OU Department of Anthropology

Awards and Scholarships

Awards
Graduating senior awards are given to outstanding anthropology majors and are nominated by faculty members. These awards are given in the spring semester just prior to graduation ceremonies.

Iva Schmidt Springstead Award: The Springstead Award recognizes the best overall graduating senior in anthropology. The recipient's name is engraved on a plaque located in the department lounge.

Robert E. Bell Award: The Bell Award is a merit award for comprehensive contributions to archaeological research given to graduating seniors. The Oklahoma Archeological Survey cosponsors the award. The recipient's name is engraved in a plaque located in the department lounge.

Graduating Senior Award for Achievement in Biological Anthropology: This is a merit award for outstanding endeavors in biological anthropology.

William Bittle Award: This is a merit award for outstanding endeavors in linguistic anthropology.

Morris E. Opler Award: The Opler Award was established to recognize a graduating senior for outstanding endeavors in cultural anthropology. The recipient's name is engraved on a plaque located in the department lounge.

Graduating Senior Award for Achievement in Anthropology: This award recognizes graduating seniors for merit in their anthropological endeavors.

Scholarships
The Department of Anthropology sponsors two annual scholarship competitions. The proposals are due to the department chair on October 15 and April 1. Please complete the proposal form following the description of the scholarships.

Morris E. Opler Memorial Scholarships
Both undergraduates and graduate students may apply for an Opler scholarship. Lucille Ritter Opler established this endowed fund in memory of her husband, Dr. Morris E. Opler, to provide scholarships to deserving anthropology students at the University of Oklahoma. Morris Opler was a leading scholar of Native North America. A specialist on Apachean people, he authored numerous articles in scholarly journals and wrote several books on the culture and history of the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, and Plains Apache (Kiowa Apache). Dr. Opler was a member of the University of Oklahoma Department of Anthropology faculty for nearly two decades, having served here after a distinguished teaching and research career at Cornell University. Much respected for his knowledge and teaching ability, he retired as Professor Emeritus from the University of Oklahoma in 1977 and passed away in 1996.

The Opler Scholarship competition will be conducted twice a year and is open to undergraduate majors and graduate students in anthropology. The deadlines for the Opler Awards are October 15 and April 1. Students may submit a proposal for a maximum of $250 for the following:

· Travel to a conference for paper presentation
· Funding for a significant component of a research project
· Partial tuition for a field school
· Travel for study abroad

~Department of Anthropology Scholarship Form~