Awards

Undergraduate Anthropology Program

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.

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

Graduating Senior Award for Achievement in Archaeology: This is a merit award for outstanding endeavors in archaeology.

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.

Rain Vehik Award: The Rain Vehik Memorial Fund honors archaeologist Dr. Rain Vehik. Dr. Vehik had a long and productive career in Plains archaeology that included positions at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, the University of North Dakota, and in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, he served as head of the Archaeological Research and Management Center, worked with the Oklahoma Archeological Survey, and taught for the OU Department of Anthropology. The Rain Vehik Award offers funds to OU Anthropology majors to participate in scholarly conferences (i.e., paper, poster, or workshop participant. Higher priority is given to students attending the annual Plains Anthropological Conference, although awards for other conferences will be granted if sufficient funds are available. Each student is eligible for only one award per academic year. Awards may vary in amount depending on the level of participation.

Scholarships

The University of Oklahoma has a variety of scholarship opportunities. Please see the College of Arts and Sciences scholarship page and the University of Oklahoma scholarship page for more information including deadlines and application procedures.

There are two primary competitive departmental scholarships available to undergraduate anthropology majors: the Bowman Scholarship (awarded in spring) and the Rain Vehik Award (awarded in fall and spring). Other scholarships funds may be available from time to time.

Undergraduates can also apply for travel funds (for example, to conferences) through the College of Arts and Sciences' travel assistance program. The application deadline for CAS funds is 30 days prior to the start of travel.

To apply for the Bowman Scholarship, you must use the online University of Oklahoma scholarship page (CASH). The application portal opens on October 1. The deadline for applications is February 1. By applying for scholarships through CASH, students are also eligible for general University scholarships, departmental scholarships, college-wide scholarships, financial aid scholarships, Sooner Heritage scholarships, study abroad scholarships, Work Assistance, and other opportunities on campus. We encourage you to apply early to ensure that you have plenty of time to compose your essays and to request any letters of recommendation, if applicable.