English Department Scholarships

To view previous winners of English Department Scholarships, click here. 

The English Department offers numerous scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. Unless otherwise noted, all applications are due on January 24, 2025. Submit all scholarship materials to JuDean Howerton via email at judean.howerton@okstate.edu. If a scholarship requires a reference letter, the writer of the letter should submit it directly to JuDean.

Scholarships awards will be announced early March and are payable in the following fall semester. Students must be returning to OSU in the fall semester to be eligible for scholarships. Scholarship amounts and availability are subject to the investment performance of individual scholarship accounts. Information for each scholarship season will be updated as it becomes available.

Undergraduate Scholarships

• Mary Lou Sare Endowed Scholarship in English
• Audre Chapman Scholarship Fund
• Dr. Carol S. Nasworthy Memorial Endowed Scholarship
• Evelyn Burris DeBenning Memorial Scholarship in English

• President’s Distinguished Scholarship

  Awarded to an undergraduate English major possessing outstanding academic credentials and strong leadership. 

   

  One of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships at Oklahoma State University. Once attending OSU, students must continue to meet the strict academic standards established for the PDS program to retain the scholarship. Designed to bring the finest high school graduates to OSU, the PDS is a key element in the University’s program for recruiting scholars. Recipients must possess outstanding academic credentials and strong leadership capabilities. There is no application necessary; all majors with the appropriate credentials will automatically be considered.

   

  • James and Ann Halligan Scholarship for English

  • Eugene W. & Marie-Louise Jackson Scholarship for Creative Writing

• Undergraduate Literature Scholarship

  Awarded to the best critical or research essay by an undergraduate.

   

  The following rules apply:

  • Competition for the scholarship is open to undergraduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays can be critical or research papers, and they should be 7-12 double spaced, typewritten pages.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. 

  • Each undergraduate may submit only one entry. If entries are submitted for other scholarships, they must be different entries. 

  Papers will be evaluated on their originality, persuasiveness, and style.

   

  Click here for the Undergraduate Literature Scholarship application.

• Ruby N. Courtney Writer's Scholarship

  Awarded to a student interested in writing and/or literature at the Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. 
  
  

  The Ruby N. Courtney Writer’s Scholarship offers financial assistance to students interested in writing and/or literature at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Recipients of this scholarship award must be enrolled full-time, be in good academic standing, and have completed 30 credit hours. Scholarship recipients will receive a $500 cash award.

   

  Submit your completed application to the OSU Ruby N. Courtney Writer’s Scholarship Coordinator, Professor Aimee Parkison. The application deadline is the middle of the Spring semester each year. If you have any questions about this scholarship or would like an application form, please contact Professor Parkison at aimee@okstate.edu.

   

  Your application must be accompanied by the following:

   

  1. A short story demonstrating your creative writing skills. Your entry should be typewritten, single spaced, and between three to four pages in length. Please no excerpts.

  2. A copy of your most recent official transcript.

  3. Required application form supplied by the coordinator.

Scholarships for Undergraduate or Graduate Students

• The Poet Ai Memorial Scholarship
• Marianne Cooley Study Abroad Endowed Scholarship
• English Department Scholarship
• Robert & Jill Foster Award of Excellence Endowed Scholarship

• Janemarie Luecke Memorial Prize

  Awarded to the best unpublished essay or poem 

   

  The Janemarie Luecke Memorial Prize for the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay or poem:

  • Essay should be of high literary quality relating to Old or Middle English literature.

  • Poem is to be of high literary quality in any subject.

  Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay/poem, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. The contestant’s name should not appear in the essay/poem itself.

   

  Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships.  

   

  Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

   

  The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. Click here for the Janemarie Luecke Memorial Prize application.

Scholarships for Continuing Graduate Students

• Clinton C. Keeler Fellowship in English
• Marye Lynn Cummings Graduate Sch in Creative Writing
• Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Scholarships

• Harry M. Campbell Scholarship

  Awarded to an outstanding MA candidate. (12 completed graduate hours minimum.)

   

  The scholarship derived from an endowment made possible by memorial gifts, royalties, faculty contributions, book sales, etc., will be awarded to an MA candidate in English studies.

   

  Any graduate student who has completed at least 12 hours of graduate work above the requirements of their previous degree toward an MA in English may apply.

   

  Selection of scholarship winners will be based on the following criteria:

  • Academic achievement as evidenced by (a) grade point average in graduate work and (b) publication and research.  

  • Participation in professional activities.  

  • Service to the Department (including teaching if applicable) or Community. The Committee may solicit Graduate Faculty recommendations in determining Keeler and Campbell Scholars. It chooses to do so this year and asks that students please include 2-3 such letters of recommendation with their application.

  Please attach an unofficial copy of your grade report and any additional material that is pertinent to your application.  (Copies of your grade report are available online on SIS.)

   

  Please be sure to include the applicant's name, address, phone number and CWID typed on a separate sheet of paper.

   

  Applications will be processed by the Department Scholarship Committee. Click here for the Harry M. Campbell Scholarship in English Studies application. 

• Leonard J. Leff Film or Media Studies Award

  Awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with film, television, media culture, computer media, or other aspects of visual culture. 

   

  The Leonard J. Leff Film or Media Studies Award for the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with film, television, media culture, computer media, or other aspects of visual culture. 

   

  Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. The contestant’s name should not appear in the essay itself.

   

  Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships.   

   

  Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

   

  The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. Click here for the Leonard J. Leff Film or Media Studies Award application.

• Professional Writing Scholarship

  Awarded to the best essay in Composition/Rhetoric or best essay on a communication project (websites, manuals, CD-ROMs, etc.) in Professional Writing. 

   

  The scholarship is awarded to the best essay project (essay, webtext, research project) in Rhetoric and Professional Writing.

   

  The following rules apply:

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Entrants should include no identifying information on their entry, print or digital.

  • All submissions should include the attached application form stating the title of entry, applicant's name, address, phone number and CWID.

  • Students should submit no more than one project for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries. Entries for this award should not have been submitted for other awards, prizes, or scholarships.

  • Entries, if classroom projects, should show evidence of careful revision and proofreading.

  • Entries will be judged for originality, substance, and style. Entries submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty.  

  Click here for the Professional Writing Scholarship application. 

• TESOL/Linguistics Scholarship

  The scholarship is awarded to the best essay on either TESOL or linguistics.

   

  The following rules apply: 

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the attached application form indicating the name of the essay, the applicant's name, address, phone number and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the applicant should appear. 

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. 

   

  Click here for the TESOL/Linguistic Scholarship application. 

• Sally Hinrich PhD Scholarship

  Awarded to PhD candidates (24 completed graduate hours min.). 

   

  The scholarship is awarded to a Ph.D. candidate in any area of English studies.

   

  Selection of the Hinrich Scholar will be based on the following criteria:

  • high-quality scholarship and research;

  • personal initiative in leadership; 

  • service to the graduate student community; 

  • creativity in teaching/tutoring. (This is optional. Teaching experience is not required for this scholarship.) 

  The Committee may solicit graduate faculty and graduate student recommendations to determine the Hinrich Scholar.  Income for the scholarship is derived from an endowment fund made possible by memorial gifts and department faculty, staff, student, and friend contributions.

   

  Any Ph.D. student may apply who has completed at least 24 hours of graduate work toward the Ph.D. in English, above the requirements for his/her previous degree OR 24 hours of graduate work toward an interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree.  Applications will be processed by the Department Scholarship Committee.

   

  Download application form

   

  Sally Wellenbrock Hinrich, Ph.D. (1946-2008) was born in Yakima, Washington and raised in Stockton, California. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, and she later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) from Portland State University (1988) and a Master of Public Administration from Lewis & Clark College (1993) in Portland, Oregon. She married and raised three children, taught English and other subjects at area colleges, including Lewis & Clark, Concordia College, and Portland Community College, and spent seven years living and teaching in Saudi Arabia. 

   

  In 2002, Sally was admitted to the TESOL/Linguistics doctorate program in the Department of English at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK. During her tenure in the Department, she taught English courses as a Graduate Teaching Associate and served with distinction in the Assistant Director positions for the International Teaching Assistant Program and the International Composition Program.  Sally also served as a leader, mentor and model for her fellow graduate students in both formal and informal ways, through her involvement in the Department and her academic field.  These activities include working on department committees, attending and presenting her research at state, national, and international conferences, submitting articles for publication, teaching workshops for graduate students on professional development topics, engaging students in discussions, both in groups and one-on-one, on academic and professional issues, encouraging others to get involved in service to the university and their professional fields, and hosting numerous student/faculty social gatherings in her Stillwater home.

   

  Sally’s graduate studies and research work were outstanding—she served as a lead teacher and key research assistant on the Department's Aviation English grant, funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. She devoted herself with dedication to the collection of authentic Air Traffic Communication data and the design of effective methods for teaching English language skills to international Air Traffic Controllers. This work formed the basis of her dissertation, titled "The Use of Questions in International Pilot and Air Traffic Controller Communication." In May, 2008, Sally graduated from OSU with the Doctor of Philosophy degree in English. 

   

  Dr. Hinrich was appointed to a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Texas at Tyler, but she was unable to begin her new post due to the discovery of terminal brain cancer while attending an international conference in Göteborg, Sweden. She moved back to Portland and passed away in November, 2008, surrounded by her family and friends. Sally loved teaching, traveling, laughing, collecting camel art and taking walks with her beloved dog, Tiger.

• Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching and/or Consulting

  Awarded to any English graduate teaching assistant or associate.

   

  Please submit the following information:

  • A 1-2 page statement of teaching and/or consulting philosophy that

  • Addresses how you’ve innovated assignments or consulting sessions based on student needs and program outcomes;

  • Includes two or more concrete examples;

  • May describe teaching in first-year composition, technical writing and/or international composition and in writing center consulting. For example, if you’ve taught in and made contributions in both technical writing and composition, you could describe assignments in each, if relevant to your application. Likewise, if you’ve consulted and made contributions to the writing center and have taught and contributed to international composition, you may choose to describe both.

  • A 1-2 page CV listing relevant teaching/consulting experience

  • Letter of support from an AD or program director who has observed at least one class section or consultation

  • Optional: letter of support from a former student or writer.

  
  Evaluative Criteria

  Applications will be judged based on the overall quality of the application materials:

  • Evidence of innovative/adaptive and effective teaching practices

    and/or

  • Evidence of innovative and effective Writing Center inquiry projects and consulting practices.

  
  Process

  Attach the application form stating the applicant's name, address, phone number, and CWID.

   

  Applications will be evaluated by program directors. 

   

  Click here for the Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching and/or Consulting application.

• Carol Guagliardo Preston TESOLing Award

  Awarded to a graduate student in TESOL whose linguistic work addresses social justice issues

   

  The Carol Guagliardo Preston TESOLing Student Award is given in memory of Carol Guagliardo Preston, whose career in English language teaching, teacher education, bilingual education, and administration from kindergarten through adult basic education programs spanned more than five decades and reached from her native Milwaukee through Belize, Poland, Hawai'i, Brazil, New York, Michigan, and Denmark to Oklahoma and many other places. She was a dedicated and enthusiastic editorial, emotional, and personal supporter of students in linguistics and applied linguistics throughout her career, and she was equally dedicated to and enthusiastic about linguistic knowledge and language pedagogy as they served her fundamental beliefs about social justice and human and civil rights around the world.

   

  The Carol Guagliardo Preston TESOLing Award will be awarded annually to the OSU student whose research, teaching, service and planned career best reflect an emphasis on the importance of linguistic and applied linguistic work in addressing social justice and human and civil rights, particularly in situations of ethno-linguistic diversity. The award will be presented at the annual TESOLing Spring Forum

   

  Applications will be processed by the Department Scholarship Committee. Award amount is $500. Click here for the Carol Guagliardo Preston TESOLing Award application. 

• Edward Jones Milton or Textual Studies Scholarship

  Awarded to the best essay on Milton or textual studies. 

   

  The scholarship is awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with any aspect of Milton's writing or a critical edition or bibliographic essay on any subject of English or American literature.
  
  

  A Critical Edition is one in which the editor of it examines all authoritative editions and manuscripts of a work, attempts to eliminate all errors, and makes editorial corrections or emendations for the express purpose of producing a text as close as possible to the author's final intent.

   

  A bibliographical essay is, in its most common form, a survey of scholarship about an author or work, sometimes called a literature review.  It identifies what commentators have published about a literary work or author.  In essence, it provides a reception history. Such essays typically establish limitations on the subject covered. For example, a survey of scholarship on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby might have as its title:  "A Reception History of Nick Carraway as Narrator: 1930-1970."

   

  The following rules apply:

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays should range in length from ten to forty pages of double-spaced typescript. The cover-page should contain the title of the essay and the scholarship for which it is submitted.  The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear.

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style.  Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty.

  All submissions should include the scholarship name, applicant's name, address, phone number and CWID typed on a separate sheet of paper.
  
  

  Funding for these scholarships is made available through the Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Endowment Fund. Click here for the Edward Jones Milton or Textual Studies Scholarship.

• Edward Walkiewicz Contemporary Studies Scholarship

  Awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with 20th-21st-century literature and/or culture.

   

  The following rules apply:

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays should range in length from ten to forty pages of double-spaced typescript. The cover-page should contain the title of the essay and the scholarship for which it is submitted. The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. This is the only place where the name of the essayist should appear. 

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. 

   

  Funding for these scholarships is made available through the Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Endowment Fund. Click here for the Edward Walkiewicz Contemporary Studies Scholarship. 

• Jeffrey Walker Early American Studies Scholarship

  Awarded to the best essay on early American literature through Cooper. 

   

  The scholarship is awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with American literary or cultural history through James Fenimore Cooper.

   

  The following rules apply: 

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays should range in length from ten to forty pages of double-spaced typescript. The cover-page should contain the title of the essay and the scholarship for which it is submitted. The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. 

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. 

   

  Funding for these scholarships is made available through the Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Endowment Fund. Click here for the Jeffrey Walker Early American Studies Scholarship application. 

• Paul Klemp Renaissance Studies Scholarship

  Awarded to the best essay on Renaissance literature

   

  The scholarship is awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with Renaissance literary or cultural history excluding Milton.

   

  The following rules apply: 

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays should range in length from ten to forty pages of double-spaced typescript. The cover-page should contain the title of the essay and the scholarship for which it is submitted. The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. This is the only place where the name of the essayist should appear.  

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty.

  All submissions should include the scholarship name, applicant's name, address, phone number and CWID typed on a separate sheet of paper.

   

  Funding for these scholarships is made available through the Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Endowment Fund. Click here for the Paul Klemp Renaissance Studies Scholarship application.

• Randi Eldevik Medieval Studies Scholarship

  Awarded to the best essay on Medieval studies

   

  The scholarship is awarded to the best unpublished scholarly or critical essay dealing with medieval literary or cultural history.

   

  The following rules apply:

  • Competition for the scholarships is open to English graduate students currently enrolled at OSU.

  • Essays should range in length from ten to forty pages of double-spaced typescript. The cover-page should contain the title of the essay and the scholarship for which it is submitted. The name of the contestant should not appear in the essay or on the title page.

  • Each entry must include the application form indicating the name of the essay, the name of the author, address, phone number, and CWID. This is the only place where the name of the author should appear. This is the only place where the name of the essayist should appear. 

  • Students should submit no more than one essay for each scholarship, though they may submit for multiple scholarships. Students who choose to submit essays for multiple scholarships must submit different entries.

  • The essays will be judged for originality, tenability, significance, and cogency of organization and prose style. Essays submitted for these prizes will be judged by a committee of graduate faculty. 

  The scholarship name, essay title, and the author's name, address, phone number and CWID should be typed on a separate sheet of paper and clipped to the essay. 

   

  Funding for these scholarships is made available through the Gladys S. Lewis Literary Studies Endowment Fund. Click here for the Randi Eldevik Medieval Studies Scholarship. 

Scholarships for Incoming Graduate Students

• Richard G Ingham English Graduate Studies Endowed Scholarship
• Gladys Burris Creative Writing Fellowship Fund
• Georgia Price Hensley Graduate Scholarship
• Department of English Emergency Student Award Fund

Graduate Student Travel Awards

The English Department offers several travel awards for graduate students who are presenting papers at conferences or who are conducting research in archives or special collections. Travel Awards are paid as reimbursements for allowable expenses after travel, upon submission of receipts to Robert Estes. See individual awards for submission requirements and deadlines.

• Ravi Sheorey TESL Award for Research
• EGSA Professional Development Scholarship

• Houston-Truax-Wentz Graduate Travel Stipends 

  Available to English graduate students in any program attending a conference

   

  The Houston-Truax-Wentz Stipend Committee invites applications for financial support from graduate students who are presenting at a conference or who are traveling to a collection for research related to a thesis or dissertation. Because the Houston-Truax-Wentz endowment was established to enhance literary studies at OSU, literature students will be prioritized over students in other programs. However, the Stipend Committee invites applications from students in all programs. Applications should include the following: (1) a) a statement identifying conference destination that also indicates whether the student’s proposal has been accepted, or b) statement identifying collection to be visited and whether the student’s access to materials has been confirmed, (2) if the application is for travel to a conference, a copy of the proposal, (3) a statement of support from the student’s academic advisor, (4) a budget (transportation costs plus per diem), (5) evidence (if any) of pursuit of other funds, and (6) CV and unofficial OSU transcript. The stipend Selection Committee will consist of the Houston-Truax-Wentz Chair, the Literature Program Director, and the Graduate Coordinator. There will be two review cycles per year with deadlines of October 15 and February 15 for application materials. Each award will cover up to $750 in allowable expenses.

   

  Additional information for students applying for Houston-Truax-Wentz Travel Grants and for faculty recommending them:

  • Travel and lodging expenses within Oklahoma will not be funded under any circumstances, though registration expenses for conferences taking place within Oklahoma may be. Because students are always encouraged to participate in the Southern Plains Conference, travel and registration expenses for other graduate student-run conferences will not be funded.

  • Priority will be given to Travel Grant applications as follows: Students who have never received a grant will be given first priority, followed by students who have not received a grant within the past two academic years, followed by students who have not received a grant within the past academic year. Students applying for a second grant within the same academic year will only be considered if funds remain after all the preceding applicant categories have been funded.

  • In their recommendation letters, faculty advisors of students applying for travel grants will be expected to evaluate the intellectual quality and professional importance of the specific conferences for which their students request funding, above and beyond the general value to be gained from attending any conference.

  • The terms of the Houston-Truax-Wentz endowment specify that its funds are intended primarily to support the mission of the Literature Program, though this has not so far prevented the awards committee from granting funds to applicants from all programs. However, in the event that endowment funds become exceptionally scarce, this requirement may be applied to applications in any academic year. It will only be used to break ties between equally strong applications.

  
  Submit your application materials to JuDean Howerton, via email at judean.howerton@okstate.edu, who will then route the materials to the committee.