Department Awards & Deadlines

Dissertation Research Awards

Deadline: 3/20/2024

The Department of Communication Studies has set aside an annual allocation of $3,000 to support research by graduate students in good standing. Dissertation Research Awards are intended to assist students with dissertation-related work including, but not limited to, a dissertation chapter, a pilot study, or data collection to support a dissertation. Award funds may be used for travel to archives or to interview informants, for the payment of research participants, or for the purchase of equipment or services necessary for one’s research.

A proposal of two-pages maximum must include the signature of the sponsoring faculty advisor for the project.  The proposal should include an itemized budget and disclose funding already allocated by the department for the project.  Where appropriate, applicants should specify that research protocols have or will go under IRB review.

Funding will be disbursed in two funding cycles, one in the fall and one in the spring semester. Applicants should note that funds are limited, and the committee will need to exercise discretion to support as many research projects as feasible; thus, large requests are unlikely to be funded in full in the fall cycle.  A given student may apply a second time during the spring cycle to support a given project.

Awards will be announced in both the fall and spring.

Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu).

Douglas Ehninger Prize for Teaching Excellence

Deadline: 2/17/2024

The total award amount is $1,500.  If there are multiple winners of the award, all winners would split the total award amount.

This award recognizes teaching excellence among graduate students. All departmental teaching assistants are eligible for the prize, including assistants who have taught in the Rhetoric program.

Please use the application format for the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (OTAA) to apply for the Ehninger Award. Submission instructions can be found here.

Self-nominations are not allowed.

Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the deadline.

***NOTE TO APPLICANT:  Funds for this award will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your U-Bill. If you are receiving financial aid from the University of Iowa’s Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), this award could impact the aid that you have already received. If your other aid has to be reduced, you will be notified by the OSFA. Any remaining funds from your award will either be directly deposited to your bank account (if you have direct deposit set up with the University), or sent to you in the form of a check via first class mail from the Cashier’s Office, 5 Calvin Hall, 319.335.0071.

Ramona Tomlin Mattson Fellowship

Deadline: 3/20/2024

The Ramona Tomlin Mattson Fellowship is awarded to one advanced female graduate student on the basis of the dissertation plan and on previous teaching evaluations, consistent with the donor's emphasis on "doctoral candidates. . . . preparing to teach at the college level." The Award amount is $5,000.  If there are multiple winners of the award, all winners would split the total award amount.

Specific criteria for eligibility for this award are:

  • Must be enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Communication Studies at Iowa
  • Must have successfully defended a dissertation prospectus and successfully completed the pre-dissertation examination before the application is submitted (those whose deadlines have been extended beyond this date are not eligible)
  • Must be a resident at the University of Iowa for the year following the application (i.e., for the year when the fellowship would be received)

Nominations must include:

  • Dissertation prospectus
  • One-page summary of ACE forms
  • One-page summary of student comments on teaching
  • Brief letter from the applicant indicating the basis for applying
  • A letter of recommendation from the nominator

The winner may identify herself as the Ramona Tomlin Mattson Fellow during the year of the award.

Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu).

***NOTE TO APPLICANT:  Funds for this award will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your U-Bill. If you are receiving financial aid from the University of Iowa’s Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), this award could impact the aid that you have already received. If your other aid has to be reduced, you will be notified by the OSFA. Any remaining funds from your award will either be directly deposited to your bank account (if you have direct deposit set up with the University), or sent to you in the form of a check via first class mail from the Cashier’s Office, 5 Calvin Hall, 319.335.0071.

Carroll Arnold Fellowship

Deadline: 3/20/2024

The Carroll Arnold Fellowship is awarded to the most promising 2nd year scholar/teacher. The total award amount is $1,500.  If there are multiple winners of the award, all winners would split the total award amount.

Nominations must be made by the student's committee (students, let your committee know you wish to be nominated!) and will consist of:

  • Evidence of strong development as a teacher
  • Notable growth as a scholar (as evidenced in letters of commentary on graduate work from at least two committee members)
  • A statement from the candidate laying out a self-development plan.

The winner may identify him/herself as The Carroll Arnold Graduate Fellow during the year of the award.

Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu).

***NOTE TO APPLICANT:  Funds for this award will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your U-Bill. If you are receiving financial aid from the University of Iowa’s Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), this award could impact the aid that you have already received. If your other aid has to be reduced, you will be notified by the OSFA. Any remaining funds from your award will either be directly deposited to your bank account (if you have direct deposit set up with the University), or sent to you in the form of a check via first class mail from the Cashier’s Office, 5 Calvin Hall, 319.335.0071.

The Carol Schrage Prize for Community Building

Deadline: 3/20/2024

The Carol Schrage Prize will be awarded each spring to the graduate student or faculty or staff member who has done the most to build a sense of community either among the graduate students in the department or among all students, staff, and faculty in the department. The total award amount is $1,500.  If there are multiple winners of the award, all winners would split the total award amount.

Please submit your nominations and a brief statement as to why this person deserves the award.

Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu).

***NOTE TO APPLICANT:  Funds for this award will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your U-Bill. If you are receiving financial aid from the University of Iowa’s Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA), this award could impact the aid that you have already received. If your other aid has to be reduced, you will be notified by the OSFA. Any remaining funds from your award will either be directly deposited to your bank account (if you have direct deposit set up with the University), or sent to you in the form of a check via first class mail from the Cashier’s Office, 5 Calvin Hall, 319.335.0071.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant

Dept. Deadline 2/17/24 for Nominations to the Graduate College by 3/3/2024

A teaching assistant who won an award in the past may not be nominated again.

Nominations may be initiated by students, faculty, colleagues, departmental executive officers (DEOs) or deans. Self-nominations are not allowed. Nominations must follow the guidelines specified in the directions. All materials must be submitted to the nominee’s teaching department for the DEO’s signature. The DEO will forward nominations to the Iowa Council on Teaching in care of the Office of the Provost.

Website with more info: https://uiowa.edu/cot/outstanding-teaching-awards

Graduate College Awards & Deadline

Ballard & Seashore Dissertation Fellowship 

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: 2/15/24 for Fall 2024 Award Nominations.
  • Students must ensure all letters of recommendation (eg. from faculty members) are also to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu). by the internal deadline to be considered for nomination to the graduate college.
  • Departments may nominate one student for every eight Ph.D. students admitted to candidacy, up to a maximum of four students. Nominations are to be rank ordered.
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE. 

Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Awards 

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: 2/15/24 for Fall 2024 Award Nominations.
  • Students must ensure all letters of recommendation (eg. from faculty members) are also to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the internal deadline to be considered for nomination to the graduate college.
  • Departments may nominate (in rank order) up to four students who completed their comprehensive exams between the specified times, per deadline.  
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE. 

Graduate College Summer Fellowships 

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: 2/23/24 for Summer 2024 Award Nominations 
  • Students must ensure all letters of recommendation (eg. from faculty members) are also to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the internal deadline to be considered for nomination to the graduate college.
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE. 

Graduate College Underrepresented Minority Summer Research Fellowships 

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: 1/26/24 for Summer 2023 Award Nominations 
  • Students must ensure all letters of recommendation (eg. from faculty members) are also to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the internal deadline to be considered for nomination to the graduate college.
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE. 

Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio Fellowships

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: 1/26/24 for Summer 2024 Award Nominations 
  • Students must ensure all letters of recommendation (eg. from faculty members) are also to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the internal deadline to be considered for nomination to the graduate college.
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE.

ACT Scholars Award 

  • Application deadline: TBD
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE. 

T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Research Fellowship

  • Submit materials to Cassie Moeller (cassie-moeller@uiowa.edu) by the departmental deadline: rolling deadline
  • The application deadline is rolling. Applications will be reviewed as they come in. Once all money is allocated for a given year, applications will no longer be accepted. Check the website for updates. All applications must be submitted at least 10 weeks before travel would begin. 
  • For fellowship description, qualifications, and submission materials click HERE.