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Scholarships and Funding

At the end of each spring semester, the department awards undergraduate and graduate financial scholarships to students who have demonstrated excellence inside and outside of the psychology classroom. Examples of this would be research projects and participating in Psi Chi activities. 

Undergraduate Awards

The Kathy Van Dyke Undergraduate Scholarship Award

This award is named in the memory of former student Kathy Van Dyke and this endowed fund provides tuition assistance for an outstanding Psychology major. The late Kathy Van Dyke was a graduate of the department, and received her BA in Psychology in 1991. Mrs. Van Dyke was president of the UMSL Psychology Alumni Chapter and active in other leadership roles in her career and other organizations. Recipient(s) of the Kathy Van Dyke award will have contributed significantly to the field of psychology through scholarship. This award is given to an undergraduate student who has a strong academic record and has been actively engaged in research. Undergraduate students can apply for this award and the award recipient will be decided by a committee of three faculty members who will review the applications and supporting materials. The recipient will be notified by the department chair.

Requirements
To be eligible for the award, students: (1) must be an undergraduate Psychology major, (2) will be enrolled in classes during the subsequent Fall semester, (3) must be in good academic standing with an overall GPA of at least 3.0, and (4) must have a faculty member complete the  recommendation form and have the faculty member email it to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu.

If you would like to be considered for this award, please complete and submit the application form by April 19, 2024 at 5:00pm. You can email the completed form to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu.

2024 recipient: Telora Thomas

2023 recipients: Addison Vogt & Janiah Henderson

2022 recipient: Bridget Muise

The John J. Boswell Psi Chi Award

This award is named after former Psi Chi faculty advisor, Dr. John Boswell and provides an award for an accomplished Psi Chi member. The late Dr. Boswell was a dedicated researcher and taught research methods and statistics. He served as the Psi Chi faculty advisor for many years before he passed away. This award is given to a Psi Chi member who has a strong academic record and has been actively engaged in research, community service and/or campus leadership. Undergraduate students can apply for this award and the award recipient will be decided by the Psi Chi advisor and two additional faculty members who will review the applications and supporting materials. The recipient will be notified by the department chair.

Requirements

To be eligible for the award, students must: (1) be an undergraduate Psychology major, (2) be in good academic standing with an overall GPA of at least 3.0, (3) be an active member of Psi Chi , and (4) must have a faculty member complete the  recommendation form and have the faculty member email it to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu.

If you would like to be considered for this award, please complete and submit the application form by April 26, 2024 at 5:00pm. You can email the completed form to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu.

2023 recipient: Noelle Wisdom

2022 recipient: Kevin Rebmann

Graduate Awards

The Kathy Van Dyke Graduate Scholarship Award

One graduate student from each program is eligible based on research accomplishments. These students will be selected by the faculty of the respective graduate program. Students are usually in their second year or higher. The recipients will be notified by the respective graduate program directors.

2024 recipients: Emily Weible & Melissa Nance

2023 recipients: Tabish Gul & Claudia Campbell

The Gary K. Burger Scholarship Award

Dr. Gary K. Burger was a longtime Chair of the Psychology Department who taught graduate Statistics and Quantitative courses. This scholarship is given to a Doctoral student in Psychology who has evidenced achievement in employing advanced quantitative methods in research. Any faculty member can nominate students by sending a recommendation letter and the methods section (and result section if available) to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu. The award will be decided by a faculty committee. The recipient will be notified by the department chair.

2024 recipient: Melissa Nance

2023 recipient: Haley Ringenary

2022 recipient: Marissa Yetter

The Lewis J. Sherman Memorial Scholarship Award

Dr. Lewis Sherman was the first director of clinical training, former director of UMSL's Counseling Service, and a former chair of the Department. He was also one of the founding members of the Clinical Psychology Program at UMSL. This scholarship is given to the clinical student(s) who has/have demonstrated the best overall performance in the program, across all areas (e.g., coursework, research progress, clinical, program citizenship) as determined by the faculty of the Clinical Psychology graduate program. The recipient will be notified by the director of the Clinical Psychology graduate program.

2024 recipient: Julia Richardson

2023 recipient: Marissa Yetter

2022 recipient: Monica Trevino

2021 recipient: Hannah Walker

The Jayne E. Stake Clinical Training Scholarship Award

Dr. Jayne Stake was the first director of Community Psychological Service and served as the Clinical Program Director for decades before her retirement. This scholarship is given to a Clinical graduate student with the most outstanding evidence for growth as a developing clinician as determined by the faculty of the Clinical Psychology graduate program. The recipient will be notified by the director of the Clinical Psychology graduate program.

2024 recipient: Jillian Heymann

2023 recipient: Julia Richardson

2022 recipients: Claudia Campbell & Maire Claire Diemer

2021 recipient: Trey Heffernan

The George T. Taylor Neuroscience Research Scholarship Award

This scholarship is given to a Behavioral Neuroscience student who has shown excellence in research endeavors as determined by the faculty of the Behavioral Neuroscience graduate program. The recipient will be notified by the director of the Behavioral Neuroscience graduate program.

2024 recipient: Tabish Gul

2023 recipient: Natalia Kecala

2022 recipient: Christina Garasky

2021 recipient: Natalia Kecala

The Psychological Sciences Graduate Student Instructor Award

This award is given to a graduate student instructor for outstanding contributions to the academic achievement of undergraduate psychology students. Any faculty member can nominate students by sending a recommendation letter and CV of the student (with instruction experience) to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu. Student course evaluations will also be obtained by the department. The award will be determined by a faculty committee. The recipient will be notified by the department chair.

2024 recipient: Lexi Cassani

2023 recipient: Camelia Harb

2022 recipient: Christina Garasky

2021 recipient: Katy Cherry

The Psychological Sciences Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

This award is given to a graduate student teaching assistant for outstanding contributions to instruction in psychology courses. Any faculty member can nominate students by sending a recommendation letter and CV of the student (with GTA experience) to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu. Student course evaluations will also be obtained by the department, if available. The award will be determined by a faculty committee. The recipient will be notified by the department chair.

2024 recipient: Theresa Moore

2023 recipient: Khrystyna Stetsiv

2022 recipient: Abby Laine

2021 recipient: Hannah Walker

 

The Bettina J. Casad Scholarship

Dr. Bettina J. Casad was a beloved faculty member in the Department of Psychological Sciences. This scholarship provides support for UMSL graduate students conducting a program of research promoting equity and access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, equal pay for equal work, and other education- and career-related issues for underrepresented or marginalized populations. This scholarship will be awarded annually. This scholarship is given to a student who has a demonstrated record of dedication to high quality research furthering employment equity and access to advanced education, STEM fields, equal pay for equal work, or other employment-related forms of equity and access for underrepresented, marginalized, or stigmatized populations. Generally, the research program will be empirical (involve collection and analysis of primary or secondary data). Research conducted from a social psychological, social cognition, or social neuroscience approach is preferred. The recipient shall be currently enrolled in a graduate program at UMSL, will be enrolled in classes the subsequent Fall semester, and will be in at least their 3rd year and with at least a 3.5 GPA in the program. Recipients must be in good standing in their graduate program.

To apply, applicants will submit their CV, UMSL graduate transcript, and application essay (500 words max). In the application essay, the applicant will describe (a) how their research program furthers equity and access in employment for underrepresented or marginalized populations and (b) how receiving the Casad scholarship would promote their program of research (e.g., funding equipment purchases, professional development, participant payments, etc.). The applicant will also solicit a letter of recommendation from a professor in their graduate program (this will usually, but not necessarily, be the applicant’s primary research advisor). Applicants and letter writers should send their application materials to C.J. Sunega at jgscr7@umsystem.edu by the deadline (TBD).

A committee of at least 3 faculty with relevant research expertise will be convened to evaluate applications. After ensuring that the basic criteria are met (3.5 GPA, in good standing, etc.), the major criterion will be the extent to which the applicant demonstrates dedication to a program of research that will honor Dr. Casad’s legacy promoting education/career access and equity. In the event that multiple applications are equal in meeting this standard, the committee may decide to a) divide the available funds among multiple applicants and/or b) evaluate the proposed use of the scholarship funds for furthering the applicant’s program of research. The recipient will be notified by the chair of the committee.

Dissertation Funding

Dissertation funding is available from the Department of Psychological Sciences (dependent on budget). Graduate students must have an approved dissertation proposal and IRB application, their mentor’s support, and fill out the application form.  Funding decisions are made on a rolling basis.

If you would like to be considered for funding, please complete and submit the application form.

Graduate Student Travel Funding

AT LEAST 30 DAYS BEFORE TRAVEL:  

  1. Fill out College of Arts & Sciences Travel Preauthorization Form at least 30 days before travel. On the form, request the total amount you are looking to have reimbursed. The Department is reimbursing up to $400 for graduate students, and the Graduate School will match up to $400. Please add those amounts to your total requested (plus, if applicable, any additional money you may be receiving from a grant). You can be reimbursed by the department/graduate school for 1 conference/year, and you must be a first-author on a poster or presentation to be reimbursed.
  2. Submit CAS Travel Preauthorization to Department Business Support Person. This form will be approved by the chair, and the dean, and then be returned to you. Save this for your records.
  3. Fill out request for Graduate School Student Travel through the Graduate Travel Support App prior to traveling. You will need your abstract, a statement of support from you advisor, and estimated travel costs.

 

AFTER TRAVEL IS COMPLETE:

  1. Submit all your receipts from your travel and the signed CAS Preauthorization form through the Grad Travel Support App.
  2. The IRS considers travel grants to graduate students taxable income. For international students, the university has to withhold income taxes when they pay out the travel reimbursements. For domestic students, the university does not withhold the taxes, but students are responsible for reporting the travel grant as income when they file their tax return. See the IRS website for more information.