Scholarships & Awards

Welcome to Languages & Literatures scholarships and awards. We offer eleven different awards to fourteen students every year. All awards and scholarships grant tuition credits, ranging from $50 to $4000, with a total of nearly $18,000 awarded each year. 

On this page, you'll find descriptions of the scholarships and the donors who established them - many of whom were faculty in our department, we're proud to say. Two of our awards are jointly awarded with other departments in Letters and Sciences. You will also find a link to the requirements for each award. If you are interested in a scholarship, please read the requirements carefully: each award is different, created for many kinds of students, with different skills, interests, strengths, and experiences. Some awards are awarded by nomination from faculty members, while students must apply for others.

One of our most rewarding experiences is seeing our students recognized for their excellence.

Click here to find out more about former award winners.

If you have further questions, please contact the chair of Nominations and Scholarships.

Click here for tips on applying for scholarships.

Literature Scholarships and Awards

Aldo and Adriana Busot Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of Aldo and Adriana Busot, former Professors of Spanish in the Foreign Language Department (now Languages and Literatures Department) of UW-Whitewater. The scholarship recognizes and rewards junior or senior students who have shown an interest in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture and have established a high achievement in those areas.

Approximate Award Amount: $300-600 tuition credit.
Renewable with new application.

Requirements:

•  The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  The student be a full-time declared Spanish or Spanish Education major in the junior or senior during the award year.
•  A minimum overall G. P. A. of 3.0 and minimum 3.25 in Spanish courses.
•  The candidate must show evidence of interest in the Spanish language and in Hispanic culture (e.g., volunteer or perform paid work with Hispanic communities in the U.S. or abroad; travel to or study in Hispanic countries; participate in Hispanic activities on campus).
•  The candidate must submit a short essay in which they address their motivation to study Spanish as well as their plans to use Spanish in the future.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

The Burrows Award

Established by a former departmental chair and faculty member, Professor Bob Burrows, (now emeritus) and his wife, Marion, this award is given annually to an outstanding English Literature or English Education major with at least junior standing who is nominated by English Department faculty. Burrows Award winners have achieved a 3.0 G.P.A. overall and in the major. Students in the English Education major who intend to teach in public schools are given top consideration.

Approximate Amount: $1000-1600 tuition credit.
Renewable by nomination.

NOTE: This award is granted by nomination only. Burrows Award recipients do not apply for this scholarship.

Requirements:

• English Literature or English Education major.
•  Junior or Senior standing with at least seventy (70) total credit hours.
•  At least twelve (12) completed hours of literature courses.
•  An overall G.P.A of 3.0, as well as a 3.0 in the major.
• Preference will be granted to the English Education major preparing to teach in public high schools.

Corinne E. Forster Scholarship

Corinne taught Secondary Education English in the College of Education at UW-Whitewater from 1945-1984. She completed her bachelor's degree at UW-Madison, and her masters from the University of Minnesota, where she wrote her thesis on Jane Austen. Corinne cared deeply for her students, and was committed to their learning and achievement. In addition to her love for teaching and literature, Corinne traveled the world. She was a spirited woman and had a contagious passion for learning, great works, and writing "for the real world." She established this endowment to support students' pursuit of writing, in keeping with her motto: "The pleasure of doing good never wears out."

This award grants four tuition waivers to English majors from each track: Literature, Secondary Education, Creative Writing, and Professional Writing. Students must submit a fifty-page portfolio of their writing, which may include course papers, journal entries, creative writing, and selections from writing projects. Individual pieces in the portfolio should be titled. Judges recommend submitting a diverse portfolio of thoroughly edited and proofread work.

Approximate Amount: $1000-1600 tuition credit.
Non-renewable.

Requirements:

•  The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  Current freshman, sophomores and juniors submit fifty (50) pages of writing, which can include papers submitted for class requirements and projects, short fiction, a screenplay OR twenty-five (25) poems.
•  The portfolio must be uploaded as ONE document, even if it includes several different pieces. The document should have page numbers and the student ID number in the header. The document must be titled as follows: CEF.StudentName.doc or CEF.StudentName.pdf
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Edie Thornton Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is endowed in memory of Edie Thornton, who taught in the Department of Languages & Literatures and Department of Women's Studies at UW-Whitewater from 1998-2007. She was a highly regarded teacher who inspired students and faculty. She is known for her groundbreaking research and presentations on Edith Wharton and was active in both the Edith Wharton Society and the American Literature Society. This scholarship is to memorialize and encourage Edie's passion for teaching and scholarship. It is designated for students majoring and/or minoring in English and/or Women's Studies.

The candidate must be a full-time student at UW-Whitewater with sophomore or junior status. The scholarship is designated for students majoring and/or minoring in English and/or Women's Studies, and preference will be given to students who major in one (English or Women's Studies) and minor in the other (English or Women's Studies). Students should show exceptional academic promise and a record of service. Additional preferences include a demonstrable interest in Edith Wharton and/or women authors of her historical period, aspirations for future graduate study, and financial need.

Approximate Amount: $900-1300 tuition credit.
Non-renewable.

Requirements:

• The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
• A personal statement of approximately 500 words.
•  An updated résumé and an Academic Report (AR).
•  Two letters of reference from instructors, preferably in English and/or Women's Studies to be sent directly to the Scholarships Committee.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Jack Heide Creative Writing Award

The Heide award is given to the writer of an outstanding creative text. This award is open to all majors. A registered UW-Whitewater student receives a tuition credit. The work will be judged by the creative writing faculty.

Approximate Amount: $75-100 tuition credit.
Non-renewable.

Requirements:

•  The application, completed online: http://www.uww.edu/scholarships
•  An original creative work that has NOT won another writing award at UW-Whitewater, such as the Department of Languages and Literatures' Superior Student Writing Award, the Corinne E. Forster Award, or the Kristine Grimsrud Memorial Scholarship.
•  The creative work may be fiction, creative non-fiction, OR drama of no more than 5000 words OR no more than five poems, individual or part of a series, totaling no more than 5000 words.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Jack Heide Outstanding Major Award

The Heide Outstanding Major award is granted to junior or senior English Major in the year before graduation. There is no application or nomination; the awardee must have attended UW-Whitewater for at least two years, and is selected for the highest cumulative GPA.

Approximate Amount: $100-200 tuition credit.
Non-renewable.

NOTE: This award is granted by nomination only. Jack Heide Outstanding Major Award recipients do not apply for this scholarship.

Requirements:

•  Junior or Senior status, with plans to graduate the following academic year.
•  Two or more years as a registered UW-Whitewater student.
•  Highest cumulative G.P.A of all English Majors.

Joe and Becky Hogan Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Joseph (Joe) and Rebecca (Becky) Hogan, both emeriti professors of English, after joining the UW-Whitewater faculty in 1984 and retiring in 2011. Becky and Joe met as undergraduate students at the University of New Mexico in 1967 and married in 1968. They received their PhDs from the University of Colorado in 1984. Joe's specialty was Romanticism and the Renaissance and Becky's focus area included nineteenth-century English and Russian novel and autobiography. During their years of dedicated teaching and service to UW-Whitewater and its students, Joe served as Chair of the Languages and Literatures Department for three years and as the Chair of the Faculty Senate for two years. Becky taught Feminist Theories, Women's Voices/ Women's Lives, or Individual and Society in Women's Studies each semester during her tenure at UW-W. Joe and Becky were both active in many curricular changes, particularly the committee that designed World of Ideas. Becky also helped design the Women's Studies version of Individual and Society and served for many years on the Letters and Sciences Curriculum Committee. Joe was on the committee that completely revised the English emphasis and served as the chair of the committee that developed the Professional Writing and Book Publishing sub major. Since 1985, the Hogans actively worked as editors and leaders of a/b: Auto/Biography Studies -a journal of scholarship published semi-annually by the University of North Carolina with support from UW-W. The Hogans reside in Whitewater, having made it their home all these years.

This scholarship awards a UW-Whitewater sophomore, junior, or senior English or Women's Studies major with a minimum overall G.P.A. of 3.0 and 3.2 in the major. Preference is given to those students majoring in both English and Women's Studies, or majoring in one and minoring in the other. Faculty from both English and Women's Studies will choose the winning applicant, taking into consideration the scholarship materials, extracurricular activity in English or Women's Studies events and clubs, and financial need.

Approximate Award Amount: $400-425 tuition credit.
Renewable with new application.

Requirements:

• The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  English or Women's Studies major of at least sophomore standing.
•  Minimum overall G.P.A. of 3.0 and 3.2 in the major.
•  A letter of support from a professor/ instructor in the student's major to be sent directly to the Scholarships Committee.
•  A two-paragraph essay stating academic and professional aspirations and how the scholarship will help further those goals.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Kristine Grimsrud Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established through the estate of Richard and Wilma Grimsrud, in memory of their daughter Kristine. Kristine was a 1970 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree in English, and a passion for poetry and creative writing.

Kristine Grimsrud was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1948. She grew up in suburban Wauwatosa and attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, graduating with a degree in English in 1970. After one year of teaching high school English in Hustisford, Wisconsin, she spent a year traveling in Europe and working on an Israeli kibbutz. In 1973, she began a post graduate program in Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, she decided to change course after one semester and traveled to Germany with a friend, hoping to find employment. She returned to Wisconsin in May of 1974 and received a realtor's and broker's license. Wauwatosa Realtors employed her until her death from injuries sustained in a place crash on October 30, 1974.

She was always interested in writing, especially poetry and fiction. After her untimely death, family members found a multitude of poetry and prose in her files. Her poems, written between 1966 and 1974, were compiled into a book entitled Touching a Dream, self-published in December of 1974. A second book, a selection of poems entitled Waiting for a Flash of Brilliance, was self-published in 2015.

The scholarship shall be made only to students who have declared their major in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, and who have demonstrated financial need.

Approximate Award Amount: $4000 tuition credit.
Renewable with application and new written work.

Requirements:

• The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  English major with Creative Writing emphasis, of at least sophomore standing, enrolled full time.
•  The candidate must submit samples ("the portfolio") of his/her creative writing totaling no more than fifteen pages. A variety of forms are allowed (i.e. poetry, short story, excerpt from a stage or screen play) .
•  A two-page autobiographical statement demonstrating his/ her passion for creative writing.
•  Evidence of financial need, either on the criteria of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater financial aid office, or a one-paragraph statement of financial need by the student.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

The Peter Hoff Study Abroad Scholarship

The Peter Hoff Study Abroad Scholarship was established by emeritus professor of Languages & Literatures, Peter Hoff. Professor Hoff came to Whitewater in 1987, and from 1994 to 2019, served as the first World Languages Coordinator for the Languages & Literature Department. While he taught many levels of Spanish, he especially enjoyed Spanish Phonetics and Spanish Civilization because of his training in Romance Linguistics and his frequent and extensive travels in Spain. As a student, he benefitted from various summer, semester and year-long learning experiences abroad.

Professor Hoff created this scholarship to encourage and facilitate longer term (semester or year-long) international study for world language majors who have yet to complete a study abroad experience of this length. It is his conviction from personal experience that a longer language and cultural immersion is key to achieving a high level of language proficiency and cultural awareness.

Requirements:

• Must be a registered UW-Whitewater student with an overall GPA of at least 3.0
• Must apply and be approved for study abroad of one semester or more through the UW-Whitewater international education administration.
• Must have declared a major in one of the World Languages offered at UW-Whitewater, maintaining a GPA in that language of at least 3.25.
• Must have completed four semesters of university-level study of the major’s language, or have the proficiency equivalent, and plan to study that language in a country where it is spoken.
• The candidate must have no previous semester or longer foreign study experiences at any academic level.
• Students must submit the following
• The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
• University transcripts showing declared major and completed coursework
• A personal statement of no more than 300 words describing their interest in world languages study and cultural exploration, as evidenced by previous short-term international travel, participation in organizations and activities, jobs and volunteerism, both on and off campus, that relates to global topics.
• Deadline for all materials: February 22

Ray Griffith Memorial Scholarship for International Students

This scholarship is made possible through gifts by family and friends in honor of Ray Griffith, who taught English at UW-Whitewater from 1978 until 1995. During those years Ray became well known as a teacher and poet. He especially loved to teach American Literature and English for International Students. He was the recipient of the David Saunders Excellence in Teaching Award. Outside of the university, he was best known for his six years of cultural commentary on Wisconsin Public Radio. Ray was a source of inspiration for students and teacher alike for his lively wit and his compassion for others.

The scholarship is specifically designate for international students who will be majoring in English at UW-Whitewater to honor Ray Griffith's lifelong association with the international community, from his teaching in Korea and India, to the adoption of four children from Korea, to his volunteer teaching in China, Indonesia, Romania, and Ghana after he retired.

The candidate may be a high school or transfer student, or a current UW-Whitewater student majoring in English.

Approximate Award Amount: $600-800 tuition credit.
Renewable by maintaining a 3.4 G.P.A. and full-time status as an English major.

Requirements:

•  The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  The candidate must be a full-time high school, transfer, or current student who demonstrates high academic achievement, with a strong aptitude in English and CLEPT scores of at least 550.
•  The candidate must submit evidence of CLEPT scores.
•  The candidate must submit an updated résumé and academic transcripts.
•  The candidate must submit an original 500-word essay on why the applicant would benefit from the study of English at UW-Whitewater.
•  Two letters of support from teachers or professors to be sent directly to the Scholarships Committee.
•  This scholarship may be renewed without a new application, as long as the student remains a full-time student in the English Major with a minimum 3.4 G.P.A.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Silver/ Savage Environmental Scholarship

The Silver/ Savage Scholarship is given by Donna Silver and George Savage, both ardent supporters of liberal education: Donna, through her work at UW System (1987-2009) and then as Secretary of the Academic Staff at UW Madison (2009-2012); and George, as Languages & Literatures faculty (1984-2012) and as L & L Department Chair (2001-2007) at UW-Whitewater. Both Donna and George were enthusiastic supporters of the Humanities and Sciences. Both served on SAGLA (System Advisory Group for Liberal Arts) from its inception in 2004. This group was the main catalyst for LEAP (Liberal Education and America's Promise) in the UW System campuses. As members of SAGLA, Donna and George were especially involved in the annual statewide essay competitions and were the primary organizers of the 2008 statewide conference on liberal education "Only Connect." At Whitewater, George organized a variety of conferences, from Earth Day celebrations, to a conference on war and peace, to a statewide conference for English faculty.

This scholarship was made possible through the generous inheritance from George's mother, Nellie Savage, who remained remarkably curious to the very end of her ninety-seven year lifespan. Early in her life, Nellie showed a talent for writing poetry and essays. During the Depression she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania. Later she was actively engaged in civic life in her hometown, Titusville, PA, serving and President of the Titusville Women's Club, an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a leader of the Titusville chapter of the American Field Service. Her leadership in AFS led her to become a world-wide traveler, as she kept in touch with many of the international exchange students who had attended Titusville High School. She was the quintessential life-long learner. Nellie was married to Dr. William C. G. Savage, a veterinarian, who worked with farm animals as well as pets. His interest in science and nature began in high school when he was an avid birdwatcher and ended, fittingly, on the final day of his life as he explored the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.

Nellie's interest gravitated to the humanities; William's toward the sciences. This scholarship is meant to encourage the melding of both these worlds.

In his seminal lecture "The Two Cultures," C. P. Snow spoke pessimistically of the problem of the growing divide between the humanities and the sciences. In his 2003 book The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox, Stephen Jay Gould more optimistically envisions a "consilience" between the humanities and the sciences. In his view, mastery of the humanities and the sciences will result in unexpected intellectual and social windfalls. It is in the spirit of consilience between the two cultures -humanities and sciences -that this scholarship is created. To that end, the scholarship will be given to an English major with a second major or minor in environmental studies/ science or biology.

Approximate Award Amount: $3,000 tuition credit.
Not Renewable.

Requirements:

• The application, completed online: https://www.uww.edu/scholarships.
•  The candidate must be a full-time second or third year student (or transfer student) who is a declared English Major with a declared minor or second major in Environmental Studies/ Science or Biology.
•  The candidate must submit an updated résumé and academic transcripts.
•  The candidate must submit a brief (100-300 word) statement about how the applicant sees his or her English major being enhanced by a minor or second major in Environmental Studies/ Science or Biology.
•  At least one letter of support from an English teacher/ professor and/ or and Environmental Studies/ Science or Biology teacher/ professor. This letter should focus on the student's academic potential within the professor's discipline and should be sent directly to the Scholarships Committee.
•  Deadline for all materials: February 22.

Language Scholarships and Awards

Arabic

The Qatar Scholarship Program

Arabic language students may master their skills under this intensive program at Qatar University in Doha for an academic year. It is a non-degree program, but students will receive a certificate upon completion of the academic year. Credit will also be awarded. The scholarship includes tuition; room and board in university dorms; round-trip airfare; local transportation; and books.

Visit http://ccas.georgetown.edu/academics/scholarships/qsprogram/ for more information.

AL Muammar Scholarship for Journalism

If you're pursuing degrees in both Arabic and journalism, you should consider this $5,000 scholarship sponsored by the Arab American Institute Foundation. Applicants should be committed to journalism and possess a sensitivity to Arab American issues. Community involvement and initiative in social advocacy and civic empowerment are required to apply. Applicants must demonstrate journalistic and academic ability, as well as financial need.

Visit www.aaiusa.org for more information.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

This scholarship is intended for U.S. undergraduates who plan to study abroad. The average award is $4,000. Recipients with backgrounds in supercritical languages like Arabic are then eligible for an additional $3,000 Critical Need Language Supplement from the Gilman Scholarship Program.

Visit www.iie.org/gilman for more information.

"Dream Deferred" Essay Contest on Civil Rights in the Middle East

Interested students should visit www.hamsaweb.com and view the writing prompts. One grand prize winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship. One second place winner will receive $1,500. Three runners-up will receive $500 each.

Critical Languages Scholarship Program

This culturally enriching program offers language instruction overseas to undergraduate students. The program lasts from seven to ten weeks and is fully funded by the government in an effort to increase the number of students who become proficient in critical languages such as Arabic.

Visit www.clscholarship.org for more information.

Japanese

Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State sponsors The Gilman Scholarship every year. Their aim is to cultivate friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations between the people of the U.S. and other countries. This relationship fosters students' ability to adopt significant roles in the global economy and the increasingly interdependent world. Therefore, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offered U.S. undergraduate students, who are otherwise unable, the opportunity to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad.

Visit http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program for more information.

Boren Scholarship

The Boren Scholarship is for highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena. To accept funding, Boren Scholars must commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. The national Security Education Program funds Boren Scholarships to provide U.S. undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests. These areas include Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Visit https://www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarships/basics.html for more information.

Bridging Japan Scholarship

The Bridging Project funded by the US-Japan Bridging Foundation due to generous contributions from a number of corporations, private foundations, and individual donors to offer scholarships to U.S. undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan. There are 100 scholarships awarded each year to assist students with the travel and living expenses they accumulate while abroad.  Bridging Scholarships are $2,500 for students who are pursuing semester-long programs and $4,000 for students pursuing academic year programs.

Visit http://www.aatj.org/studyabroad/japan-bridging-scholarships for more information.