Scholarships, Awards and Honors
The Department of Applied Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville recognizes outstanding student achievement in a number of ways. There are several student scholarships for which students can apply if they meet the eligibility criteria. Additionally, there are several opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to receive awards based on faculty nominations. Finally, undergraduate students may be inducted into the Lambda Pi Eta honor society of the National Communication Association if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Student Scholarships
Mary Blackburn Scholarship - The scholarship honors the educational leadership of Mary Blackburn by assisting worthy students who are majoring in applied communication studies or theatre and dance.
Mary Blackburn was a teacher at Granite City High School from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was the president of the Illinois Speech and Theatre Association between 1937 and 1938, and coached students who won state and national debate and oratory titles. The amount of the scholarship will be determined based on available funds.
Jessica Uhl Memorial Student Scholarship - This one-time scholarship may be used by the recipient to help with the educational expenses of attending SIUE. The recipient will be chosen by a committee assigned by the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. First preference will be given to an incoming first-year student already accepted at SIUE who is a graduate of the Collinsville High School (IL) with an overall B average or better, pursuing a major in Applied Communication Studies or Mass Communications. If no first year student meets the criteria, the award can be made to any currently enrolled student of SIUE who is a graduate of Collinsville High School (IL) with an overall B average or better, pursuing a degree in Applied Communication Studies or Mass Communications. If neither of the previously stated sets of criteria is met, the award can be made to an incoming first year student who is a graduate of Collinsville High School (IL) with an overall B average or better, who plans on majoring in any College of Arts and Sciences discipline. The amount of the scholarship will be determined based on available funds.
Buzetta Meyer and Charlot Hentz Scholarship - This scholarship may be used for tuition or applied educational costs. Recipient(s) will be chosen by a committee assigned by the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Recipient(s) must be residents of Macoupin County or Madison County in Illinois demonstrating financial need. Preference will be given to students majoring in communication or any of its branches, who carry 12 credit hours or more per semester. Students must maintain a 3.4 grade point average or above on a 4.0 scale. A maximum annual scholarship of $5,000 per student, adjusted annually for inflation as measured by the increase in the CPI index, shall be given during the recipient's 4-year course of study or for 5 years if the field of study is a 5-year or greater program. The amount of the scholarship(s) will be determined based on available funds.
Find more scholarships at Academic Works.
Awards
John W. & Eva M. Morgan Award
The earnings of the Morgan Endowment Fund are used, to the extent possible, to provide one or more awards to recognize excellent performance in Applied Communication Studies. Section of recipient(s) is done by a faculty committee appointed by the Chair of the Department of Applied Communication Studies. A recipient must be an active undergraduate major in Applied Communication Studies who shows a combination of outstanding grades and participation in service activities in discipline-related contexts. The amount of the award(s) will be determined based on available funds.
Communication Award
The recipient of this award can be an active graduate or undergraduate student who pursues or has the intent to pursue graduate studies. The award is based on outstanding academic performance and service to the Department of Applied Communication Studies. The recipient is selected by a faculty committee appointed by the Chair of the Department of Applied Communication Studies and receives a one-year subscription to a journal and cash award to be determined by funds available.
Robert B. Hawkins Graduate Award
The annual earnings of the Hawkins Graduate Award Endowment will be used to provide one award as part of the university’s Honors Day program. The recipient will be selected by the faculty of the Department of Applied Communication Studies and must: be an active graduate student in Applied Communication Studies at SIUE; have accumulated 24 or more hours of graduate work by the end of the semester in which the award is given; show some combination of outstanding grades, meaningful participation in service activities, notable contributions to the discipline, and/or creativity. In addition to the cash award, if funds permit, the Chair of the Department of Applied Communication Studies may also make disbursements from this account for a plaque and/or a one year subscription to a professional journal for the recipient.
David B. Valley Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
The recipient of this award will be a teaching assistant of the Department of Applied Communication Studies at SIUE who exhibits outstanding teaching skills grounded in scholarship. The recipient is selected by a committee appointed by the Chair of the Department of Applied Communication Studies. The amount of the award will be determined by a selection committee based on the funds available and will be presented at Honors Day or a similar event.
Honors
Lambda Pi Eta is the honor society of the National Communication Association for four-year institutions of higher education. Lambda Pi Eta represents the first letters of what Aristotle described in The Rhetoric as the three modes of persuasion: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. The official colors of Lambda Pi Eta are crimson to represent the communication discipline and silver in recognition of oratory skills.
The purpose of this honor society is to promote outstanding academic achievement in the communication discipline. Founded in 1985 at the University of Arkansas, Lambda Pi Eta has today over 400 active chapters at four-year colleges and universities worldwide. It became a part of the National Communication Association in 1988 and the association’s official honor society in 1995. The honor society is also a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, whose mission is to build a visibly cohesive community of national and international honor societies, individually and collaboratively exhibiting excellence in scholarship, service, programs, and governance.
The Six Goals of Lambda Pi Eta are:
- to recognize, foster, and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies
- to stimulate interest in the field of communication
- to promote and encourage professional development among communication majors
- to provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of communication
- to establish and maintain closer relationships between faculty and students
- to explore options for graduate education in communication studies.
In order to become a member of Lambda Pi Eta, a student must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA, with 60 semester or 90 quarter credit hours completed, and a 3.25 GPA for communication studies courses, with 12 semester or 18 quarter credit hours completed. Members of Lambda Pi Eta gain access to various resources of the honor society including a newsletter, an online job service, opportunities of networking at various regional and national events as well as through teleconferences and online, and opportunities to compete for Lambda Pi Eta national awards.
