2012 Graduate Student Scholarship Competition

Deadline for Receipt of Applications: May 21, 2012

Nature of the Competition

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) invites full-time students who will be or who are currently enrolled in a graduate program in communication sciences and disorders to submit applications in competition for graduate scholarship awards. Scholarships are open to students who are undergraduate seniors or students who are currently pursuing master's and doctoral degrees. Either research or clinical doctorates are applicable. Funding opportunities include:

General Scholarships

Up to twenty general graduate student scholarships for master's or doctoral study at $5,000 per award, for students entering or enrolled in graduate study.

Endowed Scholarships

Up to four master's or doctoral student scholarships will be awarded for special purposes. Funding levels are $5,000 per award for the following categories, and applicants must complete an optional information form corresponding to the specific category.

Scholarship for Students with a Disability
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the Leslie Londer Fund, gives priority to a student with a disability.

Scholarship for Minority Students
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the ASHFoundation's Minority Fund, gives priority to a student who is a member of a racial or ethnic minority group and a U.S. citizen.

Scholarship for International Students
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the Kala Singh Memorial Fund, gives priority to an international student studying in the United States.

Scholarship for National NSSLHA Members
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the NSSLHA Scholarship Fund, for an undergraduate senior student with an active national NSSLHA membership and who will begin graduate study in the fall of 2012.

All scholarship recipients will be announced and recognized at the November 2012 ASHA Convention in Atlanta, GA. Interested persons should carefully read the section on eligibility and, after determining that all criteria are met, follow the specified application instructions.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to receive one of the graduate scholarships supporting graduate education in communication sciences and disorders, students must meet the following criteria:

Graduate Study

1. The student must be accepted for, or enrolled in, graduate study in a communication sciences and disorders program in the United States. Master's programs in speech-language pathology or clinical doctoral programs in audiology must be accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA); this does not apply to research doctoral programs.
2. The student must be enrolled in full-time study for the full academic year.

Academic and Personal Merit

3. The student must submit official university transcripts of academic coursework, credits, grades, and G.P.A.
4. The applicant must be recommended by a committee of two or more persons of the following status:
   1. faculty at the student's current college or university program;
   2. faculty at the student's past college or university program, for persons just completing undergraduate work; or
   3. colleagues (at least one supervisor) at the applicant's current place of employment, for persons returning to school after being in the workforce.

Prior Funding

5. The student must not have received a prior scholarship from the ASHFoundation.

Application Procedures

Providing all eligibility requirements are met, the following actions should be taken to complete this application:

1. Student Information Form [PDF]: The applicant should complete the Student Information Form, sign the certification statement on page 3 of the Student Information Form, and use the checklist to ensure that all required items are included in the submission. If any of the requested information is not provided, the application will not be processed.
2. Optional Form [PDF]: Applicants who wish to be considered for any of the four endowed scholarships must complete this form. Please read the eligibility qualifications carefully to ensure that your application meets specific criteria.
3. Letter of Application: The applicant should write a brief letter of application (no more than two typed pages), addressed to the Scholarship Review Committee, indicating his/her goals after completing his/her academic program. Explain why these goals have been chosen.
4. Accompanying Documents: The following materials should accompany the Student Information Form in the order indicated:
   1. Statement of Good Standing: For students who will begin their graduate studies in the fall of 2012, include a copy of the graduate school acceptance letter. For students who have completed one or more semesters or quarters in their graduate program, include a statement of good standing from the department for the 2011-2012 academic year.
   2. Transcripts: The application packet must include one official university transcript and six copies.¹ Note: Students should request this information as soon as possible to allow time for universities to process paperwork before the required deadline.
   3. G.P.A.: If not part of the transcript, the student's G.P.A. must be provided via official department or university documentation such as a letter.
   4. Essay: The student must submit an essay responding to the question below. This essay statement should be placed at the beginning of your text document. Submit the essay response in 12-point font size, single-spaced, and single-sided, not to exceed five pages. These parameters must be followed in order to remain eligible for consideration. Library references may be used to support your opinions and innovative ideas.

      Describe your career 10 years from now. What does it mean to be a professional in 2022?

      To stimulate your imagination as you compose your essay, you may want to consider the following questions. Don't feel it necessary to respond to each question listed, but rather use your creativity to discuss any or all aspect(s) of these questions. The focus and organization of your response is up to you.

      Beyond formal educational instruction, what experiences will have been key learning opportunities? What will you have accomplished, where have you been, what have you done? What remains to be done? What relationship will interdisciplinary research have to clinical practice? What new knowledge and skill sets will be required beyond the core competencies of routine training? How have the professions changed and how have you changed the profession?

   5. Confidential Reference Form [PDF]: The applicant should provide the Confidential Reference Form of these application materials to a recommendation committee defined according to the competition's eligibility guidelines. At some colleges and university programs, an evaluation panel will have been established. In those instances, the department chairperson can identify the chair of that panel. If no such committee exists at the student's college/university, the student may request the assistance of the department chair in selecting members to serve on his/her recommendation committee or may select the members themselves. For those applicants returning to school after being in the workforce, the recommendation committee should be composed of colleagues and/or previous college or university faculty.

      It is essential that those individuals serving as references function as a consensus committee and submit one comprehensive reference form, not two or more separate recommendations. The student should be aware that the committee must prepare and place in a sealed envelope the reference form (with original signatures of all committee members) and six copies. This sealed envelope of materials must be submitted with all other application materials by the student. Failure to complete this requirement and to provide recommendations by the deadline will disqualify the applicant from the competition.

Funding Note

Scholarship funding is to be directed toward educational support (such as tuition, books, school living expenses, etc.) and not for personal or conference travel.

Submission

Submit the completed original application form collated with all the accompanying documents and six additional sets of this original packet, to be received no later than May 21, 2012, to:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
2012 Graduate Student Scholarship
2200 Research Blvd, #105
Rockville, MD 20850-3289
Attn: Program Administrator

No extensions will be granted beyond the May 21, 2012 deadline and fax copies will not be accepted. Confirmation that your application has been received will be sent if an e-mail address is provided.

Applicants will be notified of competition results in November 2012. If you have any questions regarding this application, contact the ASHFoundation office at 800-498-2071, ext. 8703 or foundationprograms@asha.org.

¹ Only one official transcript is required to be included in the "original" application packet; an unofficial transcript (such as a student copy) may be used in the six additional application packets.