Benson Summer Research Fellowship Program
What are you doing next summer?
If you’re interested in history, innovation studies, or a range of allied topics, you may want to consider a Benson Student-Faculty Summer Research fellowship, which will pay you for conducting research with a PLU faculty member.
Benson research fellowships are sources of funding for undergraduate students who want to work 20 hours a week with faculty members on a project of mutual interest. The application deadline is April 1st each year.
To learn more about this fellowship and to see a list of previous awardees and their projects, please visit the fellowship website.
Global Peacebuilding Award
The Global Peacebuilding Award for Social Science or Global Studies majors or minors, or IHON students who will participate in an overseas service/internship experience that is not a part of a regular J-Term or semester program.
For more information, please visit the Global Peacebuilding Award webpage.
Kelmer Roe Fellowship
Kelmer Roe was Associate Professor of Greek and Religion at PLU from 1947-1967 and his family members Naomi and Don Nothstein and David Roe, all PLU alums, gave a generous gift to help establish the annual Kelmer Roe Fellowships for student-faculty research in the Humanities in 2003.
The Kelmer Roe Fellowship funds a student to work with a faculty member in a humanities discipline (English, Philosophy, Religion) on a joint scholarly project that “bring[s] the wisdom of the Humanities disciplines to bear on enduring human questions and the contemporary problems of our time.”
For more information regarding the Kelmer Roe Fellowship and to see a list of some past fellowship projects, please visit the Kelmer Roe Research Grants and Opportunities website.
The Kurt Mayer Summer Research Fellowship in Holocaust Studies
The Kurt Mayer Summer Scholars program offers generous financial support for PLU students who complete substantive research projects in Holocaust Studies.
Two or more fellowships of up to $2500 are awarded each summer for research, reading, and writing, which must lead to the creation of a major paper on a Holocaust topic.
For more information regarding the requirements and application process for consideration of this award, please visit the scholarship website.
The Raphael Lemkin Essay Competition
Dedicated to the man who named “The Crime with No Name”
Through the efforts of PLU Alumnus and Regent, Donald R. Morken, and a colleague, Mr. Bruce Littman, Pacific Lutheran University has been added to a list of prestigious schools which sponsor prizes and scholarships in honor of Raphael Lemkin. Mr. Lemkin coined the term “genocide” and labored for passage of the United Nations genocide convention which outlaws destruction of races and groups. The Raphael Lemkin Trust, founded by Mr. Irving Young of Haifa, Israel, helps to support the prizes and scholarships. The prizes serve to inspire young people to reflect upon the issue of genocide and to inform them about Raphael Lemkin.
Early in Spring Term, Pacific Lutheran University invites its’ students to write and submit essays on the topic of genocide. A panel of faculty members judge the essays and awards first and second prize winners the amounts of $750 and $250 respectively.
For specific requirements and deadlines regarding this competition, please see visit the Raphael Lemkin Essay Contest page, or contact Dr. Beth Griech-Polelle at griechba@plu.edu.
S. Erving Severtson Research Fellowship Forest Foundation Undergraduate Research Program
In May 2000, a grant was awarded to the Division of Social Sciences for a student-faculty research program to honor PLU faculty member and alumnus (1955) Dr. S. Erving (Erv) Severtson. Endowed by the Forest Foundation, the Severtson funding supports joint student and faculty research by providing financial assistance. For student researchers, the grant covers up to $500 for project expenses and a $3,950 fellowship per student. Faculty are also eligible for up to $1,100 for travel and other project expenses per project.
The competitive application process is open to students collaborating with any faculty member from the departments/programs previously housed in the Division of Social Sciences:
- Anthropology
- Economics
- History
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology & Criminal Justice
To apply, a student must submit a completed application form and unofficial transcripts. Students should consult with their faculty supervisor about the project prior to submitting the application. The Severtson Fellowship Committee will review all submissions and notify applicants of its decisions. Only one student will be selected for 2024-2025 award. By its very nature, the Fellowship Committee is an interdisciplinary group of scholars and application materials need to be prepared with this audience in mind.
This award is managed by the College of Natural Sciences.
For more information, please visit https://www.plu.edu/natural-sciences/s-erving-severtson-research-fellowship/