Dr. Laura Berk is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychology at Illinois State University. She is a nationally known researcher, teacher, and textbook author focusing on early childhood development. She established this scholarship upon her retirement to honor exceptional writers from the department.

Qualifications

1. Must be a full-time undergraduate student in the Major in Psychology;
2. must have written an empirical research or expository paper in APA style; and
3. financial need is a factor for consideration.

Nomination and Application
Students are nominated by their psychology instructors during the spring semester. Nominated students will be notified by April 1st. To be eligible for the award, students should submit:

1. The application and a personal statement outlining the student's qualifications for the award;
2. a current transcript; and
3. the written essay to be entered into the award competition.

Application materials must be received by the department by April 15th of the nominated year.

Selection
The department's Awards Committee is responsible for awarding the Laura Berk Undergraduate Writing Award each year.

Stipend
The award is typically $500 each award year. The amount of the award will be determined by the department's Awards Committee. If the funds are left unused in the income account, the funds can be carried over for the next year or transferred to the endowment account.

Distribution
The Laura Berk Undergraduate Writing Award is an endowment fund and the award is to be made in perpetuity. The chairperson of the department is responsible for distributing the scholarship funds and for appropriate publicity related to the presentation of the award.

Other consideration
The Laura Berk Undergraduate Writing Award fund is an "open" fund in the Illinois State University Foundation, which may be increased through additional contributions of cash, and may receive the proceeds from bequests, trusts, life insurance, real estate, and personal property. Additions to the fund shall be subject to the award conditions contained in these guidelines.