2008-2009 IWW Diversity and Excellence Graduate Scholarships for Water and Watershed Research

The Institute for Water and Watersheds at Oregon State University is accepting nominations for Diversity and Excellence (D&E) Scholarship awards to support graduate students who plan to conduct research related to Oregon water issues.  The purpose of these awards is to assist in the recruitment and retention of highly qualified graduate students to OSU, particularly targeting students from under-represented groups or who have had multicultural experiences. These one-year awards of up to $15,000 will be made to incoming or current graduate students through a competitive process. 

Advisors nominating students for the IWW D&E Scholarship must commit to providing equivalent support for one additional year for master’s students and for two additional years for doctoral students. Advisors nominating current students for the IWW Graduate Scholarship must provide evidence that the student has received at least one year’s support from the advisor or advisor’s department and will face hardship without the support of the IWW Graduate Scholarship.  Up to three awards will be made this year.

Scholarship Details

Scholarship will provide a one-year stipend of $15,000 ($5,000 per term for 3 terms). Tuition remission cannot be included.

Eligibility Criteria

• Acceptance into a graduate program at OSU with an Oregon water resources interest (does not need to be in the Water Resources Graduate Program).
• Major advisor/department must commit to continued post-scholarship funding or have already provided funding.
• Strong potential for or evidence of academic success at OSU.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the committee for diversity and excellence using the following criteria:

• Interests of students and faculty nominee show potential for advancement of research related to Oregon water issues.
• Grades, GRE scores, letters, and transcripts indicate strong potential for success in graduate school.
• Preference given to students from under-represented groups or who have had multicultural experiences and are enrolled in academic programs that show critical under representation in both faculty and graduate student ranks.

Nomination Procedures

Major advisors must submit a letter of nomination to Professor Denise Lach (denise.lach@oregonstate.edu; 737-5471), Chair of the Scholarship Review Committee.  The letter should describe the candidate's merit and promise for the future.  The nomination letter must also provide specific details of matching support for the nominee as detailed in the eligibility criteria outlined above. Two additional letters of recommendation plus the student's statement of academic and career goals are required.  Copies of transcripts must be included in the nomination packet. 

The deadline for nominating students is February 15, 2008.  Selections will be made by March 1, 2008.  For questions, contact Professor Lach.