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.
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
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.
RequirementsTo 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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.
AT LEAST 30 DAYS BEFORE TRAVEL:
AFTER TRAVEL IS COMPLETE:
