The deadline for the Plastino Scholars Program has been extended. All application materials are due by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5.

Congratulations to the 2007 Plastino Scholar recipients Robyn Mello and Gina Siddiqui. For further information on their projects, please click here.

• Purpose
• Eligibility
• Criteria
• The Plastino Scholar Experience
• Application Instructions
• Application Materials

PURPOSE

The Plastino Scholars Program was established in 2007 by a gift from UD alumnus David A. Plastino. The Program awards study grants to selected undergraduate students at the University of Delaware who exhibit extraordinary talent, promise and imagination. The grants support self-designed, off-campus learning experiences that make a transformational difference in the lives of Plastino Scholars and enable them to pursue a passionate interest to a degree not otherwise possible. Normally, four Plastino Scholars will be awarded each year. The amount of each award will depend on the nature of the experience proposed.

Except in unusual circumstances, the maximum individual award will be $6,000.

ELIGIBILITY

Any undergraduate student at the University of Delaware may apply provided that, at the time of application, he or she is enrolled for at least twelve semester hours and has completed at least one but not more than six semesters.

CRITERIA

In order to be chosen as a Plastino Scholar, a student must present convincing evidence of exceptional intellectual, creative, civic or leadership ability through the application materials, written recommendations and a personal interview before the Scholars Selection Committee. The student must propose an experience that will allow the pursuit of a passionate interest well beyond the scope of an academic course, normal summer job, internship or enrichment program.

In short, to become a Plastino Scholar, a student must demonstrate:

1. Exceptional ability and promise in some realm of endeavor that is within the University’s mission to foster
2. A compelling commitment to that endeavor
3. The imagination and resourcefulness to plan an experience likely to permit the expression of that ability in a way and to a degree not otherwise possible.

THE PLASTINO SCHOLAR EXPERIENCE

The range and nature of Scholar experiences will be bounded only by feasibility, and the imagination and resourcefulness of successful applicants. The duration and location of the experience may vary accordingly, but the Scholar experience should be completed within a calendar year from the time a Scholar is awarded or before graduation from the University, whichever comes first.

The application should propose a Scholar experience that

1. reflects the scholar’s ability
2. advances the scholar’s passionate interest in some demonstrable fashion
3. is concretely and coherently conceived and planned
4. has a logical and definable duration
5. is appropriate under the terms of the program and within University rules, policies, and procedures
6. is supported by a budget demonstrating that the experience has been planned in an efficient and economical manner
7. is likely to affect the scholar’s life significantly

IMPORTANT APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Submit ONE ORIGINAL (signed) copy of your completed application and no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2008 to:

Office of the Dean
College of Arts & Sciences
4 Kent Way
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

2. Make sure those writing in support of your application send one original letter separately by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

Interviews for finalists will be scheduled for mid-March, and awards will be announced soon thereafter.

For additional information, please contact:

Cynthia Schmidt-Cruz, PhD
Associate Professor of Spanish & Latin American Studies
207 Jastak-Burgess Hall
Phone (302) 831-0439
E-Mail: csc@udel.edu

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Download the Application Form (PDF)

Updated 10/30/07