Woodyard Summer Scholars

The purpose of the gift of Henry and Nancy Schacht to the Religion Department is to support and encourage projects on “Religion and Civic Responsibility.” Students may submit proposals for individual projects or collaborative ones.

While research is the primary goal of the ten-week summer projects, we expect there to be an experiential component. We hope to sustain a connection between the research and some concrete expression of the issue. For example, a project on religion and sexual abuse might include some volunteering at a shelter for victims of domestic violence. We believe that critical reflection on experience enhances the quality of learning.

Members of the Department of Religion will be supervisors of the research. For projects involving other disciplines, other faculty members also may be involved.

Woodyard Summer Scholars supports both individual and collaborative research which is congruent with the theme, “Religion and Civic Responsibility,” for ten weeks during the summer. The scholarship is for a $5,000 stipend plus room. Student proposals will be evaluated by a faculty committee. Woodyard Summer Scholars will be housed in a University facility, from about mid-May to about mid-July, along with other students who are doing summer research.

Lee & Ruth Scott Prize

The Lee and Ruth Scott Scholarship was created to be awarded to a Religion major who has done exemplary work. Lee Scott was for many years a distinguished member of the Religion Department who taught both theology and ethics. He was passionate about the two fields of study and the relationship between them.

Religion Department Fellows

Every year the faculty members of the Department of Religion nominate those students who have excelled academically to serve as Department Fellows for the following academic year. Religion Fellows serve as Teaching Assistants in Religion courses, as Research Assistants for Religion faculty members, or in other ways to assist the work of the Religion Department.