As a faculty member or academic advisor, you can contribute to the Office of Fellowships in several ways. If you have questions about referring students, volunteering to serve on a selection committee, or letters of recommendations, contact fellowships@wayne.edu. Below are resources to help you guide and advise student candidates towards a fellowship that fits them.

Services provided

The Office of Fellowships provides the following services to students, faculty, and advisors:

• Track and post major fellowship opportunities, deadlines. 
• Advise and inform students on fellowship opportunities. 
• Answer questions regarding fellowships, applications, eligibility.  
• Support students through application process: essays, securing strong letters of recommendation, gathering and sending the necessary application materials. 
• Screen students for fellowships which limit university-wide application numbers 
• Receive and coordinate recommendations for selected students and compose institutional endorsement letters. 
• Coordinate student essay reviews and revisions (where permitted). 
• Assemble faculty panels for student practice interviews should they advance to next round. 

Indicators of a good candidate

For the comprehensive fellowships (Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Truman, Udall, and even to some extent the Gates-Cambridge and the Goldwater) strong candidates can demonstrate the ability to think big.  As one of our advisors nicely summed things up, the best applicant for these scholarships is 
"Someone who thinks broadly and deeply about themselves and the world."

The strong candidate will be able to exhibit most of the following characteristics

Depth

Can you go deep on at least one or two topics, especially those related to your intended career?   Could you hold your own in a conversation with somebody who has expertise in that field (not because you know everything but because you're intellectually curious enough to have gotten to know the field and to know what to ask)?

Breadth

Can you go beyond your specialty and show a general understanding of what's going on in your city, your state, your country and your world?  Could you have a reasonably comfortable conversation about the kinds of things that might appear on the front page of the New York Times?

Leadership 

Can you demonstrate how you have played a positive role in a making things happen, particularly by working with and empowering other people?  Could you explain your own understanding of leadership in a way that shows an understanding of your unique skills and a capacity to put them to into play for worthwhile ends?

Compassion

Can you demonstrate empathy and awareness of injustice and inequality and show a track record of acting on behalf of others?  Can you account for your major life choices in ethical terms and show how achieving your goals will have a positive impact on the lives of others, whether particular individuals or the broader society?

Vision

Can you see the bigger picture in your life and work and use this vision to shape your everyday choices? Can you communicate a vision of who you are and where you are going, and how a specific scholarship is going to enable you to live out that vision?
 

Resources for specific awards

• 2020 Truman Faculty Rep webinar

Nominate a student

If you have a student you believe to be a good candidate for a nationally competitive award, please contact the Office of Fellowships to nominate them.