Scholarships

Current 2005-06 Scholarship and Award Recipients

On campuses with an active chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, all freshmen who have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the end of any full-time curricular period are automatically eligible for membership, provided they have carried a normal academic load acceptable toward a bachelor's degree and rank in the upper 20 percent of their class.

Life-time membership is conferred upon induction, and maintaining the grade-point average is not required.

Although students will prefer to be inducted with their classmates, eligibility is not lost by missing an induction; one may be inducted at a future regularly scheduled induction ceremony.

The national membership fee of $20 (a local fee is also required to meet the chapter's needs) pays for an academic key or tie tac, membership certificate, and a copy of the national magazine, Forum of Phi Eta Sigma. The fee also pays a portion of the expenses for a chapter delegate to attend the national convention; and a portion goes to the Founders Fund, which provides approximately eighty $1,000 awards and thirty $3,000 scholarships each year to members of Phi Eta Sigma for undergraduate study. Five $5,000 scholarships are also available for the first year of graduate study.

Statute Vll of the Constitution provides that all of the income from the Founders Scholarship Fund shall be used to grant one or more Distinguished Member Scholarships of up to $5,000 for the first year of full-time graduate or professional study, one or more Distinguished Member Scholarships of $3,000 for full-time undergraduate study, and one or more awards of $1,000 for full-time undergraduate study. Applicants must be members of Phi Eta Sigma; those applying for undergraduate scholarships or awards must be nominated by their chapters.

Any Phi Eta Sigma member may apply for a graduate scholarship.

Fund income available for the 2005-06 scholarships was $160,000, making it possible to award five Distinguished Member Scholarships for the first year of full-time graduate or professional study, thirty-one Distinguished Member Scholarships for full-time undergraduate study, and seventy-two undergraduate awards. These scholarship and award winners are listed in the Current 2005-06 Scholarship and Award Recipients section of this web site.

The members of the Scholarship Committee were: Ms. Molly Lawrence, Chairperson, The University of Alabama; Ms. Mary Jo Custer, Syracuse University; and Dr. John Sagabiel, Phi Eta Sigma Grand Secretary-Treasurer. The committee used the following criteria in selecting recipients:

1. High scholastic record with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA.

2. Participation in local chapter activities.

3. Evidence of creative ability.

4. Potential for success in chosen field.

5. Letters of recommendation, not to exceed three.

All applications for undergraduate scholarships should be submitted to the chapter adviser for approval by the local deadline date given on the application form. Each chapter of Phi Eta Sigma may submit at least one undergraduate application. Chapters that inducted 150 or more members last year may submit two undergraduate applications, and those that inducted 300 or more members last year my submit three undergraduate applications. Chapters may submit as many graduate applications as they deem appropriate. Applications for graduate scholarships may be sent directly to the secretary of the scholarship committee at the national office address or may be submitted to the chapter adviser so that all chapter applications may be sent to the national office in one mailing. All scholarship applications must be postmarked no later than March 1.

Applications may be obtained from the chapter adviser or from the national office (a stamped self-addressed envelope should be enclosed).