GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING AND SUBMITTING PROPOSALS FOR FUNDING THROUGH
THE STEWART K. McCROSKEY MEMORIAL FUND

 

The Stewart K. McCroskey Memorial Fund provides funding for graduate and senior undergraduate students in the Geography Department for Fall 2023. If you are interested in funding, please submit your application by 5pm, Oct 31, 2023 (Tuesday). Below (and attached) you will find the guidelines to apply for funding. This time, we have more detailed categories of funding with an increased amount of support. If you have any questions, please email Solange Muñoz ([log in to unmask])

 

The Stewart K. McCroskey Memorial Fund (Fall 2023)

The Stewart K. McCroskey Memorial fund was established in 1993 by the McCroskey family to honor and foster the memory of Stewart K. McCroskey. Stewart, who was a graduate student in Geography at the time of his illness and death, was especially interested in the people of the Caribbean and their relationships to their environment. His research examined water management strategies on the dry island of Antigua, but he was sincerely interested in a wide range of geographic questions and environments. Ongoing contributions continue to strengthen the Stewart K. McCroskey memorial Fund.

Application submission deadline: Oct 31, Tuesday by 5pm, 2023

Purposes of the Fund 

●        To provide financial support for field research: (1) up to $2,000 per application category (Physical/Human/Geo-spatial) for graduate students and (2) up to $600 for undergraduate students’ research contingent on annual budget and number of requests (see note*) 

●        To support professional development by (1) graduate students, and (2) undergraduate students (seniors or rising seniors) for their research.

●        To support and help offset the cost of attending professional meetings, seminars and workshops: up to $1,000. Preference will be given to the applicants who are invited for seminars and workshops or who attend conference in order to advance any sponsoring student competitions (either paper or poster) (See note **).

How to Apply?

1. Submit a proposal (maximum two pages) that includes: 

●        Purpose for which funds are requested (3 items below should be mentioned)

o    Your academic status (graduate/undergraduate)

o    Time of support (Fall 2023)

o    Research category (Physical/Human/Geo-spatial/Sustainability)

●        How funds will be used. See examples below.

o    To travel for field research, survey or interview

o    To purchase specialized field equipment and supplies for fieldwork research

o    To expense for survey or interview

o    Attend conferences, workshops, or seminars (Requesting travel support for SEDAAG is not eligible in this funding cycle.)

o    Undergraduate student’s research with faculty advisor

●        Amount requested, and an estimate of itemized and total project costs; 

●        Amount of funds awarded or expected from other sources, including personal funds, toward meeting the costs of the project.

●        Results from previous McCroskey awards (if applicable, the following should be disclosed: year, supporting amount, and outcomes).

 

3. Email the proposal (word or pdf format) to Dr. Muñoz by the deadline.

Funding Decisions:  Funding decisions are made by the Awards & Honors (A&H) Committee. The committee, appointed by the Head of the Department of Geography & Sustainability, normally consists of two faculty members, and two student representatives (undergraduate/graduate) from the Department. The funding committee will meet within two weeks of each proposal deadline and announce funding decisions by letter and email within a week of the meeting. The Department Head may call ad hoc meetings of the A&H Committee in special circumstances. If you need to request an early decision about your proposal due to inevitable reasons, please consult the Chair of the committee immediately.

Requirements of those Awarded Grants

1. If your proposal is funded, you will need to meet with the Geography Department Administrative Services Assistant (Ms. Alex Logan [log in to unmask]) regarding how to file for the funds, records and receipts that must be submitted with expense vouchers, and other information pertinent to receiving reimbursement or, when essential, advance of funds for travel. Do this as soon as possible. Be forewarned that those who wait until the last minute to secure appropriate information may find that advances and/or reimbursement are not possible. 

2. All equipment and other expendable supplies purchased with McCroskey funds are property of the Department of Geography & Sustainability. 

3. Those awarded grants are required to write and send a thank you letter to the McCroskey Family (Jill Coupe and Hope Williamson) within a month of being notified of receiving funds. The thank you letter should be an expression of appreciation for the support and a brief description of the project being undertaken by the student and how the McCroskey Funding is essential to that project. Students should submit thank you letters to the Chair of the McCroskey Committee for review. After the Committee Chair’s review, the awardee will print it on departmental letter head and submit it to Molly Green to be mailed by the department. The awardee must also make a copy of the same for the Committee chair. The McCroskey Chair keeps copies of any reports and thank you letters that are submitted to the Department Head at the end of the academic year for record-keeping, fund-raising and audit purposes. 

 

* Depending on the status of the award, federal law may require they pay taxes on the amount received.

** Please note that at this time, the award process can be suspended depending on the travel restrictions.