The Donovan Scholarship in Gerontology

Congratulations to our 2007-2008
Gerontology Scholarship Winner
Akemi Sakamoto

The Donovan Scholarship in Gerontology was established on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of The Donovan Scholars Program. Each year, deserving graduate and undergraduate scholars are identified to receive scholarships to enable them to continue their studies and to pursue a career in the area of aging. Annual scholarships have been awarded since 1991.

The amount of the scholarships depend upon the interest earned each year by the Donovan Scholarship fund. Generally $2000 per year is available for each of three scholarship recipients.

To apply for the Gerontology Scholarship, you must be a full-time student (currently enrolled and taking at least 12 undergraduate credit hours or 9 graduate credit hours) during the semester for which you would qualify to receive the scholarship. The application must contain the following documents:

1. The completed and signed 3-page application form
2. An official University of Kentucky transcript
3. Two sealed and signed letters of recommendation
4. A 3 to 6 paged, typed, double spaced essay.

If you are interested in applying, please review

• the Donovan Committee's criteria for making the award

• follow the application procedures

• application for the Donovan Scholarship (word doc)

and submit your application either by hand or by mail to:

Gerontology Scholarship
Donovan Scholars Office
University of Kentucky
Ligon House - 658 South Limestone Street
Lexington, KY 40506-0442

Application must be hand delivered or postmarked by March 15. Sorry, no faxed application will be accepted.

If you have any questions, please call (859) 257-2657 or email l.neal@uky.edu.

Criteria for Scholarship Award

1. Applicants must be enrolled in, or accepted for, a full-time undergraduate (12 or more credit hours), graduate (9 or more credit hours), or professional program of the University of Kentucky during the semesters for which the scholarship is to be awarded.
2. Applicants must have shown an interest in the needs of the elderly.
3. Preference will be given to applicants with past experiences in the field of aging, such as employment or volunteer work in gerontology, attendance at gerontology conferences, memberships in professional gerontology organizations, and publications in the field of gerontology, or course-work in gerontology or related areas.
4. Preference will be given to those with professional career goals serving older persons, as demonstrated in academic planning, courses pursued, and expressed interest in work in gerontology.
5. Applicant's intended use of the scholarship funds will be considered, with preference for uses which contribute directly to he or her professional development.
6. Applicants much have a grade point average of 3.0 or above for undergraduate students or 3.5 or above for graduate students. Applicants, by applying, are authorizing the scholarship committee to review their academic files. An official transcript must be included with the application.
7. Considerable weight will be given to the applicant's ability to convey creative ideas through a well-organized, clear and thoughtful ESSAY dealing with some aspect of gerontology. The Essay must be typed, double-spaced, and three to six pages in length. Preference is given to an essay that is written especially for this application rather than previously written class paper. The essay should demonstrate a knowledge of the aging literature (up to 8 citations allowed), and should blend personal insight with the discussion of an issue relevant to the field of aging.
8. The strength of the applicant's two letters of recommendation will be an important part of the evaluation.
9. Any individual applicant is eligible for no more than three Donovan Scholarships.

Application Review Procedure

1. The Donovan Scholarship Committee will review all complete applications received by the due date.
2. Applications will be rated using the following criteria and weighted scores:
   • Past experience with the elderly (including volunteer work) (25 points)
   • Professional Career Goals (10 points)
   • Plans for use of award funds (10 points)
   • Grade point average (5 points)
   • References (10 points)
   • Essay (40 points)
3. An interview with the applicant may be requested.

Application Procedures

• Application forms may be obtained either from the Donovan Scholars Office, University of Kentucky, Ligon House, 658 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0442 (859) 257-2656 or at the Financial Aid office on each UK campus or may be downloaded from our webpage.
• Applications and all supporting materials must be postmarked before or on March 15th or hand-delivered by 4:30 p.m. (or the Friday before if March 15th falls on a weekend or holiday) at the Donovan Scholars Office (658 South Limestone Street).
• The applicant must include two letters of recommendation in the application package. (See the request forms attached to the application).
• All applicants will be notified in writing of the results of the application review after April 15th by the Director of the OLLI at UK Donovan Scholars.
• The Scholarship recipients must supply a copy of their student schedule to the Donovan Scholars Fiscal Office. The Fall student schedule must be supplied no later than August 15th, and the Spring student schedule by December 15th. A copy of the student's grades for the Fall and Spring semesters must be supplied to the Donovan Scholars Fiscal Officer as soon as they are received by the student. Once these documents have been received, the scholarship recipients' tuition balance will be adjusted prior to the start of the semester by the Student Financial Aid Office in the amount that is to be awarded. If the recipient's tuition has already been paid from another source, the recipient will receive a check for the overage from the Student Financial Aid Office.
• In accordance with the UK Refund and Liability Policy, scholarship recipients who withdraw or reduce course load to less than full-time status before the start of classes must return 100% of the award. If the recipient withdraws or reduces course load to less than full-time status during the drop/add period or after the final date of drop/add, they are required to return to the the Council on Aging, 80% or 50% of the award respectively.