Scholarships
Scholarships & Fellowships
Dr. Susan Naramore Maher Scholarship for Best Undergraduate and Graduate Research Essay
| Undergraduate Research Scholarship |
| Graduate Research Scholarship |
The Dr. Susan Naramore Maher Scholarship for Best Undergraduate Research Essay and the Dr. Susan Naramore Maher Scholarship for Best Graduate Research Essay were both established in the spring of 2017 through the generosity of contributors to the English Honoring Fund, a fund started by Dr. Maher in January of 2006. These scholarships are open to English majors and minors and English graduate students.
Named in her honor, Dr. Maher was the first female chair of the Department of English, chairing from 2005-2010. While chair, she initiated the practice of celebrating students’ achievements at the English Honoring Ceremony.
Students interested in eligibility guidelines and applying should follow the information links for the Undergraduate Scholarship or the Graduate Scholarship. The deadline for application is the second Friday in February. Students winning scholarships are honored at the English Department's Honoring Ceremony each April.
2020-2021 Dr. Susan Naramore Maher Scholarship Winners
James Compton, Best Undergraduate Research Paper
The committee members were very impressed by how James combined original research with insightful analysis of political and literary culture during Harlem Renaissance. Hs discussion of George S. Schuyler’s 1931 novel, Black No More, educated the committee members on the first science fiction novel by an African American author and brilliantly explored how satire and science fiction intersected to produce a sharp critique of race and racism in America.
Rachael Smith, Best Graduate Research Paper
Rachael’s essay was a well-written exploration of race and trauma in the American South as Jesmyn Ward’s gothic story, Sing, Unburied, Sing. We especially liked her attention to how the slave narrative becomes transformed in the contemporary novel.
John J. McKenna Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Fellowship
| Undergraduate Scholarship in Creative Nonfiction |
| Graduate Fellowship in Creative Nonfiction |
The John J. McKenna Graduate Fellowship in Creative Nonfiction and the John J. McKenna Undergraduate Scholarship in Creative Nonfiction were both established in the fall of 2011 through the generous contribution of the Kinney Family Foundation. The fellowship and scholarship are open to all students.
The awards are named in honor of one of the founders of the Creative Nonfiction program at UNO. Professor McKenna, a celebrated teacher, writer, and scholar, retired from the Department of English in Spring of 2011 after more than forty years of teaching and service to the University. His legacy is commemorated by the generosity of benefactors Yvette and Doug Kinney, who established the funds to honor Ms. Kinney's former teacher and mentor and to support both undergraduate and graduate students devoted to the study creative nonfiction.
Students interested in eligibility guidelines and applying should follow the information links for the Undergraduate Scholarship or the Graduate Fellowship. The deadline for application is during the spring semester, and students should check back for specific dates. Students winning awards for the next year will be honored at the English Department's Honoring Ceremony in April.
Dr. McKenna with Dr. Price, CNF Program Director