Scholarships

The KIIS Study Abroad Scholarship supports student participation in a KIIS study abroad program. The Kentucky Institute for International Studies or KIIS is a non-profit consortium of universities and colleges that offers summer term, winter term, and semester-long programs in non-English speaking countries for WKU credit. The faculty-led programs include undergraduate courses taught in English, visits to points of interest in-country, and opportunities to engage with local communities. Recipients must be declared as anthropology or folklore majors/minors and have completed at least nine hours of coursework in their program of study. For more information contact the department.

The Anthropology Program offers the Drs. Du-Powell Scholarship in Anthropology to support student research and study abroad/away. The scholarship was established by Dr. Chunmei Du to honor the memory of her late husband, Dr. Lindsey Wells Powell, a member of the WKU Anthropology faculty from 2009-2014. Anthropology students who have completed at least 12 hours of anthropology courses are eligible to apply.  [to complete the application, open the document as read-only then save-as or duplicate the file with a new name]

The Mary Kilgore Underrepresented Student Scholarship Fund supports recipients based on financial need who bring an element of diversity to the WKU student body through their age, race, ethnicity, creed, disability, or socioeconomic background. Recipient must at least be sophomore status, have a gpa of 2.5 or higher, and be a resident of the United States, with preference given to students from Kentucky and surrounding areas. Recipient must be majoring in PCAL, with preference given to students in Folk Studies, Anthropology, and Philosophy and Religion.

The Ranger Alex Rose Memorial Scholarship Fund supports full-time students based on financial need. First preference is given to students who have a specific interest in working for the National Park Service or related agencies. Second preference is given to students who have successfully through-hiked the Appalachian Trail and are registered accordingly with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, possess experience in volunteer work or employment in outdoor recreation, or demonstrated involvement in an adventure club or other outdoor organization. Additional preference is given to students who meet these criteria but have overcome adversity or any major life obstacles that could have prevented them from attending college. If no students meet these criteria, must be a junior or senior classification who have overcome adversity and are majoring in a specific subject area including Anthropology or minoring in Folklore or other programs.

“Education and work are the levers to uplift a people. Work alone will not do it unless inspired by the right ideals and guided by intelligence. Education must not simply teach work—it must teach Life” (Du Bois 1903).

W. E. B. Du Bois is an important foreparent of American Sociology. Along with his colleagues at Atlanta University, Du Bois revolutionized the scientific methods of sociological research, introducing many standards still in practice today. In addition to being a renowned sociologist, Du Bois was an educator, mentor, and activist who saw education as one of the most important tools for Black Americans to achieve racial uplift in American society. In 1903, Du Bois dreamed of a Talented Tenth, 10% of the Black community who would earn a college education and do work to improve the conditions of their communities. A century later, the reality of Du Bois’ dream is that more than 20% of Black Americans earn college degrees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. While a college education is more attainable today for people from all kinds of minoritized backgrounds, improved access comes as the result of the monumental efforts of those people whose dedication to expanding educational access creates opportunities for those who need support to achieve their educational goals. The W. E. B. Du Bois Under-Represented and First Generation Scholarship Fund was established in 2020 by some of those people.

The Du Bois scholarship was founded to increase educational opportunities for minoritized and first-generation students earning their bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Criminology, Anthropology, or Folk Studies (SCAF). Many students enrolled in the SCAF department enter these disciplines because they want to learn how and why society operates as it does for the purposes of improving conditions for people in their communities. Graduates work in victim advocacy, juvenile justice, law enforcement, courts and corrections, non-profits, and in many other sectors of the economy where they can use the skills and knowledge gained in their degree to achieve their goals of contributing to social justice. This was W. E. B. Du Bois’ dream, and the Du Bois scholarship ensures that SCAF can contribute to the cultivation of that dream.

Many minoritized and first-generation graduates of the Sociology and Criminology program have benefited from the support of departmental scholarship funds. Avery Yates, a sociology major, is one of the students who has received a departmental scholarship. Avery shares, “Receiving the N.O. Taff Scholarship has meant so much to me. To represent the department in any way is an honor. More than that, the monetary donation helps support my academic pursuits on the undergraduate level and graduate level. I plan on attending law school following my graduation from WKU, and law school is an expensive future. Meaning, I am planning and preparing for that in many ways right now, so the department supporting me with a scholarship has helped me tremendously. Every penny goes toward my future goals, but knowing that I have the moral support from the department through the gifting of this scholarship goes beyond any of the financial value of it!”

Your generosity for the W. E. B. Du Bois Under-Represented and First Generation Scholarship Fund will help support future Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology majors in their educational and career aspirations.