Liberal Arts Scholarship

The College of Letters and Science is pleased to announce the Seventh Annual Liberal Arts Scholarship Competition for Undergraduate Students, sponsored by the four colleges and the Center for New Learning of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin System Advisory Group on the Liberal Arts (SAGLA).

The purpose of this scholarship contest is to encourage students to think about the significance of the liberal arts. The winner of the competition will be the person who makes the best case for his or her views about the topic, no matter what they may be. The judges will consider the following qualities of the submissions: the originality of the ideas presented, the organizational structure of the essay, and the quality of the writing itself.

2011-2012 Scholarship EssayTopic:

Liberal education is often thought of as limited to the classroom.  How have other experiences on campus helped you to appreciate and apply the values of a liberal education?

Your essay should examine how your engagement in campus activities outside the classroom has expanded your understanding of the liberal arts (and vice versa).  You may choose specific examples of your campus engagement from a wide range of extra- and co-curricular experiences, such as student organizations, study abroad, service learning, undergraduate research, lectures, recitals, exhibits, plays, or films.  Focus on one or a few interconnected experiences, whichever best fits the development of your own liberal education.

 You may wish to read about the liberal education learning outcomes at  http://www.uwosh.edu/projects/lert/lert.php or http://www.aacu.org/leap/vision.cfm.  Some of these outcomes could help inform your understanding of the larger framework of liberal education.

Your thoughtful consideration of this matter can help the College fulfill its mission within the University and the larger community.  The winning essay will be posted on the COLS Web site so it can be shared with all visitors to the site. The committee thanks you for taking the time to think about this very important aspect of your education.

Award:

• Two local winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.  One will be chosen from College of Letters and Science student entries; the other will be chosen from the entries of students from the College of Business, College of Education and Human Services, College of Nursing, and the Center for New Learning.
• Recognition at the University's annual Honors and Awards Ceremony

Note: The winning essays will be submitted to the UW System scholarship contest, with the possibility of winning a $2,000 prize.  More information on the UW System scholarship is available at the SAGLA web site.

Eligibility:

• Undergraduate student
• Minimum 60 credit hours of course work completed by the end of the Spring 2011 semester with at least one semester as a full-time student remaining in the 2012-2013 academic year
• Current GPA of at least 3.4

Application: 

• All submissions are to be original essays, 1,000 -1,250 words in length, typed and double spaced.  Each essay must include a title page with the following information: title of essay, student’s name, major, institution, college, home and e-mail addresses, telephone number, and the following statement: “I hereby affirm that this is my own work, an original essay, and I agree that it will become the property of the UW System Board of Regents and that it can be reproduced in the public domain.”  The essay must be submitted electronically to Barbara Christenson, christen@uwosh.edu.
  
• One letter of reference that describes your performance as a student (submitted electronically to Barbara Christenson,  christen@uwosh.edu )
  

Submission:

• All application materials must be sent electronically to Barbara Christenson, christen@uwosh.edu.

Deadline:

• February 3, 2012
  

Judges:

• Faculty and instructional staff members from the four divisions in the College of Letters and Science and from the College of Business, the College of Education and Human Services, and the College of Nursing.
  

Recipients of the 2010-2011 Liberal Arts Scholarship