The Dr. Curtis J. and Mrs. Gina Crawford Family Foundation Honors Scholar-Fellows Award

The Dr. Curtis J. and Mrs. Gina Crawford Family Foundation Honors Scholar-Fellows Award is designed as an exceptional personal development experience for high-potential and high performing Honors students who aspire to achieve leadership roles early in their professional careers. 

The initiative provides upper-class undergraduate students with an opportunity to enhance their leadership development through participation in strategic extracurricular activities aligned with their academic and professional aspirations. 

To help students align their personal attributes, skills, and experiences with their academic development, funding is provided for participation in seminars, conferences, and other extracurricular activities. The initiative is designed to encourage students to calibrate, catalog, and integrate their experiences through a thoughtful and sustainable process that supports academic growth, leadership development, and long-term professional advancement. 

Fellows are expected to create a personal research project related to their academic interests and professional aspirations. The project must be directly tied to the fellow’s coursework and include a tailored plan of development activities designed with the guidance of a faculty mentor. 

Scholarly activities: Crawford Family Foundation Honors Scholar-Fellows are expected to engage in research, independent study, and other scholarly work directly related to their academic program, and career aspirations. As Fellows, they are expected to conduct research in their field of study and develop plans for enhancing their potential for career advancement. During this exciting journey, they will have an opportunity to establish mentoring and networking relationships, to exhibit their personal leadership DNA, and their basic attributes, skills and experiences (BASEdna®).  

When effectively implemented, The Crawford Family Foundation Honors Scholar-Fellows program will accelerate their professional development, while concurrently energizing their undergraduate academic experience. The fellowship provides funding for developing a specific plan for personal leadership development. Each fellow is required to create and execute a plan of coursework and related academic and professional enrichment activities.  

This program is a University-managed undergraduate fellowship. It is a competitive, merit-based award which provides financial support for a targeted research experience for high-potential, high-performing, and high-aspirational students to further stimulate their professional development. The awards are provided to support the Fellow with funding for specific expenses associated with their research activities to support their leadership development goals. 

Throughout the engagement, Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows will develop meaningful social and academic relationships through learning experiences, professional networking opportunities, and potential collaboration with fellow Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows.    

Purpose and Selection Criteria: Students must meet the following criteria:  

1. A degree seeking student continuing at a College/University.

2. Must be continuously enrolled for at least 15 credit hours, in good standing, in a University Honors College/Program.

3. Currently maintains a required minimum cumulative unweighted GPA: 3.8 based on a 4.0 scale each semester.

4. Grade Level – Undergraduate student with a minimum of 45-59 credit hours for first-time applicants, second-time undergraduate applicants 60+ credit hours at the College/University.

5. Students must show commitment to excellence and personal leadership development.

6. Currently participating in leadership development activities, such as internships, externships, mentoring, and other extracurricular activities provided by the College/University, the Honors College, and external partners. 

7. All students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment throughout their Fall and Spring semesters of the academic year in which the award is granted.  

8. First-time applicants for a fellowship are required to submit their applications after completing 45 credit hours and before completing 59 credit hours of coursework.

Honors Scholar-Fellows Requirements:  

1. Only students who are majoring in specific areas of study, as jointly determined by the College/University and Foundation, are eligible for consideration as Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows.
2. Students must establish a partnership with a professor who can speak to his or her academic achievements and performance and are committed to supporting the students’ research project. (first-time application only).
3. Must complete an essay (250-300 words) on the following topic (first-time application only)
   1. How has your chosen major prepared you for future leadership opportunities, and how do you plan to leverage artificial intelligence to advance your field and serve others? 
4. Student must present a current personally prepared resume.
5. Students must be approved and selected during their freshman or sophomore year of admission to the Honors College/Program, to become eligible for consideration as Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows.
6. Candidates must present a research proposal for a project which is focused on AI, or similar specific topic of interest to the associated College/University and approved by the Dean.
7. Proposal must be approved by an Honors College Professor and the Dean of the Honors College/Program.
8. A progress report must be provided by the sponsoring college professor at the end of each semester.
9. The proposed project must begin during the fall semester of the student’s junior year and be completed over four consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring).
10. The project must result in a Project Research Paper which will be presented to the Honors College/Program Dean’s designated professors, peer students, or at a National Collegiate Honors Council meeting.

Honors Scholar-Fellows Leadership Development:  

1. The Honors Scholar-Fellows program emphasizes the importance of continuous personal leadership development. Fellows are encouraged to engage in activities that not only foster their own personal growth but also positively effects their peers and the broader community of Crawford Scholars and Scholar-Fellows.

2. Fellowship recipients are encouraged to develop, implement, or maintain a continuous engagement plan focused on sharing their leadership experiences with other Crawford Scholars and Scholar-Fellows. This initiative is considered a significant component of each recipient’s personal leadership development. By actively participating in this process, Fellows contribute to a culture of shared learning and mutual support.

3. This engagement plan provides Fellows with the opportunity to demonstrate and further develop their leadership abilities. At the same time, it encourages all Crawford Scholars and Scholar-Fellows to actively participate in the community. Through collaborative learning and the exchange of experiences, everyone involved can achieve ongoing professional growth.

4. Fellows are encouraged to seek guidance and support from the Dr. Curtis J. and Mrs.

Gina Crawford Family Foundation as needed when carrying out their engagement plans. The University serves as a valuable resource, offering advice that can help Fellows effectively implement their initiatives and maximize their impact within the community.   

Honors Scholar-Fellows Benefits:  

Award amount: $6,000.00 (six thousand dollars) to be awarded as follows: $1,500.00 (one thousand five hundred dollars) to be awarded in the Fall semester of each academic year.  Each Fellowship award may be renewed for a maximum of three consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring) following the first semester of their Fellowship program, for a maximum total award of $6,000.00 (Six thousand dollars).  

Funds earned by participating in the Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows activities may be used for personal leadership development activities.

2. Students will have opportunities to build professional networks to enhance their career advancement.

3. Funding from the Fellowship may be used to enroll, and as deemed appropriate and pre-approved by the sponsoring professor, to travel and attend career-related conferences, and seminars, which are related to the student’s area of study. When completing this development activity, a summary of the Fellow’s experience should be shared with the sponsoring professor.

4. Materials from student research may qualify for subject matter publications.

Students receiving this award shall be designated as a “Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellow.”   Eligibility is highly competitive, and therefore meeting typical minimum requirements does not guarantee receiving an award. Likewise, the University has the right to consider applicants with credentials that are not 100% aligned with all requirements based on: 

1. The Dr. Curtis J. and Mrs. Gina Crawford Family Foundation, Restricted Endowed Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellows Fund, may not be used by Fellows to pay for university tuition, books, or fees that are not directly related to the Scholar-Fellows Fund. However, the university is encouraged to combine (stack) the award with other scholarships which are granted to the Fellow. This fellowship is not part of a financial aid package. 

2. The Fellow may use the funds for books, fees, travel, other costs, etc., when they are directly related to participation in conferences and seminars, which supports their personal development projects.

Student Selection: Applications shall be reviewed and recipients shall be selected based on current audit-approved procedures and in line with the criteria established in this agreement. The College/University has the sole responsibility of selecting the Crawford Honors Scholar-Fellow recipients.