There are many ways for ISU faculty, staff, and administrators to get involved with Nationally Competitive Awards. Our office appreciates your time and commitment to serving our students.
Refer a Student
One of the most helpful things you can do as a faculty or staff member is refer a student to our office who may be a good candidate for a nationally competitive award. To refer a student, please contact us.
Write a Letter of Recommendation
Many nationally competitive awards require letters of recommendation, and they are often weighted heavily in the evaluation process. If a student asks you for a letter for one of these awards, they should provide you with the specific guidelines for the award, as well as the campus deadline and instructions for submitting the letter.
General guidelines for good letters include:
- Be specific. Specific examples of student character and accomplishments help to differentiate the candidate from others. Backup statements like "the student took initiative" with examples of how.
- Tailor your letter to the guidelines of the award. Letters of rec for nationally competitive awards should not be generic letters--to help the student, they must address the specific criteria for the award (often things like public service, research ability, leadership, etc.). The scholarship reviewers are looking for ways the student stands out among their peers or shows exceptional promise as a future leader in their field. Letters for these awards frequently run two pages and cover comprehensive knowledge of the student's abilities (refer to specific award guidelines).
- Nail the formatting. Letters should generally be on official letterhead, addressed to the appropriate scholarship review committee, and free of grammatical errors.
If you would like assistance in preparing your letter or would like our staff to review a draft, please contact us.
Serve on a Campus Committee
Several nationally competitive awards require campus endorsement, meaning the pool of applicants is reviewed at the university level to select a number of nominees to advance to the national level. The campus review committee for each award is composed of ISU faculty, staff, and administrators who read applications and determine the nominees through a process facilitated by the office of Nationally Competitive Awards.
Some of the awards that have campus committees include Rhodes & Marshall, Fulbright, Goldwater, Udall, and Truman.
If you are a member of the ISU faculty, staff, or administration and are interested in serving on a campus committee, please contact our office.