English Department Scholarships

The English Department offers ten scholarship awards for academic excellence. Eligible candidates must be majoring in English and maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher in English. Applicants should also have sophomore standing. One application is to be submitted for all nine awards; committee members will designate the appropriate award and amounts.

Scholarship Information 2013-2014

The following scholarship awards are available for next year through funding from the MSUM Alumni Foundation.  

1. Soc Glasrud Endowed English Scholarship
   Awarded to an upper class English major who gives the best promise of scholarship in the “Soc” Glasrud tradition.
   Clarence "Soc" Glasrud taught English at MSUM from 1947 to 1977, including 23 years as chairman of the English Department. Recently deceased, he graduated from MSUM in 1934, served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard. He completed thee books on the history of MSUM.
2. Gerald Ippolito Scholarship
   Awarded to an outstanding student majoring in English with a strong emphasis in literature or Shakespeare.
   Gerald Ippolito taught English and Humanities at MSUM from 1959 until his death, in 1974. Ippolito, who earned his doctorate at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, England, developed the University’s “Series for the Performing Arts Program.”
3. Mark Vinz Scholarship
   Nominated by MFA staff, this annual scholarship is for a first year MFA student who shows promise and commitment to the craft of creative witting.
   Mark Vinz, a widely published writer, taught in the MSUM English department for 39 years, from 1968 to his retirement in 2007. He was one of the founders of the MSUM Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, and its first coordinator, 1995-98. He also helped establish and co-direct the Tom McGrath Writers Series.
4. Jim Bense Scholarship (American Literature)
   An annual scholarship for Senior with an interest in American Literature (any period) and who plans to go on to graduate school.
5. Dr. Allan J. Hanna Memorial Scholarship
   No stipulation.
   To be awarded every year.
6. Ethel Tainter English Endowment
   Awarded to student with an interest/emphasis in either literature or writing.
   To be awarded every year.
7. W.W. Wallwork, Jr. Endowed English Scholarship
   No stipulation.
   To be awarded every year.
8. MSUM English Dept. Scholarship
   No stipulation except for committee judgment of student’s application.
9. MnScu System: Robert Carothers Writing Award
   Criteria: Excellence in writing. For a graduating Senior who has been nominated by several English faculty.
   Dr. Carothers, retired president of the University of Rhode Island (http://www.uri.edu/president/bio.html), was Chancellor of the Minnesota State College System 1987-1991 and established this writing scholarship on all seven Minnesota State campuses to acknowledge and reward a student’s excellence in writing.

Application Procedure

Please submit the following materials to the MSUM English Department Scholarship Committee; English Department Main Office, Weld 216 no later than March 18, 2013.

1. Two faculty letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from faculty in the English Department
2. Minimum 5-page sample of your best writing from a 200 or higher level English course at MSUM.
3. Current transcript
4. Application form
5. Essay: In a well-developed essay of 500 words, typed, double-spaced, and using MLA format, please respond to the following question:
   What value do you see in the study of literature and/or writing?

Application Deadline: March 18, 2013.

Please submit completed applications to: MSUM English Department Scholarship Committee, English Department, Main Office, Weld 216 at (218.477.2235).