Scholarships

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Meiklejohn Travel Award

Scholarship Application open until Monday, November 13, 2023.

Submit Application to Beth Shipman, eshipman@wisc.edu

Up to $1500

Named for Alexander Meiklejohn, founder of the University of Wisconsin Experimental College (1927-1932), the forerunner to the ILS Program

 This prize is intended to help support an ILS student in a university-sponsored or an independent program of education-centered travel or study abroad, taking place during the summer or academic year (or in the US if the destination is remote from the student’s home or the campus).

Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be declared in the ILS Certificate program.
  • Consideration is given to the student’s need, extra-curricular activities and academic standing.
  • Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students.

Submit

  • A two-page double-spaced typed statement of your project, outlining your interests, goals, need, and itinerary.
  • The applicant should provide evidence that the travel proposal has been reviewed and endorsed by an appropriate faculty member or UW-Madison campus office. This evidence can include documentation confirming that the student is participating in a study abroad program or another academia-related trip.

The travel should take place during the year of the award, and students currently abroad are encouraged to apply
This project may be directed by a faculty member for directed study credit, be part of a study abroad course for credit or non-credit, or be a non-credit self-directed trip. Please indicate in your submission which of these options you will be using.
The recipient of the award will submit a report on the project upon returning.

Pooley Prize

Up to $2,000 each (based on available funds)
Named for Professor Robert Pooley, the first chair of the Integrated Liberal Studies program (1948), this prize is:

  • given annually to outstanding ILS students
    on the basis of academic achievement (GPA of at least 3.0 for the 3 preceding semesters),
  • evidence of good character
    student leadership in the ILS program, including involvement in extracurricular activities, and
    available for travel purposes relating to their ILS courses.

Eligibility

Open to all students who are enrolled in the ILS certificate, in the process of completing, have completed or are about to complete the ILS certificate program this year.

Submit

  • A double-spaced typed essay on your educational philosophy and goals (at least one page must be devoted to a narrative of your transcripts). The transcript narrative should tell why you took the elective courses you did, what you learned, what you liked or disliked, expectations met or exceeded, hopes realized, disappointments, and so on. Also discuss your participation in the life of the ILS Program.
  • Two reference letters from faculty providing evidence of your participation in and contributions to the life of the ILS program, your scholarship, and your character.

 

Ruth Knatz Memorial Prize

Up to $5,000 (based on available funds)
Named for Ruth Knatz Gross Wisnewsky and given by her husband, Edward Wisnewsky, this prize will be given only to a truly outstanding student who:

  • is majoring in at least one humanities discipline
    gives promise of making a valuable contribution to the humanities
  • shall have done exemplary work in 15 ILS credits (six credits above 250)
  • has achieved junior or senior standing
    has enrolled in the certificate program and plans to complete the ILS certificate program.

Submit

  • Two letters of recommendation, addressing your current contributions to the humanities and your potential for future contributions
  • A brief (4-5 pages, double-spaced) essay on why you love the humanities; how the study of the humanities has changed your life; and how you hope to share what you’ve discovered with others.

 

 

Last Year's Winners

Winners from the 2018-2019 Academic Year

Katie Krause

Meiklejohn Travel Award
Katie Krause (‘20) majors in History and Political Science, with certificates in Education Policy Studies, European Studies, and ILS. On campus, Katie works at the Student Activity Center, and serve on the exec board for both Sigma Alpha Omega Sorority, as well as Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society.

Gretchen Poston

Meiklejohn Travel Award
Gretchen Poston (‘20) is an English Major with certificates in ILS and Environmental Studies. In Fall of 2018, Gretchen was a Peer Mentor for ILS 102, in additon to being the Features Editor on Madison’s premier student run food magazine, The Dish. This summer, she hopes to get an internship that includes writing in a professional setting.

Jamie Quigley

Pooley Prize
Jamie Quigley (‘20) is a legal studies major with a certificate in ILS. She currently works as an ILS Student Ambassador and as a front desk worker at Union South and the Chadbourne Residence Hall. In addition, Jamie is an intern with the Neighborhood Law Clinic with the UW Madison Law School, working to provide free legal aid and information to the people of Dane County, as well as around the state. This summer, she plans to continue to volunteer her time at the Law Clinic while working at SOAR with ILS and at the residence halls.

Erin McGinnis

Knatz Award
Erin McGinnis (‘19) is a business student graduating in May 2019 with a Marketing Degree and an Integrated Liberal Studies Certificate. In July, Erin will be working in NYC at Magid, a consumer-centered business strategy and custom research company, in the position of Business Development Associate for the Global Media & Entertainment Team. The position will allow her to “pursue my passion for strategic thinking and research, as well as explore infinite opportunities to discover what makes us, as humans, tick.

Photo of the 2016 ILS banquet

May Kohler receives the ILS Distinguished Achievement Award from Grant Nelsestuen, 2023