Scholarships & Awards
Each Fall, the English department at NMSU awards a number of scholarships and prizes to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in our programs.
The following is a description of the awards given, along with the 2009 recipients. Information on awards given in previous years can be found here:
GRADUATE AWARDS
Vera Newman Rule Endowed Memorial Scholarship
Substantial monetary awards will be given each year to an outstanding master's and doctoral student with the highest GPA. Selected by the Department Head in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee. No applications accepted.
2009 Recipient: Polina Chemishanova (doctoral)
2009 Recipient: James Rosentha (master's)
Mary L. And Ellis Wright Endowed Writing Scholarship
One substantial award will be given each year to an outstanding graduate student who is pursuing studies in writing in the English department. Selected by the Department Head in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee. No applications accepted.
2009 Recipient:
Charles M. and Pamela S. Sphar Endowed Scholarship
A $500 award for an outstanding female English Department graduate student with a GPA of 3.0 or better in need of financial assistance. Financial need is established through the Financial Aid Office. Selected by the Department Head in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Reyna Muñoz
Sutherland-McManus Memorial English Scholarships
$250 awards given annually to graduate students who have written for an English class either 1) the best literary critical essay, or 2) the best work of nonfiction prose (including essays, reports, and electronic documents). Selected by the Graduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Literary Critical Essay: Kyle Traylor, Lizzie's Laughter
2009 Recipient: Nonfiction Prose: Joshua Wheeler, Living Room
Emerson Award
Recognizes outstanding writing by graduate students in English. One Sutherland-McManus award-winning selection will be cited as the Emerson Award recipient. Selected by the Graduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Nonfiction Prose: Joshua Wheeler, Living Room
NM Higher Education Department Fellowship Award
2009 Recipient: Jennifer Bracken Scott
2009 Recipient: Julia Smith
The Frank Waters Fiction Lectureships
$1000, $750, and $250 awards for three outstanding graduate student fiction writers currently enrolled in the MFA in Creative Writing program. Selected by the Creative Writing faculty.
2009 Recipient: 1st Place: Jeffrey Pickell, Osage Oranges
2009 Recipient: 2nd Place: Joshua Wheeler, Trying to Save Some Fat
Chicks from the Burning Wreckage of a Minivan
2009 Recipient: 3rd Place: Mike Meginnis, Zero
Keith Wilson/Joe Somoza Poetry Prize
In honor of retired NMSU faculty members Keith Wilson and Joe Somoza, $700, $500, and $200 awards for three outstanding graduate student poets currently enrolled in the MFA in Creative Writing program. Selected by the Creative Writing faculty.
2009 Recipient: 1st Place: Carrie Murphy, Poems
2009 Recipient: 2nd Place: Allison Layfield, Poems
2009 Recipient: 3rd Place: Elizabeth Brasher, Poems
Ruth Scott Academy of American Poets Prize
A $100 award for an outstanding graduate student poet currently enrolled in the MFA in Creative Writing program. Selected by the Creative Writing faculty.
2009 Recipient: Jeffrey Pickell
English Department Research and Creative Activities Awards
Selected by the Graduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Peter Brooks
2009 Recipient: Qiumin Dong
2009 Recipient: Michael “Floydd” Elliott
2009 Recipient: Rachel Gallagher
2009 Recipient: Becki Graham
2009 Recipient: Krystal Languell
2009 Recipient: Allison Layfield
2009 Recipient: Maria Milagros-Garcia
2009 Recipient: Laura Walker
2009 Recipient: Joshua Wheeler
Organization Symposium Award for Best Presentation
2009 Recipient: Santiago Lopez
2009 Recipient: Rebecca Powell
LOLA Alberto Moravia Prize (Italy Fellowship)
2009 Recipient: Dana Kroos
LOLA Dante Alighieri Prize (Italy Fellowship)
2009 Recipient: Robbie Wendeborn
LOLA Italo Calvino Prize (Italy Fellowship)
2009 Recipient: R. David Roe
Elizabeth Jean Wichert Memorial Endowed Scholarship (new award)
Lucille Earnhart Roney Endowed Scholarship
Stuart C. Brown Award for Excellence in Writing and Teaching
Undergraduate Awards
Vera Newman Rule Endowed Memorial Scholarship
Substantial monetary awards will be given each year to the junior and senior majoring in English with the highest GPA. Selected by the Department Head in consultation with the Undergraduate Studies Committee. No applications accepted.
2009 Recipient: Susan Goodheer
2009 Recipient: Daniel Randlemon
Marion P. Hardman Endowed Memorial Scholarship
Two $400 awards given annually to outstanding juniors or seniors majoring in English. Selected by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Jessica Gonzalez
2009 Recipient: Charlotte Williams
Mary Powell Ambrose Endowed Memorial Award
A $500 award given annually to an outstanding junior or senior majoring in English. Selected by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Avra Elliott
Joseph H. Forsyth Endowed Memorial Scholarship
A $400 award given annually to one or more juniors majoring in English, New Mexico natives, who have maintained a GPA of 3.5 or better. Selected by the Department Head.
2009 Recipient: Jessamyn Buttram
Dr. Larry L. Wilson Endowed Memorial Scholarship
An $800 award given annually to a New Mexico resident majoring in English, who has maintained a GPA above a 3.0 and who demonstrates need, but is not eligible for financial aid. Preference will be given to a returning student. Selected by the Department Head and the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences.
2009 Recipient: Chenoa Block
Sutherland-McManus Memorial English Scholarships
Two $250 awards given annually to the undergraduate students who have written for a English class either 1) the best literary critical essay, or 2) the best work of nonfiction prose (including essays, reports, and electronic documents). Selected by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Michael Harrell, "Nature of Infinity and Form: The Pardox of Borges'" The Book of Sand (literary criticism)
2009 Recipient: Abigail Gavit, The Loop (nonfiction prose)
Emerson Award
Recognizes outstanding writing by undergraduate students in English. One Sutherland-McManus award-winning recipient will be cited as the Emerson Award recipient. Selected by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
2009 Recipient: Michael Harrell, "Nature of Infinity and Form: The Pardox of Borges'" The Book of Sand
Robert A. Wichert Endowed Memorial Award for Creative Writing
$300 awards given annually to the undergraduate students who have written the best fiction, poetry, or drama in an English class. Selected by the Creative Writing faculty.
2009 Recipient: Abigail Gavit, The Loop
2009 Recipient: Michelle Granger, Poems
2009 Recipient: Luke Luna, Family Traditions
2009 Recipient: Carrie Tafoya, Poems
LOLA Anne Carson Prize
2009 Recipient: Bryant Million, Poems
LOLA Antonya Nelson Prize
2009 Recipient: Ana Virgin, Look but Don't Touch
LOLA Alex Parsons Prize
2009 Recipient: Robin DeGuzman, The Napkin
LOLA C.D. Wright Prize
2009 Recipient: Camilo Roldan, Poems
LOLA Kevin McIlvoy Prize
2009 Recipient: Daniel Randlemon, Rescue
LOLA Phillip Levine Prize
2009 Recipient: Aaron Daugherty, Poems
LOLA Robert Boswell Prize
2009 Recipient: Avra Elliott, A Father in the Snow
LOLA Ted Conover Award for Non Fiction
2009 Recipient: Suzanne Tharp, Deliver Me: Proclamation of a People
2009 Recipient: Karen Trujillo, Breast Tissue
LOLA Wallace Stevens Prize
2009 Recipient: Clifton Butt, Wheeless Methodist
LOLA X for Spice & Zest Prize
2009 Recipient: Sarah Madison, Socially Acceptable
Elizabeth Jean Wichert Memorial Endowed Scholarship (new award)
Lucille Earnhart Roney Endowed Scholarship
Stuart C. Brown Award for Excellence in Writing