2009 Shea Scholar Application

Introduction

The Bridgewater Alumni Association (BAA) established the Shea Scholar Program during the 1987-88 academic year in honor of Dr. Ellen M. Shea, Dean of Students Emerita. A graduate of the Class of 1935, Dr. Shea returned to her alma mater and served first as Dean of Women and later as Dean of Students. Her distinguished career in education, her concern for the welfare and success of students, and her role as mentor to generations of Bridgewater students served to guide the Association in the design of the criteria for this prestigious award which is funded through a generous bequest left by Dr. Shea to the college for the purpose of scholarly assistance. The awards are presented by the BAA’s Shea Scholar Committee which is chaired by Carol Wilusz Kryzanek ’69.

Rationale for the Shea Scholar Program

A central mission of Bridgewater State College is to assist in the development of liberally educated persons. By encouraging quality research and writing, mature judgment and reasoning, and the ability to analyze and interpret facts and opinion, the Alumni Association will provide students selected as Shea Scholars an opportunity to work in consort with a member of the faculty on a scholarly thesis/project that will enhance liberal learning.

Description of the Shea Scholar Program

The student selected as the Shea Scholar will either:

• Write a thesis with a minimum of 40 pages in which he or she explores a topic related to their major field of study, under the guidance of a faculty mentor

OR:

• Prepare a project and accompanying descriptive paper with a minimum of 15 pages, in which a topic related to their major field of study is researched under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

The student selected as the 2009 Shea Scholar and will receive a total award of $4,000 upon the satisfactory completion of the project as described under the "Application Procedure and Timetable" section.

Matriculated undergraduate students in the sophomore, junior, or senior year who have completed a minimum of 15 academic credits at Bridgewater State College are invited to make an application to the Shea Scholar Program.

 

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The thesis and descriptive paper shall be typewritten, double-spaced, prepared in accordance with accepted scholarly writing procedures, and bound. The recipient will be required to make a formal presentation of their study. The Shea Scholar thesis may not be a duplicate of any other paper the scholar has used or is completing for another department and no course credit may be awarded for this project.

Mentor Program

The student selected as a Shea Scholar will be afforded the opportunity to work closely with a full-time or part-time faculty mentor. It is the responsibility of the student to identify and enlist the support of an individual who will agree to serve as mentor. The mentor may be chosen from outside the student's major department. The mentor will be required to provide scholarly support and assistance in all phases of the development of the thesis/project. Throughout the project, the mentor should be available to meet on a regular basis with the student. If, for any unforeseen circumstances, the mentor cannot continue to work on the project with the student, he or she will seek, with the student’s approval, another mentor for that student. On Thursday,
March 26, 2009, the mentor and the Shea Scholar will attend an introductory tea in the Davis Alumni Center, where they will meet with the members of the Shea Scholar Committee. The mentor is also expected to attend the actual Shea Scholar presentation on Thursday,
September 24. The mentor will receive a $1,250 stipend for time spent mentoring the Shea Scholar.

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2009 Shea Scholar Program
Application Procedure and
 Program Timetable

Student and mentor must meet periodically to assess progress on the thesis/project. The following is a list of scheduled events and progress report deadlines for the year 2009.

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Complete Shea Scholar Applications due by 5 p.m. in the Davis Alumni Center.  No exceptions will be made.

Thursday, February 26, 2009
Shea Scholar recipient will be notified.

Thursday, March 26, 2009
Shea Scholar and mentor must attend the Shea Scholar Tea to meet with members of the Shea Scholar Committee. At this time, the Scholar will submit to the Committee a descriptive statement of the thesis/project, including an annotated bibliography. The mentor must review this prior to submission to Committee and attach a signed note of approval.  If satisfactory progress is being made, a $1,000 award will be made to the student one week following the submission.

Friday, May 1, 2009
A progress report will be submitted to the Shea Scholar Committee. Prior to the submission, the mentor must review the progress report and attach a signed note of approval.  The progress report must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. to the Director of Alumni Relations in the Davis Alumni Center. If satisfactory progress is being made, an additional $1,000 award will be made to the student one week following submission.

Friday, September 11, 2009
The thesis/project and a signed note of approval from the mentor shall be submitted to the Office of Alumni Relations by 5:00 p.m. No exceptions will be made. The thesis/project will be reviewed by the Committee prior to the formal presentation. A 300-400 word project summary suitable for publication in the Bridgewater magazine must also be submitted at this time. 

Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Shea Scholar will be required to make a formal oral presentation of his/her project in the Davis Alumni Center. Scholars and mentors will be recognized. Final payment will be made to the scholar and full payment to the mentor after all of the Shea Scholar program requirements have been fulfilled.

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ALL MATERIALS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS BY 4:00 PM ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009
THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. 

In addition to the information requested below, please attach to this completed form:

A.        Official copy of current academic transcript

B.        A letter from a member of the faculty familiar with your academic work

C.        A letter from a member of the faculty who will serve in the role of mentor
            for this thesis/project. It is expected that the mentor will be available to attend the tea on
            March 26, 2009 and the Shea Scholar Presentation on September 24, 2009.

Full Name ________________________________________________________________

Expected year of graduation                             

Home Address: _________________________________________________________________
                          Street                                        City                                     State    Zip

Home Phone Number: _____________         Student ID #: ___________                              

Major: ________

E-Mail Address: _____________________________________________

College Address                                                                                            

Local Phone Number:                                      

Title of Project: ______________________________________________________________________

Mentor: ____________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

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Please attach a typed description of your proposed thesis/project that should address the following:

I.           Statement of need for the thesis/project

II.         Creativity

III.       Uniqueness

IV.       Contribution to the field of knowledge

V.         Feasibility within the time frame

VI.        Resources available

VII.      Draft topic outline (if appropriate)

I understand that if I am selected as a 2009 Shea Scholar, I shall abide by the guidelines and the appropriate dates of the program as described in "An Invitation to Become a Shea Scholar.” Furthermore, I grant the Bridgewater Alumni Association the right to publish and distribute the results of my Shea Scholar thesis/project as it deems appropriate.

 

Signature:                                                                  Date:                                                  

 

As mentor, I agree to fulfill my duties to the above student. If for any unforeseen circumstances, I cannot continue to mentor the student, I will seek, with the student's approval, another faculty member to complete the Shea Scholar project with the student.

 

Signature:                                                                  Date:                                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last Modified: September 2, 2008