Distinguished Fellowships and Assistantships

Jobling Guidelines (PDF)

Revised: January 13, 2023

Nomination form

Raynor Guidelines (PDF)

Nomination form

Schmitt Fellowship Guidelines (PDF)

The academic year duration of a fellowship is meant to be a transformative year for the student. In addition to freeing the student from TA or RA obligations that may slow progress toward completing the dissertation, the year is meant to strengthen the student’s leadership experience and skills.

AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

Each fellowship carries a ten-month stipend (approximately $22,000). The fellowship does not offer tuition scholarship credits to pay for courses or dissertation credits, but it will provide $100 per semester to pay for continuation course fees if needed.

NUMBER OF AVAILABLE AWARDS

Seven or eight awards will be made each year. The number of awards is subject to the earnings of the endowment and gifts received.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for nomination for the Arthur J. Schmitt Leadership Fellows Program, the nominee:

1. Must be admitted to a doctoral program at the time of nomination. Students in Biomedical Engineering that receive annual support from the Medical College of Wisconsin may be nominated. However, they are responsible for disclosing their fellowship information to the MCW department administrator and their MCW pay may be reduced by the amount of the fellowship.
2. Must have a record of demonstrated leadership and a strong record of scholarship.
3. Must demonstrate personal character aligned with the university’s mission values of Excellence, Faith, Leadership, and Service.

Nominees will hold an advantage if: they passed their qualifying exams by the time of nomination and have completed their course work and/or dissertation credits.

In addition to the eligibility requirements above, students who are named Arthur J. Schmitt Leadership Fellows:

1. Must be actively engaged in their graduate programs leading to the doctorate and will NOT be allowed to accept employment (including teaching or research assistantships) without written permission of dean of the Graduate School.
2. Are expected to be full-time resident students (living in the Milwaukee area) during the ten-month terms of their awards.
3. Must register for fall courses or for full-time continuation courses no later than August 15^th of their award year. If registration is not completed by the deadline, the fellowship could be delayed or canceled.
4. Must attend a meeting at Marquette University with the directors of the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation at a date to be announced (typically late September or early October). Fellows are invited to this annual meeting both at the start of their fellowship year and again after their fellowship year is completed.
5. Are expected to continue their leadership engagements in the community and their departments, participate in Graduate School-sponsored gatherings and leadership events, read assigned materials, and are encouraged to develop and work on value-based leadership projects.
6. Are required to show how their leadership skills have grown from the start of their fellowship to the end of it by submitting a written reflection to the Graduate School at the end of the year.

Number of nominations allowed per department: two. Schmitt Fellowship recipients from a previous year may reapply for a second (but not a third) year of support on a competing basis. Renewals are not automatic, and the committee will consider the progress made during the first year when reviewing second year nominations.

Nominations must be made to the Graduate School by the Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies. To nominate a student, the Chair or DGS should submit the following items to the Graduate School:

1. The MU Grad School Uniform Application for Distinguished Fellowships and Assistantships. The Uniform Application requires the following documents:
   1. Current CV of When citing publications, clearly note if they are published, in press, or under review. Do not list publications that are in preparation.
   2. Written statement from nominee (3-page maximum). The statement should address the student’s academic work and research, its impact on the field and/or greater society, and the applicant’s future plans.
   3. 3 letters of support (1 from the nominator, and 2 from other faculty) speaking to the quality of the applicant’s research and likelihood of future career research
2. Biographical Statement (1-page maximum): The Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation is interested in who you are as a person, not only as a scholar. Describe yourself and your background. You may include information about your hometown, employment, family (spouse, parents, children), interests, hobbies, affiliations, honors/awards. What, and who, were some of the major influences on your life? Why? What led to your professional and/or personal goals?
3. Statement of Leadership (1-page maximum): The Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation is dedicated to helping develop leaders who will have profound and positive impacts on others, so it is important for you carefully address these questions in the statement of leadership:

• In what ways have you shown leaderships qualities? (Remember that leadership qualities may be big or small. Include a description of your involvement in any professional or community activities.)
• How do you hope being a Schmitt Fellow will help you become a better leader?
• What are your career goals?

4. Statement of Values (1-page maximum): State how your personal character is aligned with the university’s mission values of Excellence, Faith, Leadership, and Service.
5. Department Academic Qualifications Rubric form.

DEADLINE

All nomination materials should be received in the Graduate School by 4 p.m. of the first Thursday of December. A PDF file of all documents in the order listed above should be sent to A PDF file of all documents in the order listed above should be sent to Thomas Marek. 

SELECTION PROCESS

Selections are made by a committee of three faculty representatives from three different colleges.

DECISIONS

Decisions will be announced by February 15.

Nomination form

Department Academic Qualifications Rubric

BACKGROUND

Cyril E. Smith (1900-1969) was born in Merced, California. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. He traveled abroad extensively, both during his graduate studies and his professorial career. For instance, he spent two years in France conducting doctoral level research on the history of the University of Toulouse. While his family's financial circumstances enabled him to devote himself full-time to research, he noted his peers struggled to make ends meet. This observation became the catalyst for his vision of the Smith Family Scholarships.

During 1928, he taught at West Virginia University. He spent the depression years of 1929-33 at Louisiana State University before coming to Marquette University in 1934. He retired from Marquette in 1967.

In 1974 Dr. Smith honored Marquette graduate students in history and the humanities with the wonderful gift of a unique scholarship trust. Given in the memory of himself, Cyril, his sister Virginia, and their parents, the Smith Family Fellowship supports doctoral level graduate students in the humanities. This award is meant to allow students whose academic work requires travel to spend an academic year engaged in their work without the constraints imposed by the demands of an RA or TA-ship.

AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

The stipend will be approximately $21,000. Stipends will be paid in two installments (one at the beginning of each semester).

The fellowship will pay for students’ continuation course fees for fall and spring semesters only. It will not pay for tuition charges for either courses or dissertation credits.

NUMBER OF AVAILABLE AWARDS

The precise number of fellowships to be awarded each year will depend upon available funds. It is anticipated 5 fellowships will be available annually to qualified applicants. Two awardees are to be made in History, Cyril Smith’s own department, and one each are to be awarded to English, Philosophy, and Theology.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The applicant must demonstrate that they are worthy, deserving, and in need of the Smith Family Fellowship.

• Worthy: A Ph.D. student who demonstrates academic excellence, based upon past records and future potential for success.
• Deserving: A Ph.D. student who has earned the recognition, respect, and support of fellow graduate students and teachers.
• Needy: A Ph.D. student who has demonstrated financial need by filing the FAFSA. The Graduate School, in consultation with the Office of Student Financial Aid, will verify need. Students not eligible to apply for federal aid cannot be considered for the fellowship.

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of outstanding prior academic achievement, promise of future academic excellence, and successful completion of studies to date.

Marquette Attendance

Applicants must have attended the Marquette University Graduate School for a minimum of two years, including at least one year in a doctoral level humanities program. The period between the date of application and the end of the current school year may be counted as part of the same minimum two-year period.

Requirements/Senior Program Progress

Each August, the affected Departments will be informed by the Graduate School as to how many Smith Fellowships will be available to them in the upcoming year. Departments will manage the selection process of their students, but departments must file their selection process with the Graduate School. Departments should only select students who are sufficiently far enough in their programs to have met the eligibility requirements already, or who are certain to meet them by August 15 of the award year. Prior to awarding the fellowship, the department must forward their selected candidates to the Graduate School who will confirm eligibility for the fellowship.

Research Topic

Applicants must have a well-defined research topic that will necessitate travel to another city, State or country. Their research statement should include the rationale of the research topic and the necessity for travel. 

Second-Year Awards

Smith Family Fellowship recipients from a previous year may reapply for a second (but not a third) year of support on a competing basis. Renewals are not automatic.

Summary of Eligibility Requirements

Before assuming their awards, recipients of the Smith Fellowship are expected to meet the following requirements prior to August 15th of their award year:

• Student has been identified as worthy, deserving and in need of support (as defined above)
• Applicant has a well-defined research topic that necessitates travel
• Student must meet aforementioned attendance requirements
• Student must have passed their Qualifying Examinations.
• Student must have been advanced to doctoral candidacy.
• Student must have an approved Doctoral Program Planning Form filed in the Graduate School.
• Student must have an approved Doctoral Dissertation Outline filed in the Graduate School.
• Student must be registered as a full-time student.
• Student has not received Smith Fellowships two or more times.

Note: The Department of History frequently appoints fellows who are scheduled to complete their qualifying examinations in early September. These students will not be disadvantaged or disqualified. Rather, their fellowships will begin when they have completed all of the stated program requirements.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Departments will develop their own selection process (which must be filed with the Graduate School), but at a minimum the application must include the following documents.

1. A curriculum vitae, including current graduate GPA;
2. A dissertation outline, indicating how travel is necessary for the student’s doctoral research (max. 3 pp.);
3. A determination of financial aid done by Marquette. U.S. citizens and permanent residents must complete the FAFSA form for a determination of need. Students who receive offers of loans as a result of their FAFSA applications, are under no obligation to accept them.
4. Two letters of reference (due at the time of nomination) from the dissertation director and another faculty member familiar with the student’s work (can be from a potential host). 

Items 1-3 are to be submitted directly to the DGS by the candidate. Item 4 is to be submitted directly to the DGS by references.

EMPLOYMENT

Since the Smith Family Fellowship is intended to provide for full-time study, additional outside employment is not allowed. Except for the period of travel, Fellows are expected to be full-time resident students.

DEADLINES

Students: Students should contact their respective departments for information on their internal application deadlines.

Departments: Departments must submit their selected fellowship recipients to the Graduate School by 4 p.m. on the first Monday of February. The Graduate School will confirm or deny eligibility of selected fellows within one week. Once confirmed, the fellow can be notified of their award by the department and the Graduate School. A PDF file of all documents listed above, in order, should be sent to thomas.marek@marquette.edu.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF DECISIONS

Decisions will be announced beginning February 15.

Download Cyril E. Smith Trust Smith Family Fellowship Award Guidelines

Purpose of Program

The purpose of this program is to encourage and support students to seek and apply for extramural funding in the form of fellowships from federal or foundation (i.e., extramural) sources. To support students in applying for extramural support, the research enhancement award will provide a stipend up to $3,000 (the stipend is paid in its entirety in June).

Who Is Eligible

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program at MU and be in good standing. This program is designed for students seeking at least one full year of support from an external source while currently enrolled as a graduate student. This mechanism is not appropriate for students seeking financial support covering less than one academic year, or for students seeking postdoctoral positions. 

Application Process

Applicants should submit:

1. A written proposal (not to exceed two pages-single spaced), which should include:

(a) A description of the intended funding source (be specific) and target submission date of intended grant/fellowship),

(b) The number of years of support provided and the amount of the award per year,

(c) A summary of the proposed project/training plan that the source of funding will be used to support; including specific aims, and methods; and

(d) A summary of the applicant’s research or scholarly activities to date.

2. Their current CV. When citing publications, clearly note if they are published, in press, or under review. Do not list publications that are in preparation.

3. A letter from the applicant’s faculty mentor stating they are supportive of the application. The letter should include whether the student is applying for their own funding, or if they are contributing to the writing of a faculty grant proposal that will also fund the student.

Deadline

Applications are due on April 15, and should be submitted to the Assistant Director for Financial Aid, Thomas Marek.

Selection of Awardees

A 3-member committee made up of members from the UBGS and who have received external funding in the last five years, will be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School to serve on the selection committee. Applications will be rated on their proposed aims/methods/training goals, quality of applicant credentials, and the general likelihood of being competitive for the award being sought. The Committee will rank the applications and submit their recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School. Depending on funds availability, three to five awards will be made. Recipients will be announced by May 15.

Other Requirements

Students who receive this award must provide to the Dean of the Graduate School, evidence of the submitted application (to the primary funding agency) by the due date proposed by the student. Failure to do so may make the student ineligible for future research support awards from the Graduate School. Those receiving this award are encouraged to work with the grant development staff in Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to help develop the grant proposal. Individuals who have already submitted a fellowship application in previous years can apply.

Revised: 5-20-2022

Refer to Guidelines above for application information.