F A C U L T Y  S C H O L A R  A W A R D

TO: Department/Program Chairs and Directors of Undergraduate Studies

RE: Nominations for Faculty Scholar Awards

______________________________________________________________________________

The Faculty Scholar Award is the highest honor awarded by Duke faculty to our undergraduates. The award was established in 1974 by the faculty and is administered by the Academic Council through its Faculty Scholar Committee. Candidates demonstrate achievement in independent scholarship and offer outstanding academic records. In previous years, receiving the Faculty Scholar Award has had a positive impact on students who apply for graduate fellowships, both institutional and national awards such as the Mellon, NSF, Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes, etc. For more information on the Faculty Scholar Program and a list of past recipients please go to the Academic council website (www.duke.edu/web/acouncil).

We invite you, in cooperation with your faculty, to nominate your best major(s) for this prestigious award. The number you can nominate depends on the number of majors you have--two if you have more than 30 majors, one otherwise. Nominees should currently be seniors, scheduled to graduate in 2009. Details concerning student qualifications are provided on the enclosed "Overview" sheet, along with information concerning the application and selection process. Please follow the procedures on the Overview sheet, and give a copy of it to your nominee(s).

Use whatever procedures are appropriate for selecting nominees, such as polling individual faculty members, consulting student lists (for participation in independent study as well as for high grade-point averages), and consulting faculty outside your department who guide your students in independent projects. An ad about this award will appear in the Chronicle, suggesting that interested majors contact you about their potential candidacy; feel free to consider such individuals as well as those suggested directly by faculty members. Final selection might be made by the entire faculty or by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Although there is no minimum grade-point average, nominees are generally at the very top of their class; however, what has distinguished past winners from other nominees is original scholarship, clear potential as an innovative scholar, interest in a scholarlycareer, strong faculty support, and theability to articulate scholarly goals.

Application packets are due: Thursday, September 11, 2008 (3:00 p.m.). Details concerning the contents of each packet and where to deliver them are provided on the attached "Overview" sheet. Selection as "Faculty Scholar" is one of the highest honors an undergraduate can receive. We hope that you will nominate at least one candidate for this prestigious award.

Sincerely,

Benjamin F. Ward
Chair, Faculty Scholar Committee
 
 
 

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