Scholarship : William Frederick Dreer Award – Cornell University, USA

Scholarship Introduction:
The Dreer Award of approximately $20,000 will be awarded to a student specializing in the Department of Horticulture or Landscape Architecture in February 2011 and will cover between 6 months up to a one-year period of work or study abroad. The purpose of the award is to provide a worthy undergraduate or graduate student with an opportunity to study or engage in directed practice related to the field of horticulture abroad (any country or area outside of the United States and Canada).

Eligibility for scholarship:

• Those eligible to apply for the award are students with at least one-year’s prior residency at Cornell including:
• Undergraduate Plant Science majors and graduate students in the Department of Horticulture, or Landscape Architecture.
• Students with a minor in the Department, but specializing in a problem related to horticulture.

Both graduate and undergraduate students have an equal chance to receive the award.

Application form: http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/teaching/undergrad/upload/dreer_2011.pdf

How to apply:

• Brief Biography – who you are, where you are from, what you have done, your academic performance, honors, special awards, and a picture (for identification only – optional).
• Objectives – what do you intend to accomplish during your year abroad.
• How do you intend to fulfill these objectives? A description of where and when you intend to travel and what you intend to do and see, and why you have chosen these locations (as detailed as you feel is necessary).
• Of what value will such travel be to you in the future? What do you expect to learn, how will this help you, what are your future plans and goals?
• Financial statement–what is your best estimate of your expenses and how will you finance the trip?
• Anything else you feel would be helpful to explain to the reviewing committee why you should be chosen for this award.

Applicants are urged to thoroughly research the possibilities for carrying out their objectives so the focus of their proposed travel is well defined. Library research, contacting organizations overseas and talking with faculty in the department are strongly encouraged. However, the student should not arrange any specific details of acceptance or room and board prior to being granted the award. For those of you who want to look at previous Dreer winners’ applications, we have all of them in134 Plant Science. Please ask Wendy Wirth if you can look through the files

Procedure after written application
The Committee, consisting of Jeremy Foster, Nina Bassuk, and Marvin Pritts will review the written applications and interview each applicant personally.The interview will be informal and arranged at a mutually acceptable time. No special preparation will be necessary.After the personal interviews, the Committee will make a final recommendation that will be forwarded to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Scholarship Committee, which officially makes the award. All applicants will be notified as soon as possible – generally within a week after the interview.The Committee and the Department Faculty have the option of not recommending an award if applications are not up to a standard of quality.Following the choice of a recipient, the Committee will continue to work with the recipient to develop program and itinerary, including contacts overseas and other necessary commitments. The Committee is also willing to work with unsuccessful applicants to help them carry out their proposals.Possible fields of endeavor might include (but are not limited to):

• A work-study of practices in commercial establishments (nurseries, greenhouses, farms or industries such as bulb growing, etc.).
• Work at botanical gardens, experiment stations, etc.
• Experience in private landscape firms.
• Formal study in a college or university.

The Committee will consider the scholarship, character, integrity and maturity of the applicant (Will he/she be a goodwill ambassador for the Department, Cornell, and the United States?), as well as the purpose as stated in the application, and evidence of a serious interest as indicated by the application. Also considered will be the promise of making continued contributions to the fields of horticulture and landscape architecture. Note that scholastic average is not the sole basis for making the award

Last date to apply:
The last date to apply is February 14, 2011

Source:
http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/teaching/undergrad/dreer_award.cfm