The UI College of Public Health’s Advancing Graduate Student Success Award program supports its academic and professional graduate students by providing funds for academic- and research-related activities. This program is currently supported by The Sprince Zwerling Experiential Learning Fund. This program provides funds to assist students in advancing their learning beyond the classroom—whether it be collaborating with a mentor, presenting at a conference, or developing a research project—the possibilities are endless. All MHA, MPH, MS, and PhD students who are currently enrolled in a College of Public Health (CPH) degree program and in good academic standing are eligible to apply. Graduate students enrolled in non-CPH degree programs (e.g., Human Toxicology and other interdisciplinary studies programs) are ineligible for this award and are encouraged to seek funding from other sources.

Applications are accepted in the fall, winter, and spring terms. Students may apply for multiple or repeated awards over time not to exceed a total of $2,000; however, students may only apply once per academic year. The awarding process is competitive. Preference will be given to first-time applicants. Award amounts are subject to available funds and may not cover the entirety of the budget requested. Due to limited funding, applications for activities scheduled after graduation will not be considered at this time.

There is a non-exhaustive list of possible purposes for the awards. Examples include support for:

• Travel to visit a mentor to collaborate with or advise the student.
• Costs associated with community-based or community-based participatory research.
• Improving professional development skills (e.g., verbal and writing skills, grant/project budget preparation, grant writing, presentation skills, workshops, and innovative teaching skills).
• Travel to attend and/or present at a conference.
• Expenses associated with pre- and post-comp scholarly research activities.

Additional budget limits and guidelines may apply:

• Requests for travel funding should be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the intended departure to be considered. If students are applying for travel funds to present at a conference or attend a workshop, the following budget limit applies per request as follows:
  • For students presenting: $750 domestic travel; $1,000 international travel
  • For students attending but not presenting: $500 domestic travel; $750 international travel

Application Guidelines:  Guidelines are below for each section and the entire application should not exceed two pages total.

Budget and Timeframe: Provide a timeframe, budget, budget justification and, if applicable, include support from other sources. Applicants are required to demonstrate that they have sought additional sources of funding (e.g., university, collegiate, or departmental sources) and the degree to which those applications have been successful or not.

Purpose and Description of Request: Provide a description of your goal, how this award will allow you to achieve that goal, and the expected outcome.

Previous Awards: Specify if you have received an Advancing Graduate Student Success Award in the past. Please include date and amount.

Endorsements of Request: A short paragraph (two to three sentences) from your faculty advisor and your DEO on why they endorse this application. The endorsement request is not included in the two-page limit. Your application must be submitted as one PDF document. Applicants should request endorsements no less than one week before the application deadline.

Post-Award Requirement: At the end of the timeframe specified in the application, you will be required to provide a one-page description of how this award had an impact on achieving your goal.

Award Deadline: There are four application cycles per academic year. Applicants should request endorsements no less than one week before the application deadline. Applications are due on September 15, December 1, February 15, and May 1. Requests can be submitted at any time and will be scheduled for review during the two-week period following the next available deadline. Applicants will be notified approximately 2 weeks after the deadline.

Review Committee:  The review committee consists of our five DEOs and the associate dean for academic affairs.

Application form

Download our PDF application form below. Please email the completed application to Kathy Welsh at kathryn-welsh@uiowa.edu.

For answers to additional questions, contact the Kathy Welsh.