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Richard McKaig Outsanding Doctoral Research Award    

 

The Richard McKaig Outstanding Doctoral Research Award is made possible by a grant from the Fraternity Executives Association. It will recognize an outstanding doctoral dissertation completed by an individual recently completing her/his doctorate. The recipient will receive a $1000 cash award and additional recognition at the annual meeting of the Association of Fraternity Advisers.  An abstract of the winning dissertation will be printed and distributed by the Center.

The purpose of the Richard McKaig Outstanding Doctoral Research Award is to encourage and support the study and dissemination of high quality research on the role of the fraternity and sorority in higher education. The award is meant to recognize students at the doctoral level who show promise in the field of student affairs. Submissions are anticipated from departments of higher education and student affairs, as well as relevant dissertations from other disciplines.

The individual whose dissertation is selected will receive:

• A $1000 cash award. PLEASE NOTE: The cash award is provided upon submission of an article based on the thesis to a research journal.
• A plaque to be awarded at the AFA Annual Meeting to the individual winner and to the school.
• An invitation to attend and present research findings at the AFA Annual Meeting.
• An abstract of the thesis to be printed and distributed by the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity.

Entrance Requirements:

Entrants in the Richard McKaig Outstanding Doctoral Research Award competition must have completed their dissertation and had their degree conferred between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding year

Entrants must submit the following items:

• Doctoral Dissertation abstract
• Cover letter from the applicant to include the following information: title of Dissertation, name of institution granting Doctorate Degree, date degree conferred, and the statement – “I verify that the above information is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I have read the announcement for the Doctoral Research Award and agree to abide by its terms and conditions. Should I be selected as the award recipient, I agree to assume all of the responsibilities as well as the rewards of being the award recipient.”
• Letter from the dissertation committee chair should include the following information: names and addresses of committee chair and members, title of dissertation, an affirmation that the applicant was a registered student, and the graduation/degree conferment date.

 

An abstract of the dissertation following the format outlined below:

• The abstract must be typed and double-spaced.
• A cover sheet with the title of the dissertation and the author’s name and address must be attached to the abstract.
• The abstract should have a title page.  This page must not contain any identifying information. No identifying references such as college or town names should appear in the abstract.
• The abstract must not exceed 10 pages (additional pages will be discarded) and should be divided into five sections:
• Research rationale and brief literature review.
• Statement of the hypothesis/problem.
• Methodology employed and rationale for its selection.
• Significant findings and relevance to student affairs in particular and post-secondary education in general.
• A brief bibliography, not to exceed 2 pages (additional pages will be discarded).

Judging Process: 

All materials become the property of the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity and will not be returned to the author. The panel of judges will include practicing student affairs and fraternity professionals, and preparation program faculty members.
The same number of judges will review each abstract.

The judges will use standard rating criteria.

• Two to four dissertations will be selected as finalists.
• Upon notification (on approximately May 1), finalists will submit a copy of their entire dissertations with identifying references removed.
• The entire panel of judges will evaluate the theses of the finalists.
• The names of the winner and runner-up will be announced at the NIC/AFA Annual Conference awards presentation; all finalists will receive written confirmation of finalist status.
• The award recipient will be notified no later than June 1.
• The decision of the judges will be final.

Submissions:

All required application materials must be received by March 1.  Faxed submissions will not be accepted.  Applicants may download both the Application Form and the Degree Confirmation Form using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Submit application materials to:

CSCF Doctoral Research Award
Center for the Study of the College Fraternity
900 E. 7th St. Suite 371
Bloomington, Indiana 47405