SENIOR THESIS GRANT APPLICATION

Instructions: Please fill in the requested information for the following questions. Attach the letter of recommendation from your thesis advisor and your thesis proposal and submit it to the Undergraduate Office, 7195 Helen C. White, by 4:30pmNovember 1 (Fall semester) or April 1 (Spring semester).

Name ______Campus ID:______Last First Middle

Madison Address: ______Email: ______

Street

______Phone: () _____ - ______

city/state/zip

English Major Track: ___ Literature

___ Creative Writing

___ Language and Linguistics

___ Honors

Cumulative GPA: ______Credits:______+ ______= ______

Completed Current Semester Total

Additional Major(s): ______

Expected Graduation Date: ____May _____August ____December ______

year

Thesis Advisor’s Name: ______Last First

Thesis Advisor’s Department:______

Thesis Advisor’s Email: ______

Are you a U.S. Citizen? YesNo Legal resident of: ______

Are you currently employed in the UW-System? YesNo

If yes, Department or Institution: ______

Please provide the names of any other awards for which you are applying:

Research Proposal (To be completed by the student-applicant): Please give a concise description of your project. Limit your response to three pages maximum.

1. Project title

2. What is the major research problem (goal, aim, purpose, etc.) you will investigate?

3. What materials will you be studying and what critical methodology will you use?

4. Previous experience and background relating to proposed research?

SENIOR THESIS ADVISOR’S RECOMMENDATION LETTER

Please provide a letter that addresses the following issues:

1. Assess the originality, the significance, and ambition of the proposed project. Comment further on the feasibility of its completion, design, methodology and plan of work the student has proposed.

2. Assess the quality and promise of this student to undertake and complete this project.

3. Please indicate the time (hours per week or per month) you will have available to supervise the student’s work on the thesis during the fall and spring.

4. In your opinion, is the requested supplies and expense budget justifiable?

SUPPLIES AND EXPENSE BUDGET PROPOSAL

Student Name: ______

Requested expenditure of supplies and expense budget. Discuss with thesis advisor. Be specific and describe in detail. Attach additional pages if necessary. Please request only those supplies that are essential for your research. We strongly discourage submission of a budget that is not thoughtfully prepared or one that includes costly capital equipment. We have attached a sample budget (see attached) to give you some guidance in completing this form.

(1) Travel expenses

(2)Supplies (including expendable items, etc.)

(3) Miscellaneous (describe)

TOTAL: $

I agree that if awarded a Senior Thesis Grant, I will complete the requirements for the English major and degree in the College of Letters and Science including the senior thesis and will file a copy of my thesis in the English Undergraduate Office.

Student Signature: ______Date: ______

GRANT APPLICATION SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

Before submitting your application for the English Senior Thesis Grant, please make sure that you have completed the following steps and have all of the required materials listed below.

  1. Completed application form
  2. Thesis proposal
  3. Letter of recommendation from thesis advisor
  4. Completed budget forms

Submit all materials to 7195 Helen C. White by November 1 (Fall semester) or April 1 (Spring semester)

Note: Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding. Please make sure that your application and supporting materials are complete before submission.

English Senior Thesis Grant S&E Budget Guidelines

These guidelines are for students submitting English Senior Thesis Grant proposals. These grants provide modest funding for research related travel expenses and supplies. Supplies and expenses for which students can receive reimbursement include the following:

Travel expense requests will be considered for funding for two purposes: travel which is required to complete the research, in which clear conceptual justification for the necessity of the travel is provided in the proposal, and travel to a conference either to acquire skills directly pertinent to the research or to deliver the results of the research at a scholarly conference held during the time in which the student remains an undergraduate at Wisconsin. To be considered for support for travel to a conference, there must be clear evidence that attendance is directly germane to the research, or that the student has a place on a panel or like forum for his/her presentation of results. Because travel support is especially competitive, students will be well advised to make clear how their project would be completed without travel funding as well as with it.

Domestic travel expenses (airfare, fuel reimbursement, housing, food, public transportation)

  • For personal vehicle use, fuel expenses are reimbursed at state-mandated University rates
  • Vehicle rental (or the use of fleet vehicles) is rarely funded without unusually strong justification within the proposal and accompanying letter of recommendation.
  • Housing will be reimbursed up to the maximum allowed per diem rate for the travel city.
  • Food will be reimbursed up to the maximum allowed per diem rate for meals.

International travel expenses

  • Support for international travel requests must be strongly justified within the proposal and the accompanying letter of recommendation. Requested international travel must be necessary for the successful completion of the proposed research.

Capital equipment (mini-cassette recorders, books with approval)

  • Mini-cassette recorders for recording interviews are commonly funded (budget ca. $40)
  • If a book is available in the UW Library System or in the CIC Virtual Library System it will not be funded. Other books not readily available but necessary for a student’s research may be funded on a case-by-case basis.
  • Phone calls (domestic intra- and interstate, international calls relating to the research)
  • Human participant payments (generally on the order of $5-10 per participant).

(SAMPLE)

SUPPLIES AND EXPENSE BUDGET PROPOSAL

Student Name: ______

Requested expenditure of supplies and expense budget. Discuss with thesis advisor. Be specific and describe in detail. Attach additional pages if necessary. Please request only those supplies that are essential for your research. We strongly discourage submission of a budget that is not thoughtfully prepared or one that includes costly capital equipment.

(1)Travel expenses

Trip to Chicago for work at the Newberry

2 nights stay at hotel ($40.00/night)$ 80.00

Driving to Chicago (180 miles @ $0.29/mile)$ 52.20

Trip to New York to interview dramatist and see ______

2 nights stay at hotel ($40.00/night)$ 80.00

Round trip flight: Madison/New York$325.00

(1)Supplies (including expendable items, etc.)

Photocopying of articles and completed thesis$100.00

Mini-tape recorder for taping interviews$ 30.00

(3)Miscellaneous (describe)

Phone calls to arrange access to manuscripts/interviews

Est. 20 long distance calls to Chicago

(5 minutes each of $0.30/minute)$ 30.00

Est. 10 long distance calls to New York

(5 minutes each a $0.30/minute)$ 15.00

======

TOTAL: $712.20

I agree that if awarded a Senior Thesis Grant I will complete the requirements for the English major and a degree in the College of Letters and Science including the senior thesis and will file a copy of my thesis in the English Undergraduate Office.

Student Signature: ______Date: ______