Susan Estabrook Kennedy Memorial Scholarship

The College of Humanities and Sciences established the Susan Estabrook Kennedy Memorial Scholarship in honor of Susan E. Kennedy, Ph.D., who is remembered as a “woman of firsts.” She published the first book produced by a member of the history department, was the first woman at VCU promoted to associate and full professor of history, the first to chair the VCU Department of History and was VCU’s first recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. In addition, Kennedy served as administrative associate to the president, as associate and interim dean of the college, and as acting vice provost for academic affairs. The award is made annually to a rising junior or senior history major based on merit.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Applicants must be Junior or Senior History majors
• Must have a minimum of 12 hours of History courses at VCU, with 6 hours in upper-division courses
• Minimum 3.0 GPA overall, with a 3.5 GPA in History coursework

REQUIRED MATERIALS AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

• Eligible applicants should submit a statement of no more than 250 words explaining their interest in History. This statement will be used to assess other essential qualities of the Susan E. Kennedy Memorial Scholar, including writing skills, analytical ability, articulateness, and historical mindedness.
• Also, applicants should request and obtain from VCU History faculty two letters of recommendation, uploaded to the HUBS Scholarship Portal. Faculty assessments of the student’s writing skills, analytical ability, articulateness, and historical mindedness will also be considered.