Higher Education Program Scholarships

Louis W. Bender Endowed Scholarship

The Louis W. Bender Endowed Scholarship was created in honor of Dr. Louis W. Bender, Professor Emeritus of higher education at The Florida State University. The scholarship is intended to recognize Dr. Bender's lifelong commitment to higher education, his dedication to his students, and his extensive scholarly contributions to theory and practice in the field of postsecondary education.

The Louis W. Bender Endowed Scholarship is an academic assistantship awarded to a new doctoral student in higher education with a minimum of two years of successful work experience in a two-year, degree-granting postsecondary institution and an aspiration to continue as an education leader in such an institution. The award recipient must be a full-time doctoral student in the FSU Higher Education program and must agree to assist in the introduction and implementation of an institutional development project for the College of Education during the award year.

The award is for the 2007-2008 academic year, payable in two installments of $4000 each. A scholarship award will normally include full or partial waiver or tuition; however, the extent of the waiver cannot be guaranteed until after the scholarship selection process has been completed. contact: Dr. Joe Beckham, jbeckham@coe.fsu.edu

Maurice L. Litton Scholarship

The Maurice L. Litton Memorial Fund is a permanent endowed fund with earnings to be used to perpetuate the quality and national recognition of the higher education program as well as the memory of Professor Litton. Annual income from the fund is used to provide a scholarship award to a student enrolled in the program in Higher Education with a concentration in community college teaching, research, or leadership development. Students who are completing the certification program in college teaching will be considered enrolled in the program in higher education for the purpose of award eligibility. This scholarship will be awarded on the basis of the student's academic promise and commitment to the field of higher education and the American community college. A committee of program faculty and students will select the scholarship recipient from students nominated by program faculty.

The award varies in amount depending on the expendable interest in the fund, but typically provides between $300 and $500 to a single awardee. Candidates are nominated by department faculty, and the student nominated must submit a letter to the committee detailing his or her interest in American community colleges. This letter of interest should not exceed two single-spaced typewritten pages and should be accompanied with an up-to-date resume and a list of three references familiar with the candidate's professional background.

Faculty who wish to nominate a student for this scholarship must notify both the student and the program coordinator of the higher education program. Student materials must be submitted to the program coordinator prior to the deadline date below. The recipient of the scholarship is recognized at the FSU homecoming Brunch in the College of Education.

W. Hugh Stickler Award for the Enhancement of Dissertation Research

The W. Hugh Stickler Memorial Fund was established through the generosity of Dr. Stickler’s widow, Mrs. Margaret Stickler, their daughters, and other donors, including faculty colleagues, former students and friends. The award is named for the man who founded the Department of Higher Education, chaired it for 12 years and served as senior professor for another five years. In addition to his many worked and services, he was a founder of the first national organization of professors of higher education, now titled the Association for the Study of Higher Education. The awards from the fund honor his memory and his many successful efforts to institutionalize the study of higher education.

The primary purpose of the award is to help a doctoral candidate in higher education, particularly a full-time student who is in need of financial assistance, so the quality of his or her dissertation research and writing may be enhanced beyond that possible without the award. The award is to give financial assistance, encouragement, and recognition to a candidate whose dissertation study is expected to add to knowledge about higher education. Eligibility for the Award requires that the recipient be: (1) an active doctoral student in the higher education program of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, (2) at or near the final stages of completing the prospectus or just beginning dissertation research, and (3) proposing research germane to the field of higher education. A five person award committee (three faculty and two graduate students) will review applications and make the selection decision early in the Fall term.

The award is to cover research expenses, not to exceed $400. In the case of a tie, the award may be divided between two candidates. In recognition of Dr. Stickler’s strong concern for a residential doctoral program, applicants who are enrolled full time will be given first priority in the evaluation process.

Faculty and students within the Department of Educational Leadership may nominate candidates, and an application for the award will be sent to eligible nominees. Application forms may be obtained from the chair of the award committee, Dr. Robert Schwartz. The completed application form, a statement of how the research will be enhanced by the award, and a copy of the prospectus are required for a completed application.