Helen Barr Rudin Study Abroad Grant

Helen Barr Rudin ‘32, was one of Lawrence’s earliest students to study abroad when she participated in a study program to France. This experience deeply impacted her and shaped her strong belief in the value of education abroad. This scholarship was established through a planned gift upon Rudin’s death in 2007. Grants of approximately $2000 are given annually to students attending Lawrence-affiliated or -sponsored international off-campus study programs that are a term, semester, or academic year in length.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

Eligible students will have been accepted to a Lawrence-affiliated or sponsored international off-campus study program.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated upon both need and merit criteria. Applications will not be concerned on only need-based or only merit-based criteria.
- Need willl be determined based upon the student’s demonstrated need as determined by the Financial Aid office and the costs of the program in which they will be participating. By submitting the application form (on the following page), the student understands that the Office of Financial Aid will access this information and that this will be used in the application review process. All applicants should demonstrate unmet financial need by completing their FAFSA and submittng the Lawrence finanical aid application materials.
- Merit considerations will be based upon the follow-up project proposal submitted with the application. All recipients of the Helen Barr Rudin Student Study-Travel Abroad Grant are required to complete an independently designed project that will bring some aspect of their international education experience back to the Lawrence community and/or to promote off-campus study.
Applications must be submitted by Thursday May 9, 2013 at 5pm. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered. This is the deadline for 2013-14 Barr Rudin grants (whether you will be participating in a fall, winter, or spring program).

Information about the Follow-Up Project

The follow-up project is a means of engaging grant recipients in a project to bring their study abroad experience back to campus after their return. It is a useful way for returnees to process and articulate their experiences in a creative and meaningful undertaking as well as to promote international education to the Lawrence community. The selection committee will be considering project proposals in light of their potential to achieve these goals. There is no right or wrong answer and proposals will be considered for quality, creativity, and potential for success.
The project should take place within the Lawrence campus community and should be completed by the end of the term after the student’s return to campus.
Factors to consider when developing and outlining your project proposal:
- Clearly state the intended outcome of your proposed project. Some outcomes you might consider: increasing interest in off-campus study, increasing campus knowledge about the country, culture, or city where you’ll study, sharing something about research, independent study or an aspect of your program with the campus, etc.
- Who is the desired audience for the project and how might you connect with them most effectively?
- Consider your followup project's methodology and include this in your proposal. How will you carry out your followup project?
  - Consider a timeline and the first step of your project. What will be the most effective mode of sharing your project? Some examples might include: presentation, poster session, working with faculty & academic departments, public display, video screening, connecting with campus offices, presenting on a language department immersion weekend, creating a flyer, blog or website, working with student groups, campus newspaper, connecting with students interested in future off-campus study, etc.
- Does the off-campus study program you will participate in include an interesting course project, independent research, or other elements you could bring back to campus as part of your followup project?
- Do you have unique interests, talents, campus networks, or outlooks you might bring to this project?
- Write your project proposal in a word processing document so you are able to proofread and edit effectively. Keep a copy of this document that you would be able to work with in the future should you be awarded this grant. When you are ready to submit your application, copy the proposal and paste it into the online application form. This statement should be roughly one page in length.
Students required to complete a follow-up project for separate national scholarship programs (i.e. the Gilman International Scholarship or Freeman ASIA award), will need to complete separate projects to fulfill the requirements for the separate awards.
Recipients of this grant must work with the Off-Campus Programs office upon their return for verification of project completion.

Helen Barr Rudin Study Abroad Grant Application

The Helen Barr Rudin Study Abroad Grant Application is available online.