Selection Considerations
Qualified applicants must have applied for admission to the department’s M.S. or Ph. D. programs by December 5th or are current graduate students in Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Current students should apply for consideration. A committee including non-nominating members from the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate Program Coordinator will evaluate all the nominations to the fellowship and make a recommendation to the department head.
Materials to be submitted electronically are:
Current Graduate Students:
- Current curriculum vitae.
- Description of your research project (1 page max. Single-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1” margins).
- Letter of support from your faculty advisor(s) (1 page max)
Deadline for nomination and material submission: Spring term of each year. Additional deadlines will be communicated to the faculty in the event that fellowships become available.
Prospective Graduate Students:
Prospective graduate students who apply before December 5th will automatically be considered for fellowships in their first year of study. Evaluators will use their application materials for consideration.
Selection of Awardees
The Selection Committee will consist of members of Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate Program Coordinator of the Department of Crop Sciences. The Selection Committee members will be appointed after the nominations have been received so that no faculty nominator is appointed to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will select the awardee based on the previously described criteria for selection. If the Selection Committee determines that no suitable recipient has been nominated in a particular year, no award will be made.
Post-Award Considerations
The faculty advisor is expected to supplement the award to the current level of a 50% graduate research assistantship in the Department of Crop Sciences. The fellowship exempts the recipient from tuition and service fees. Fellowships are renewed on a yearly basis.