Scholarships & Awards

Joseph Cotter Poetry Prize

For this prize, which rewards the best poem written by a senior English major, students may submit a maximum of three poems for consideration.

Recent winners:

• Barbara Curatolo (2013)
• Megan Lutz (2012)
• Eve Maria Blasinsky (2011)
• Shane Gullette (2010)

David LaGuardia Fiction Award

For this prize, which rewards the best short story written by a senior Engish major, students may submit a single work of short fiction.

Recent winners:

• Carson Parish (2013)
• Lydia Munnell (2012)
• Taylor Nagy (2011)
• Giuliana Certo (2010)

Francis Smith Best Senior Essay Award for a graduating senior

Submissions should be approximately 8-20 pages, double spaced. Each applicant must ask the professor for whom he or she wrote the essay to nominate the work. The professor should send a brief nomination note to Jean Feerick including the name of the course in which the essay was originally written.

Recent winners:

• Barbara Curatolo (2013)
• Hui Sian Tan (2012)
• Stephanie Pentz (2011)
• Billy Collins (2010)

Joseph T. Cotter Memorial Scholarship for Senior English Majors

We invite submissions of a 10-20-page critical essay from junior English majors. The $2400 Joseph T. Cotter Senior Scholarship is awarded in memory of Joseph T. Cotter, a legendary teacher of English literature at John Carroll, whose courses included Shakespeare, modern drama, and nineteenth-century literature. Professor Cotter, known especially for his Socratic method of teaching, left a deep impression on many students at John Carroll.

To qualify for the Cotter Scholarship, a student must have completed, at minimum, four courses in the English major by the end of his or her junior year and at least 92 total credit hours before the start of the fall term of the senior year. This scholarship can be used to support a student’s tuition costs during his or her last two semesters at John Carroll. Eligible applicants must be attending the university on a full-time basis (at least twelve hours of academic credit per term) during both semesters of his or her senior year.

Recent winners:

• Christin Van Atta (2013)
• Carson Parish (2012)
• Hui Sian Tan (2011)
• Eve Marie Blasinsky (2010)

Christopher Roark Memorial Award

We invite submissions of a 5-10-page critical essay from sophomore English majors interested in applying for this annual $500 award. The Christopher Roark Memorial Award is given in memory of an inspiring and beloved teacher of English literature at John Carroll, whose courses included Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, and African American literature. The recipient must be an English major who has demonstrated financial need, has maintained a grade point average of 3.5 in the major, and has shown ability and promise as a writer of literary criticism. Each applicant must ask the professor for whom he or she wrote the essay to nominate the work. The professor should send a brief nomination note to Jean Feerick, including the name of the course in which the essay was originally written. In addition to the essay described above, the following materials should be submitted to Brian Macaskill in the English Department Office by April 8, 2016:

1. A cover sheet listing your name, address, year in school, and the number of credits you will have completed by end of the Spring 2014 term.
2. A copy of your academic transcript
3. A letter of support from a faculty member in the English Department. The faculty member should give the letter directly to Dr. Macaskill.
4. Please make sure your FAFSA information is updated and turned into the JCU financial aid office by April 8, 2016.

Terri Ann Goodman Memorial Scholarship

This is a two-year scholarship, in the amount of $1000 in the junior year and $1500 in the senior year. The recipient must be a student majoring in English who has demonstrated financial need and who maintains a grade point average of 3.5 within the major. The following materials should be submitted to Brian Macaskill in the English Department Office by April:

1. A cover sheet listing your name, address, year in school, and the number of credits you will have completed by end of the Spring 2016 term.
2. A copy of your academic transcript
3. A letter of support from a faculty member in the English Department. The faculty member should give the letter directly to Dr. Macaskill.
4. Please make sure your FAFSA information is updated and turned into the JCU financial aid office by April.

We invite submission of an essay from any first-year composition course (EN 103/104/111/112/114/116) for this award sponsored by W. W. Norton. The top three essays, as determined by our Composition Committee, will be awarded a Barnes & Noble gift card in the amount of $50 (first place), $40 (second place), or $30 (third place), as well as a complementary Norton or Liveright trade title. Submissions should be sent to CompContestJCU@gmail.com by April 1, 2016.

Ann Lesser Best Graduate Essay Award

Applicants must be currently enrolled in the JCU MA in English program. Essays may have been written for fall or spring courses (AY13/14) or may be MA theses/essays for Spring 2014.Submissions should be sent directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Debby Rosenthal at drosenthal@jcu.eduby April 8, 2016.

Recent winners:

• Ann Visintainer (2013)
• Claire McBroom (2012)
• Mike Piero (2011)
• Emily Star (2010)

The Graduate Teaching Award is designed to encourage and reward excellence in undergraduate instruction and service to the university, as well as to acknowledge the importance and dedication of graduate students as educators and leaders at John Carroll University. To be eligible, a Graduate Assistant must be in his or her second year and must have taught for at least two semesters.

1. Application requirements:
   -current CV
   -cover letter addressing candidate’s qualifications for the award
   -teaching philosophy (maximum of 500 words)
   -syllabi for courses taught, accompanied by one major assignment sheet for each course
   -student course evaluations from one course taught at JCU
2. Application materials due to Maria Soriano by Friday, April 8, 2016. Teaching observations for award candidates will be scheduled some time during the first two weeks of April, on a day that is feasible in the Graduate Assistant’s teaching and curriculum schedules. GAs will be observed in their own EN 111 or 112 classrooms.
3. The award recipient will be chosen based on the following criteria:
   -innovation and creativity in teaching approach
   -mastery of content demonstrated in lesson
   -dynamic classroom personality and evident connection with students
   -overall effectiveness of teaching
   -demonstrated commitment to teaching over the duration of the assistantship

On April 23, 2013, the Department of English hosted an event, coinciding with Shakespeare’s birthday, to celebrate the life of Dr. Christopher Roark, Associate Professor of English and ardent Shakespearean, who passed away unexpectedly on June 15, 2012.

As part of the event, a book of remembrances of Dr. Roark, collected from the JCU community, was shared with his widow, Amy, and their children, Owen, Vincent, and Rosalind.

• Listen to an audio documentary, Dr. Christopher Roark: A Relentless Joy, by David Schillero.
• View the book of remembrances, In Memoriam: Christopher Roark, below.

In Memoriam Chris Roark