School of International and Area Studies

Scholarships & Awards

International Scholars Award


Recognizes 1-3 IAS students every year for academic achievement and service – minimum $500 cash award; applications due March 1st.

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Admiral William J. Crowe Award


Recognizes the most outstanding IAS graduate every year – minimum $1000 cash award; applications due March 1st.

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Ambassador Edward J. Perkins Scholarship


Supports IAS student travel to Africa or other strategic areas – variable awards depending on student costs; applications due March 1st.

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IPC Student Support Grants


Awarded to 1-4 IAS undergraduate or graduate students per academic year for research and educational travel -- $500 maximum award; applications accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

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St. Elijah’s and Anthony Shadid Award


Recognizes the most outstanding IAS Middle East Studies student every year for Arabic language training – minimum $500 cash award expected to be used to support student’s travel to the Middle East; applications due March 1st.

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IPC Board of Visitors Scholarship


Supports IAS student travel to underrepresented overseas destinations – variable awards depending on student costs; applications due March 1st.

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Latin American Studies Best Paper Contest


WIN $500 for a paper!!!
Enter SIAS’s writing contest in Latin American Studies

  • Open to undergraduate majors and minors in the School of International and Area Studies.
  • $500 will go to the best paper on any Latin American topic. Papers will be judged on strength and originality of research, argument, method, writing, and insight.
  • Papers must be at least 15 pages, typed, and double-spaced. Papers originally written for classes are eligible.
  • Submission deadline is 1 February 2009. One hard copy of the paper must be submitted in Prof. Alan McPherson’s box in Hester Hall 106 and an electronic copy must be sent to mcpherson@ou.edu.  Remember to include how to reach you!
  • Winner will be announced in spring 2009

Click here for flyer (pdf opens in another window)

Writing Contest for the Thomas W. Adams Best Paper Award

"Resolving Conflict in the Mediterranean Region"


The School of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma announces a contest for the best paper that addresses any aspect of conflict resolution, affecting any country that borders the Mediterranean Sea. Any OU graduate or undergraduate student is eligible to compete for the award. Submissions can be prepared especially for this competition, or they can be based on term papers, Honors research projects, or graduate theses.

This award is named for Thomas W. Adams, a former officer in the US State Department who has published extensively on the conflict between Turks and Greeks on the island of Cyprus.

Submission Guidelines:
Submissions should be at least 2500 words in length. They should be typed, double-spaced and include a complete bibliography of cited works. Submissions are due no later than 15 April 2009. Awards will be announced 1 May 2009. All submissions will be evaluated by a committee of faculty. The award recipient will receive $750.00 and a plaque commemorating their accomplishment.

For questions or inquiries, please contact Dr. Mitchell Smith, Dale Hall Tower 205 mps@ou.edu.

  • 2008 Recipient: David Miller, International Studies major.  The title of the award winning paper is "The Legality of Israeli Settlements Within the Occupied Territories."
  • 2007 Recipient: William Caldwell, graduate student in the School of International and Area Studies for his paper titled, "A Critical Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy Towards the Hizbullah of Lebanon."
  • 2006 Recipient: Adam Tyner, International Studies major for his paper titled, "Hydropolitics and Conflict Resolution in the Euphrates-Tigris Region."
  • 2005 Recipient: Mohamed Daadaoui, graduate student in the Political Science department for his paper titled, "The Western Sahara Conflict: Regional Dimensions and the Failure of the Self-Determination Discourse."
  • 2004 Recipient: Valerie D'Erman, graduate student in the Political Science department for her paper titled, "Will the EU bring peace to Cyprus?."

Percy Buchanan Award for Undergraduate of Asian Studies


The Percy Buchanan Award was created by Professor Sidney Brown, emeritus professor of Japanese History. The award is named in honor of Percy Buchanan, another former OU professor of Asian Studies who inspired many students during his teaching career. Many former students of Professors Buchanan and Brown have contributed to the endowment that makes this award possible. We would like to express a heartfelt thanks to all those generous donors.

The Percy Buchanan Scholarship is awarded annually to the most deserving student in the School of International and Area Studies, specializing in Asian Studies. Individuals may be nominated by the faculty in the department. The amount of the award is $1000 for 2006.

2007 Recipient: Erin Weeks
2006 Recipient: Anna Twitchell
2005 Recipient: Christine Phan
2004 Recipient: Nathaniel Kretchun
2003 Recipient: Natalie Corr
2002 Recipient: Kimberly Woodland

Boren Scholars and Fellows Program (NSEP)


This program, also known as the National Security Education Program (NSEP) enables U.S. graduate or undergraduate students to pursue overseas specialization in area and language study and was created by then Senator David L. Boren in 1991. Specifically, Boren Scholarships (for undergraduate students) and Fellowships (for graduate students) provide financial support to study languages, cultures, and world regions that are deemed critical to U.S. national security but are less frequently studied by U.S. students. Areas of the world that are never eligible for the NSEP are Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and languages such as Spanish, French, German, etc.

While language focus is always changing, examples of recently awarded language programs have been in Chinese, Arabic and Turkish. All participating students must be concurrently participating in an academic program at the time of participation as an NSEP scholar. Limited to U.S. citizens, this program has a federal government service agreement attached to the award and would require work by the recipient at an approved federal position after completion.

For further information about this program and an exhaustive list of focused languages and service sites, please go to this website: www.borenawards.org

Also, please feel free to contact the OU campus representative for NSEP: Jack Hobson jhobson@ou.edu