Scholarships and Awards
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders administers a number of scholarships and awards open to undergraduate majors and graduate students. Recipients are chosen on a competitive basis according to the criteria established for the particular award.
Funds for these scholarships and awards come from the generosity of our alumni, families of alumni and friends of the Department. We thank them for their support.
Deadline: All applications must be received by the date specified below, in "Awards Overview".
Instructions: Students may apply for more than one scholarship or award. Please check your eligibility and only apply for awards for which you are eligible. For each application, students must submit separate documentation.
Each application includes the following materials:
- Cover page, resume, letter of intent & transcript. If possible, please compile these into a single PDF file, otherwise attach all to a single email and send to: awards@comdis.wisc.edu
- Recommendation forms to be filled out by members of the faculty. Students may request up to 2 recommendations. These are to be emailed by the faculty member directly to: awards@comdis.wisc.edu
Awards Overview
| Award | Eligibility | Need Based | Cover Page | Application Materials | Deadline |
| Emma Allen Fellowship Awards | Graduate student in ComDis | No | See Cover Page | Feb 20th, 2013 | |
| Go Big Red | Graduate student in speech language pathology with an expressed specialty preference for diagnostics and assessment | No | Rec. Form | Mar 7th, 2013 | |
| Shana Kay Memorial Scholarship | Undergraduate major in ComDis | Yes | Rec. Form | Mar 7th, 2013 | |
| Loon Fellowship Award | M.S. or Au.D. student | No | Rec. Form | Mar 7th, 2013 | |
| Phi Beta Award | Undergraduate major in ComDis with junior standing | No | Rec. Form | Not Available 2013 | |
| Frank V. Powell Award | Undergraduate in the School of Education studying ComDis | No | Rec. Form | Mar 7th, 2013 |
Description of Awards:
Emma Allen Fellowship Awards (2012-2013)
The Emma Allen Fellowship Awards are made possible by a generous bequeath from Emma Allen, a 1957 Ph.D. graduate of our Department and the UW-Madison. Awards can be made for funds up to an amount of $2000.00, to be used for research expenditures and/or travel to professional conferences. An award of travel funds will only be considered when the student is presenting research (oral or poster presentation) at a state, national, or international conference.- Eligibility criteris: Graduate students pursuing any of the following degrees are eligible to apply: PhD, Masters in SLP, AuD, SLP/PhD, AuD/PhD.
- In years when there is surplus in available funds, awards may be made to students in clinical training programs for various training activities.
Go Big Red Scholarship
Go Big Red Scholarship was established in 2011 by her colleagues to honor the career of Mary E Smith, a clinical faculty member in Communicative Disorders for her 44 years to honor her commitment to teaching, scholarship and service efforts. Her father, ‘Red’, instilled in her the value of education. This scholarship will be given to a graduate student in speech language pathology annually with an expressed specialty preference for diagnostics and assessment and thereby extend Mary’s legacy.- Eligibility criteria: Award recipients are selected via recommendation of the faculty.
Shana Kay Memorial Scholarship
The Shana Kay Memorial Scholarship was established to remember Shana, who was a diligent and enthusiastic student at UW-Madison planning for a career in speech pathology. Sadly, her life ended in July, 2005, after her freshman year, from viral encephalitis. Shana was a spirited but serious student who was committed to helping people with communicative disorders. Her compassionate and magnetic personality would have contributed to her success as a speech-language pathologist. Beginning in fall 2008, the Shana Kay Memorial Scholarship is granted to a student with a commitment to excellence in communicative disorders. For more information, visit shanakay.org.- Eligibility criteria: Faculty recommend an undergraduate student who has 1) completed the gateway courses and is in the major, 2) has a commitment to excellence in communicative disorders (preferably studying Speech-Language Pathology, and 3) has a financial need.
Loon Fellowship Award
The Loon Fellowship, a group of former UW-Madison master’s program students in Communication Sciences and Disorders, has established an award to recognize contributions by an M.S. or AuD student who creates and fosters a sense of community and fellowship among graduate students.- Eligibility criteria: Nominees should be first-year professional-degree graduate students in good academic standing majoring in speech-language pathology or audiology, or first-year master’s-degree students in communication sciences. There are no restrictions as to citizenship, age, gender, undergraduate degree, financial need or grade point average.
- To apply: Nominations are sought from faculty, clinical instructors and graduate students at any point in their academic programs. Nominations should be limited to one page and should address student leadership as evidenced by the nominee’s support of fellow graduate students, and actions which foster professional development and personal relationships among students. Nominees will then be contacted and asked to prepare short responses to a limited number of questions.
Phi Beta Award
The Phi Beta Award is given to a junior student based on good scholarship and character, demonstrated talent and achievement in speech or music, promise of continuing achievement as judged by a peer group of faculty. The award rotates among Music, Theatre, Communication Arts and Communication Sciences and Disorders. An award is given every other year.- Eligibility criteria: Nominees should display outstanding character, scholarship, and professional skill.
Frank V. Powell Award
Mr. Powell was a director of the Division for Handicapped Children, Department of Public Instruction. He was an educator in Wisconsin for nearly 50 years and was interested in the field of “speech correction,” as it was known then. His family created a fund in his memory and the award has been continued since 1958. The award is administered by the Department of Education. The Powell Award is announced and a certificate is presented at the School of Education Honors Banquet each spring, and the award recipients’ names are engraved on a plaque displayed on the first floor of Goodnight Hall.- Eligibility criteria: Award recipients are selected via recommendation of the faculty.