Department of English > Scholarships

   Giving

Become a partner in providing quality education for undergraduate and graduate students. Please consider designating your charitable giving directly to the English Department.  You can make an unrestricted gift for general support of the department or direct your gift for specific uses such as the scholarships listed below.

To contribute simply click here for .pdf form or give online through the NIU Foundation website http://www.niu.edu/giving/truenorth/ specifying your gift be directed to the Department of English.

We appreciate your support! 

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Scholarships

Listed here are undergraduate scholarships and awards administered by the English department. For university-wide merit-based scholarships, check with the University Honors Program. For additional scholarships and other forms of financial aid, check with the NIU Scholarship Homepage and with Office of Student Financial Aid.

Robert T. Self Award in Literature and Film

Each spring, the literature and film faculty select one or two outstanding student papers from students who were enrolled in English 590 or English 363 during the preceding fall or current term. A portion of this award is also used to help support undergraduate and graduate English majors who enroll in the Media and Culture in Ireland Study Abroad Program. Contact the Undergraduate Studies Director, if you wish to apply for the scholarship to study in Ireland.

Russell and Jeanne Durning Family Fund and Charles W. Hagelman Jr. Scholarship Fund

Each spring, this cash award is presented to one or more graduate and undergraduate students majoring in English who will be studying in England as part of the NIU at Oxford University Summer Program. Contact the department or study abroad office for additional information and application forms. The deadline is mid-April.

The Orville and Adra Baker Scholarship

The recipient of this endowed scholarship is selected each spring by the department's Undergraduate Studies Committee from students nominated by the faculty. To be eligible for nomination, a student must be a junior. The deadline for application is February 1.

The John C. and Judith M. Gurley Endowed English Scholarship

This endowed scholarship is awarded to an English major of junior or senior standing or a graduate student who demonstrates a desire to pursue a professional (i.e., non-teaching) career. Each scholarship awarded shall be for one academic year; however, prior recipients are eligible to apply for additional awards in subsequent years.

The Rosalie Hewitt Scholarship in English

This endowed scholarship is awarded each fall to a fulltime undergraduate English major on the basis of academic achievement, socio-economic background, career goals, and community service. The deadline for application is February 1.

The Linda and David Nelson Scholarship in English

This endowed scholarship is awarded each semester to an undergraduate English major seeking teacher certification and placed in student teaching. The criteria for the award are financial need, academic achievement, and promise of success as a teacher. Applications from students in the English teacher-certification program are solicited in the semester preceding student teaching.

The Lynne Waldeland Scholarship in English

This endowed scholarship is awarded every fall to an English major newly enrolled at NIU. The chief criterion for the award is past and potential academic achievement. The deadline for application is 1 February. Applicants must have been admitted to NIU for the following fall semester.

The Orville Baker Essay Awards

Each spring the English department holds a competition to select the best paper or papers written in an undergraduate English course during the year. It awards cash prizes to the authors of the winning papers. The usual deadline for submission of an entry comes in mid-April.

The Jeannie A. Hainds Award

Each spring, this cash award is presented to the outstanding student completing the department's teacher-certification program. The recipient is selected by the Committee on Initial Teacher Certification in English.

The Richard H. Howland Poetry Writing Award

Each spring, late in April, the creative-writing faculty in English select for this cash award one or two outstanding students from the year's poetry-writing courses.