include the following activities: presenting at a poetry reading hosted by the creative writing program, actively attending campus poetry readings, submitting manuscripts to the IU South Bend Graduate Journal, or presenting at the IU South Bend Multidisciplinary Graduate Conference.

The Eileen T. Bender Scholarship was established to honor the memory of IU South Bend English Professor Eileen Bender, who made immense contributions to both women’s studies and the scholarship of teaching and learning. It awards $500-$2,000 to a graduate student in the English M.A. Program who works in the area of women’s/feminist issues and plans to teach at the college level. This student will be known as the “Bender Fellow” for the term of the scholarship.

ELIGIBILITY

• A minimum grade point average of 3.3
• Prior work in the area of women’s studies
• A record of community service

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• A cover page with the following information: full name, university ID, mailing address, email, degree program (English), credit hours completed as of application deadline, grade-point-average, and expected graduation date.
• A personal statement not to exceed 1,000 words that describes the work that the student has completed in the area of women’s studies and addresses the student’s plans to teach at the college level.
• A curriculum vitae that includes the student’s contributions to community service.
• A letter of recommendation from an English faculty member.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

The application deadline for the Eileen T. Bender scholarship is 5pm on March 1. Applications and letters of recommendation should be emailed as Microsoft Word or PDF attachments to the Director of the English MA Program. Award winners will be determined by a committee comprised of English and MLS faculty and will be announced in April.

BENDER FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES

To retain the scholarship, the Bender Fellow must:

• Maintain at least a 3.3 GPA.
• Continue involvement in community service.
• Attend at least one workshop provided by the University Center for Excellence in Teaching (UCET).

The Regional Campus Graduate Fellowship Awards a scholarship of up to $4000 for full-time grad students and up to $2000 for part-time grad students. All incoming and continuing graduate students are considered for this scholarship; no need for extra application materials. Winners are announced in September each year.

A number of our graduate students teach part-time in the First-Year Writing Program or work as embedded tutors or at Writers' Room, through which they gain valuable experience that can make them marketable after graduation. Students may apply for a teaching or tutoring position any time in their graduate studies. For more information or to apply, please contact the Director of First-Year Writing.

Graduate students will have hands-on opportunities to work for PubHub, Wolfson Press, 42 Miles Press, Graduate Journal, and our award-winning literary arts journal Analecta through publishing and editing internships.