IUI-Burke/Tilley Award for Graduate Students in Philosophy (Liberal Arts)

The Department of Philosophy’s Burke/Tilley Fund is intended specifically for graduate students. The purpose of the fund is to help graduate students with certain costs associated with their graduate degrees or certificates. Expenditures may include, but are not limited to, graduate student participation in professional conferences and seminars, research support, and Ph.D. program application fees. The fund covers costs incurred or to be incurred during the current academic year, including the summers. The award is funded by an anonymous, generous alumnus, and is named to commemorate the donor’s two most inspiring teachers: Michael Burke and John Tilley.

All graduate students who are currently enrolled in the MA program or graduate certificate programs are eligible to apply. Submission requirements include a description of your intended project or purpose, an explanation of why it is important for your academic or professional development, and why you need funds to support it. Please include an estimated budget along with relevant documentation (e.g. conference announcement, list of graduate schools you are applying to, transcripts, etc.).

Students will also be asked to answer additional questions for the donor:
1. What is your plan and primary interest for your graduate work in philosophy? (maximum 100 words)
2. Is studying philosophy primarily a very worthwhile exercise in personal growth and enrichment, or does it actually lead to practical improvements in the everyday world? (maximum word count 250)

Award
$4,000
Deadline
02/01/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Burke/Tilley Questions
    • Is studying philosophy primarily a (very worthwhile) exercise in personal growth and enrichment, or does it actually lead to practical improvements in the everyday world?
    • What is your plan and primary interest for your graduate work in philosophy?
    • When I was a student (the first time), my primary motivation was to acquire skills that would allow me to get a job that paid reasonably well. In the school of business, I was surrounded by other students with the same primary motivation. How did you learn early on that the liberal arts, and philosophy in particular, provide other compelling motivations?