Shaheen Scholars: Student Grants Program

Types of Funding Available

As an undergraduate or graduate student in the Shaheen College, you’re eligible to apply for funding for things like:

• Travel expenses for conferences, workshops, research, etc. (registration fees, airfare, mileage, parking fees, etc.)
• Student scholarly activity, research, or project expenses (materials and supplies, etc.)
• Service learning or community engagement expenses (project materials and supplies, publicity, printing, postage, equipment up to $500, minimum refreshment costs, etc.)
• Student Study Abroad/Away expenses (transportation, housing, food, and other expenses, including summer study). Please note Spring Term is not eligible for funding.
• Apply individually or with a group of students for a joint project

Process

Upon submission, your proposal will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty for recommendation to the Dean, who will communicate a final decision on your proposal. The committee works to balance the awarding of funds to a diverse set of proposals over the course of the year.

Majors within the Shaheen College (SCAS)

General Eligibility & Participation Requirements – Student applicants must have a major within the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences:

• Anthropology & Archaeology
• Art & Design
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Communication
• Criminal Justice
• R. B. Annis School of Engineering
• English
• Environmental Sustainability
• Environmental Science
• Global Languages & Cross-Cultural Studies
• History & Political Science
• Liberal Arts
• Mathematical Science
• Music
• Philosophy & Religion
• Physics & Earth Space Sciences
• Sociology

*As part of receiving a Shaheen Scholars Grant, students agree to participate in a public presentation and write a thank you letter to Yvonne Shaheen, the program’s donor, at the beginning and end of their project.

Application Deadline

All proposals requesting funds are due by the end of the month to Melanie Zigler (ziglerm@uindy.edu). Proposals will be reviewed and responded to by the end of the following month running September through March.

Application Process  

A complete proposal will include the following, all of which should be e-mailed to Melanie Zigler (ziglerm@uindy.edu):

Completed online application, which includes:

• Submitter
  

  A proposal must be authored and submitted by a currently enrolled student (or group of students) in the College. Faculty are asked to provide a letter of support, but the grant will be considered under the student’s name.

• Project narrative (1-2 pages)

  Please explain how the proposed project will enrich the student, as well as the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences. The Shaheen Scholars Program is especially interested in supporting first-generation college student success, leadership development (especially for women and minoritized populations), multiculturalism and global citizenship, community engagement, and the role of liberal arts and sciences in career readiness. This document will be submitted as part of your online application submission.

• Budget

  Budgets should explain what the funds will be used for. Individual applications are capped at $3,000, while collaborative applications supporting multiple students are capped at $5,000. 

• Letter of support

  A signed letter of support from a faculty member in the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences forwarded to Melanie Zigler, care of the Dean’s Office or via ziglerm@uindy.edu. Student applicants are responsible for ensuring the letter of support arrives before the application deadline and may inquire about the status of their letter.

• For Student Study Away/Study Abroad Only: Confirmation of program

  Provide a letter from the Director of Global Education, Christel DeHaan Center for Global Engagement, that outlines the dates and location of travel, the total program cost, any payments already submitted by the student, and confirmation that the student is registered for the program. *Spring term travel is not supported.

*If there are faculty expenses associated with supporting student work, not already covered by other sources, funding for those expenses may be considered above and beyond the student expense budget. Only complete submissions will be considered in the review process.

Review Process  

Proposals will be reviewed by the Shaheen Grants Committee. Priority will be given to students who have not received funding from this program in the last year.

If applicable, the committee reserves the right to partner with other areas on campus for help verifying the competitiveness of applications. For example, the Christel DeHaan Center for Global Engagement (study away/abroad destinations) or the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement. 

Award Notification

Notification of award status will be sent according to the schedule detailed earlier in this document and will include further instructions to awardees regarding accessing awarded funds.

Questions? Contact Melanie Zigler (ziglerm@uindy.edu)

Benefactor

Yvonne Shaheen joined the University of Indianapolis' Board of Trustees in 1992, serving as chair from 2016 to 2018. She also served as chair of the institution's most successful comprehensive campaign "UIndy Starts with You: The Campaign for the University of Indianapolis."

Mrs. Shaheen's impact on the University reached new heights in 2015 with her gift of $5 million, at that time the largest single gift in the institution’s history, to support the College of Arts and Sciences. The University commemorated that gift with the renaming of the College as the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences, in honor of Mrs. Shaheen and her late husband, Riad.

The University of Indianapolis is deeply grateful to Mrs. Yvonne Shaheen for her impact upon generations of both faculty and students.