IUIN-Loretta Lunsford Scholarship (Liberal Arts)

Overview:

This scholarship is to assist outstanding undergraduate or graduate students majoring in the School of Liberal Arts at IU Indianapolis. Recipients must have an interest in educating others. The award is available in the academic year following the spring in which it is awarded only if the student is a full-time student during the academic year the scholarship is available.

The applicant must identify a faculty sponsor. Sponsoring faculty must be full-time faculty members within the IU School of Liberal Arts. The faculty mentor must submit a letter of recommendation that addresses: Why this student is being nominated to work on this project. What experience and abilities does the student bring to the project? The faculty mentor may include other information that may be helpful to the selection committee in determining qualifications of the nominee.

Examples of projects include:

  • Tutoring or mentoring of introductory level courses in a Liberal Arts discipline;
  • Work with community organizations on education programs
  • Projects to assist faculty in course development or revision, development of bibliographies or audio-visual resources

The student and faculty member must identify the project which the student will dedicate five hours per week for the scholarship period, either during the academic year or for both summer sessions and either a fall or spring semester. Midway through the scholarship period, the student and faculty will submit a brief project update. At the conclusion of the scholarship period, the student will provide a two-page report describing the work completed and the skills learned and/or applied. The faculty mentor will also submit an assessment of the project results and impact.

To apply, students must submit a project description (1-2 paragraphs), a statement that explains: Why are you interested in this project and why do you believe you should receive this scholarship? Student should explain their career plans and any other aspects of personal interest in higher education which you deem significant. (The statement should be approximately 500 words and no more than 2 pages.)

The applicant must also list other scholarships or awards that they have received and/or for which they are being considered. List the name of the scholarship or award, the total amount awarded/expected, and the semester(s) to which it applies.

Eligibility:

Applicants must:

  • Be a Liberal Arts undergraduate or graduate major at IU Indianapolis (Undergraduate students must have completed at least 30 credit hours at time of application.)
  • Be full-time during the scholarship period or a graduate student
  • Be interested in a career related to education
  • Maintain a GPA of 3.4 or better throughout the scholarship period
  • Be willing to volunteer at least five (5) hours a week at any education institution
  • Submit the required application materials outlined above

Awarding:

This scholarship will be awarded and disbursed in either the spring or summer semester of the current academic year, or during the upcoming academic year.

Renewability:

This scholarship is renewable.

Award
Up to 10 awards at $10,000 each
Deadline
02/01/2026
Supplemental Questions
  1. Lunsford
    • Are you planning on being full-time during the scholarship period?
    • Project description - be as detailed as possible.
    • Sponsoring Faculty letter (click help text for details)
    • Why are you interested in this project and why do you believe you should receive this scholarship? Explain your career plans and any other aspects of personal interest in higher education which you deem significant.
  2. Lunsford Project - Project details from sponsoring faculty mentor. (You are responsible to check if the reference letter has been submitted. Double check the email address you enter, if an incorrect email is entered, there is no system error. You will be responsible to follow up with your reference and communicate with them about the request for a letter of recommendation.)