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Department of English

Prizes & Scholarships

The Department of English offers a variety of Scholarship Awards and Writing Contest Prizes. Four writing contests are open to both undergraduate and graduate students, whether majors or non-majors. These include The Nancy A. Potter Short Story Contest, The Nancy A. Potter Poets Contest, The Creative Non-Fiction Contest, and The Critical Essay Contest.

The Rumowicz Maritime Essay Contest is open to undergraduate students only.

Each award recipient in all of these contests receives a Certificate of Recognition in their prize category. Prizes are awarded annually, and presented at a reading/celebration at the English Department's Awards Day Ceremony held in April of each year.

2010 University of Rhode Island
Academic Excellence Awards


James Deignan (left) and Laura Gibb (right) with Department Chair Stephen Barber

2010 Department of English Excellence Awards


Back row: Alexander Nash, Thomas Barkman, Stephen Barber, Amelia Green. Front row: Sarah Payne, Laura Tetreault, Tatiana Uhoch, Amy Sullo. Not present: John Holmes, Samuel Levine.

2010 Contest Award Recipients


Back row: Rebekah Greene, Sara Murphy, Erin Vachon, Stephen Barber, Cathryn Molloy, Eric Henry Emma, Donald Rodrigues, Beasley Kanost. Front row: Steven Brown, Laura Tetreault, Mary Vanatta, Shayne O'Sullivan, Briana Cihi, Gillian Ramos, Maurice R. Beaulieu III. Not pictured: Julia Ramsey

The Nancy Potter Short Story Contest

Undergraduate Division
First Place: Gillian Ramos – "Pater Noster"
Second Place: Maurice R. Beaulieu III – "Just After Noon"
Third Place: Eric Henry Emma – "Dreaming of Utopia"

The Nancy Potter Poets Contest

(While one poem is highlighted,
all awards in this category were given for a group of poems.)
Undergraduate Division
First Place: Shayne O'Sullivan – "It is rather"
Second Place: Julia Ramsey – "Imposters"
Third Place: Laura Tetreault – "West Warwick"

Graduate Division
First Place: Steven Brown – "Penumbra"
Second Place: Sara Murphy – "Snapshots Printed on Hotel Stationery: Third Exposure"

Creative Non-Fiction Contest

Undergraduate Division
First Place: Briana Cihi – "Scratches, Scars, and Cigarette Burns" and Shayne O'Sullivan – "Terms"
Second Place: Julia Ramsey – "My Katrina"
Third Place: Laura Tetreault – "Inheritance"

Graduate Division
First Place: Cathryn Molloy – "Walking Over the Compost Pile"
Second Place: Erin Vachon – "Four Medical Rooms"

Critical Essay Contest

Undergraduate Division
First Place: Eric Henry Emma – "The Good King of 'Sir Orfeo'"
Second Place: Mary Vanatta – "Wes Anderson, Slow-Motion Master!"

Graduate Division
First Place: Beazley Kanost – "How Cool was Falstaff?"
Second Place: Rebekah Greene – "'[A]s supple as an eel': Virginia Woolf's Concept of Philosophic Time"
Third Place: Donald Rodrigues – "The Phoenix and Turtle: Shakespeare's Fuzzy Apocalypse"

Scholarships

The Department of English offers six undergraduate scholarships. These are open to English majors. Scholarships are awarded annually and presented at the English Department's Awards Day Ceremony held in April of each year.

The Department of English would like to congratulate the 2010 scholarship recipients for their academic achievement:

Zachery Cooper, Carrie Crockett, Krista D'Amico, Elise Glidden, Olga Goretoy,
Joelle Harrington, Danielle Henderson, Samuel Levine, Patrick Padilla,
Heather Stockheader, Amy Sullo.

Pictured: Krista D'Amico, recipient of the Dana Shugar scholarship, and Department Chair Stephen Barber.

Contact the English Department Undergraduate Advisor for further information. Please find descriptions of all these scholarship awards below:

Nancy Potter Scholarship

Income from endowment provides funds for a scholarship that is awarded annually to a junior English major for excellence in English studies. Recipient is selected by the Department of English. The Nancy Potter Scholarship was established in 1988.

Edna L. Steeves Scholarship

Income from this endowment provides funds for a scholarship that is awarded annually to an English major with high academic achievement. Recipient is selected by the Department of English. The Edna L. Steeves Scholarship was established in November 1995.

Rox-Ellene Greenlaw Memorial English Scholarship

Income from this endowment provides funds for a scholarship that is awarded annually to a female English major who is in her third year and is a Rhode Island resident. The award is based on academic excellence and achievement, dedication to studies, personal integrity, willingness to assist others, and love of the literary arts. Recipient is selected by the Department English. The Rox-Ellene Greenlaw Memorial English Scholarship was established in December 1998.

Dana Shugar Memorial Scholarship

The Dana Shugar Memorial Scholarship Fund rotates between the English Department and the Women's Studies Program. The scholarship is awarded to a female undergraduate student based on academic excellence and financial need. This scholarship was established in 2002. In 2006 the Scholarship will be awarded to an English Major.

Gertrude Spencer Scholarship

The Gertrude Spenser Scholarship is awarded annually to English Majors for demonstration of excellence in written command of the English language. This scholarship was established in 2005.

M. Beverly Swan Endowment

Income from this Endowment is used to support a female student majoring in English. Financial need and academic achievement are considered. This scholarship was established in 2005.