Awarded a President’s Faculty Innovation Grant as a faculty-driven research/project.

Abstract: TMU has great students, including those highly talented in academics, but they don’t always know how to get to the next level.  This research project, developed and executed in concert with Dr. John Ernst, Director of the Thomas More University Success Center, aims to help inform faculty and students of possibilities for high-achieving students to build on their talents and achievements.  Dr. Ernst and I will use this scaffolding to help students plan for graduate school or other endeavors (e.g., Peace Corps), and assist them in selecting appropriate scholarships, fellowships, and programs for application.  We have started to develop scaffolding and pathways to introduce students to and assist them in applying to highly competitive and prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and related programs, such as the Truman, Rhodes, Fulbright, and other various private and government scholarships and programs.  The hope is that preparing for those programs will help highly talented and motivated students across all disciplines further develop their academic potential and introduce them to networks of high-achieving scholars.  Success in getting more students into these prestigious programs also raises the college’s academic profile.