The Edwin A. Payne Memorial Award was established by Dr. Payne's mother upon her death in 1975. Dr. Payne was a member of the ISU faculty from 1952 to 1971. He was an associate professor of psychology.

Qualifications
Candidates for consideration of the Payne Memorial Award must:

1. Must be a full-time student (undergraduate or graduate) at Illinois State University. This award is generally given to senior psychology majors.
2. Be in good academic standing and involved in campus and community activities.
3. Candidates who are seniors in psychology are given preference, but this requirement is not mandatory.
4. Financial need is a factor for consideration.

Application
Any eligible student may apply. Senior psychology majors will be notified by April 1st of their eligible year. Students should submit to the department:

1. The application and a personal statement outlining the student's qualifications for the award;
2. A current Academic Progress Summary;
3. Two (2) letters of recommendation, at least one of which is a department faculty member; and
4. Evidence of scholarly and/or professional activity (e.g., honors thesis, independent study project, PSY 331 report, convention paper, publication, term paper, or a letter from your supervisor in any activity related to professional psychology such as PATH, OUTREACH, or specialized summer camps).

The application is an interactive MS Word document that will download to the computer's desktop. Application materials must be received by April 15th of the nominated year.

Selection
The department's Awards Committee is responsible for awarding the Edwin A. Payne Memorial Award each year.

Stipend
Awards generally range from $200 to $500 each 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 Edwin A. Payne Memorial Award is an endowment fund and the awards are to be made in perpetuity. The chairperson of the department is responsible for distributing the award funds and for appropriate publicity related to the presentation of the award.

Other consideration
The Edwin A. Payne Memorial 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.