Student research funds, scholarships and awards
History Department research funds
The History Department offers several opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to earn funding for specific research projects or for professional development opportunities such as participating in conferences. The amount of each award depends on availability of funds, up to a maximum of $500. Students can apply for funding from more than one of the sources listed below, which may increase the amount of funding that is possible. Graduate students must also apply for funds that are available through the Graduate Student Association for these purposes to be eligible for department funding. In most cases, department funds must be used within one year of being awarded.
Submit a one-page proposal that names the research fund(s) for which you are applying (we encourage you to apply for multiple relevant opportunities in one proposal). The proposal must describe the research project, how the award money would be used to help you complete the project, and how this award would advance your academic goals. For conferences, provide an abstract of your presentation or describe other planned activities at the conference and explain how these will contribute to your development as a historian. Attach a budget showing the estimated expenses for the project (e.g., airfare, accommodation, production materials, equipment). You must also list one History Department faculty member who could provide a reference on your behalf; please check with that faculty member before including them as your reference. Email your proposal to the History Department’s Undergraduate Advisor or Director of Graduate Studies; proposals will be considered as they are submitted, with notification to the student within two weeks. (Please note that the Comstock Foundation Scholarship involves a different application process).
- Funder:
- This fund was created in 1997 by Sharon Davies and History Professor Richard O. Davies to assist History graduate students engaged in thesis or doctoral research. The award encourages the History graduate program’s ongoing growth by encouraging excellence in graduate research.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be graduate students in the History department researching a thesis or dissertation project.
- Award meant to fund expenses incurred in conducting thesis or dissertation research, such as travel costs or the purchase of research materials.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Submit a standard research fund proposal as described above.
- Award period: 1 year
- Funder:
- This fund was created in 2019 by Richard H. Bryan to honor his father, Oscar W. Bryan (1908-1961). Oscar Bryan graduated from the University of Nevada in 1932, became a Clark County District Attorney in 1943, and was elected Justice of the Peace for Las Vegas Township in 1958. The award reflects Bryan’s connections with his home state by promoting the study of Nevada’s past.
- Eligibility Information:
- Graduate students or undergraduate majors conducting research on, or disseminating knowledge about, the history of Nevada.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Submit a standard research fund or conference participation proposal as described above.
- Award period: 1 year
- Funder:
- This award was created in 2020 to encourage the study of European history at the University of Nevada, Reno. It honors the life of Fred C. Howard III, who received his BA from the University in 1970 and won a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Germany. Although Howard relished his historical studies at the University, he was disappointed by the lack of courses in German and Central European history, and he created this endowment to encourage University students and faculty to engage with the history of this region.
- Eligibility Information:
- Graduate or undergraduate students conducting research on, or disseminating knowledge about, the history of Germany and/or Central Europe.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Submit a standard research fund or conference participation proposal as described above.
- Award period: 1 year
- Funder:
- This fund was established in 2020 to provide support to undergraduate researchers in the History Department, especially those conducting research on a thesis or senior experience project.
- Eligibility Information:
- Limited to undergraduate History majors conducting historical research, especially for a thesis or senior experience project.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Submit a standard research fund proposal as described above.
- Award period: 1 year
- Note: This is an external award given by the Comstock Foundation on the recommendation of History faculty and has a specific deadline and process for applications. Please see the application procedure available through Shared History.
History Department scholarships
The History Department offers several scholarships meant to reward excellence among our undergraduate majors and graduate students. Students may be nominated for these awards by History faculty. The Undergraduate Committee determines the recipients of the awards each spring, based on nominations and the eligibility criteria for each award. The amount of the awards vary each year depending on available funds.
To be eligible for these and other college or departmental scholarships at the University, students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada. The scholarship application is available starting October 1 each year and is due February 15 the following year. This will ensure you are considered for all History Department scholarships for which you are eligible.
- Funder:
- Wilbur S. Shepperson was a distinguished History professor at the University from 1951 until his death in 1991. He wrote eight books, one of which was the first publication released by the University of Nevada Press. He was awarded the Grace A. Griffen Chair in History in 1987 and, in 1991, was the first recipient of the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award. In 1993, the Department of History established the Wilbur S. Shepperson Endowed Scholarship in memory of his many contributions to higher education and culture in Nevada.
- Eligibility Information:
- Graduate Student in the History Department with satisfactory progress to a degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and full-time (Min. 9 credits per semester, or 6 with graduate assistantship)
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- This fund was created in 1994 to honor retired University History professors by supporting the department’s graduate students.
- Eligibility Information:
- Graduate Student in History Department with satisfactory progress to degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and full-time (Min. 9 credits per semester, or 6 with graduate assistantship)
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- This scholarship was created in 1996 by Mrs. Gwen Leonard to honor James Hulse (1930–2023), an esteemed professor of history at the University of Nevada, Reno. Hulse earned his undergraduate degree from the University in 1952 and, in 1962, joined the University’s history department as a faculty member. A political activist, he was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, served on the Nevada Commission for Equal Rights of Citizens, and participated in the Citizens Committee for a Nuclear Test Ban. He received the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award before retiring in 1997.
- Eligibility Information:
- Undergraduate or graduate History Majors with Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and min. 6 credits per semester
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- This scholarship was created in 2014 to honor the careers of Judy Hartigan, a middle and high school history teacher, and Frank Hartigan, a professor of history at the University. The purpose of the scholarship is to improve the teaching of history in middle schools and high schools. Accordingly, the scholarship is for public middle and high school teachers who aim to obtain a graduate degree (MA, MAT, or PhD) in History from the University.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be graduate student employed as public middle or high school teacher with Satisfactory Progress to Degree. Must be full time teacher or plan to return to full time teaching after completing graduate degree.
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and min. 6 credits per semester
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award, with preference given for graduate students in the MAT. program. Faculty shall evaluate candidates on academic achievement, commitment to public school teaching, and career goals.
- Eligible students must also submit syllabi or other evidence of course content to confirm historical context of actual teaching.
- Funder:
- This scholarship was created by Stan’s Foundation in 2009 to assist undergraduate History majors at the University. Stan’s Foundation was established by Mr. Stanley Paher, a native Nevadan who earned an MA from the University in 1969. He is the author of dozens of articles and twenty-six books, including Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps (1970), which won the Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be a history major with junior or senior standing and Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- Preference for students in the following order:
- Those doing research on Nevada or the West
- Those working on senior thesis
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and min. 12 credits per semester
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- This scholarship was created in 1946 by Anne Henrietta Martin and Clara Martin Wright to honor their parents, Honorable William O’Hara Martin and Louise Stadtmuller Martin, who moved to Nevada in 1868. William O’Hara Martin served as a state senator from 1877 to 1881 and remained involved in public affairs until his death in 1901.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be a female History major with junior or senior standing and Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 2.75 GPA, min. 10 credits in History completed, and min. 12 credits per semester.
- Should demonstrate courageous citizenship and high personal conduct.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- This scholarship was created in 2011 by Rita and John Marschall to encourage the study of history at the University. John Marschall moved to Reno in 1968 to serve as a Catholic priest at Our Lady of Wisdom, where he helped establish the Center for Religion and Life in hopes of engaging university students in religious life. After shifting from priest to parishioner, he joined the University’s History department, first as a lecturer and then as an associate professor before eventually becoming Associate Vice President for Student Life. He retired from the University in 2002 and died in 2016.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be a History major with sophomore, junior, or senior standing and Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA and min. 12 credits per semester.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
- No information available
- Eligibility Information:
- Undergraduate or Graduate History Majors with Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- To earn and retain award:
- For graduate students, min. 3.0 GPA and min. 6 credits per semester
- For undergraduate students, min. 2.75 GPA and min. 12 credits per semester
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
- History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
- Funder:
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This scholarship was created by the Historic Reno Preservation Society in 2007 and amended in 2023 to focus on History students working in the Shared History program.
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- Eligibility Information:
- Undergraduate or Graduate History majors with Satisfactory Progress to Degree
- To earn and retain award: Min. 3.0 GPA; min. 15 credits per semester for Undergraduates; min. 9 credits per semester for Graduate students.
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Preference given to students in the Shared History program and related research project
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Research projects should focus on Nevada or the West
- Application/Nomination Process:
- Students must complete the annual scholarship application in MyNevada
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History Department faculty may nominate students for this award
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As part of the competitive process, students will be asked to submit a statement of their research to the scholarship committee chair within the History Department.
History Department awards
The History Department offers three awards to reward excellent scholarship and collegiality among History students. The amount of each award depends on availability of funds. These awards are given each fall and spring semester; History Department faculty nominate students for these awards by Prep Day at the end of the fall and spring semesters. For the Frank X. Hartigan Community of Scholars Award, students may nominate their classmates.
- Funder:
- Sharon and Richard Davies endowed this award in 1991 to encourage excellence in undergraduate research by awarding a monetary prize for the best senior thesis. The award has been expanded to include research projects completed in all senior experience history courses. This prize reflects Sharon and Richard Davies’s belief in higher education and desire to help students in need achieve the dream of higher education in areas of public service.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be a History major completing a senior thesis or other research project in a senior experience course (HIST 499A, HIST 499B, or a HIST course that satisfies CO13 of the Silver Core Curriculum)
- Application/Nomination Process:
- History Department faculty teaching the senior experience courses nominate excellent theses and other research projects for this award.
- The nominating professor sends a copy of the thesis or project to the department’s Undergraduate Advisor before the award deadline announced each semester.
- The award committee ranks the submissions and chooses the best student work for the award.
- Award amount: $250
- Funder:
- This award comes from a fund created in 2019 by Richard H. Bryan to honor his father, Oscar W. Bryan (1908–1961). Oscar Bryan graduated from the University of Nevada in 1932, became a Clark County District Attorney in 1943, and was elected Justice of the Peace for Las Vegas Township in 1958. The award reflects Bryan’s connections with his home state by promoting the study of Nevada’s past. Accordingly, it offers a monetary award for the best thesis or project focusing on a topic related to Nevada history in a senior experience History course.
- Eligibility Information:
- Must be a History major completing a senior thesis or other research project on a topic in a senior experience course (HIST 499A, HIST 499B, or a HIST course that satisfies CO13 of the Silver Core Curriculum)
- Application/Nomination Process:
- History Department faculty teaching the senior experience courses nominate excellent theses and other research projects for this award.
- The nominating professor sends a copy of the thesis or project to the History department’s Undergraduate Advisor before the award deadline announced each semester.
- The award committee ranks the submissions and chooses the best student work for the award.
- Award amount: $250
- Funder:
- This award was created in 2010 by the Department of History to honor longtime History professor Francis X. Hartigan. The award is meant to recognize an undergraduate senior or graduate student in the History Department who manifests those attitudes and actions that bind us together into a learning community, including thoughtful conversation, scholarly inquiry, and a sense of humor.
- Eligibility Information:
- All graduate students or undergraduate seniors majoring in History are eligible for this award.
- The ideal recipient will demonstrate and encourage respect for fellow students, professors, and university staff. The student will help build cohesion in classes, in the History department, and in the university generally.
- Application/Nomination Process:
- This award is given each spring semester only.
- Both faculty and students can nominate either graduate students or undergraduate seniors for this award.
- Nominations can be made by sending an email of one or two paragraphs describing the student’s contributions to our learning community to the History department’s Undergraduate Advisor before the deadline announced each semester.
- The award committee will then select a student to receive this award.
- Award amount: $250