Mary Gardner Endowment Scholarships and Honors

Mary Gardner Scholars: Mary Gardner Scholars is an honor society for graduating seniors in the School of Journalism. Scholars are not guaranteed any scholarship funds.

Each year, the School of Journalism recognizes a group of seniors who excel in and out of the classroom as Mary Gardner Scholars — one of the highest honors we bestow on graduating seniors. Dr. Mary Gardner was a legendary professor at the School from 1966-1991. Mary Gardner Scholars are given a medallion to wear at graduation. The School also selects an Outstanding Senior in Digital Storytelling and an Outstanding Senior in Journalism from among the Scholars to recognize at the spring convocation. In addition to joining this honor society, the Mary Gardner Scholar(s) with the highest GPA may be awarded a Mary Gardner Top Scholar Scholarship to toward a future semester of study at MSU.

All eligible undergraduate students in the School of Journalism are invited to apply to be considered for these honors. In addition, each faculty member in the School of Journalism may nominate up to three undergraduate students for consideration. A selection committee of School faculty will review both student applications and faculty nominations when choosing this year’s honorees.

DIRECTIONS: Gather all of your application materials and then complete the application form. Please pay attention to required file formats for any materials you may be asked to upload. The application form includes several questions about your experiences as a student in the School of Journalism and requires you to upload your resume. You also may include up to three examples of work you have produced while a student in the School and up to two letters of recommendation from people outside the School of Journalism who know your work.

Qualifications:

• School of Journalism undergraduate major (Digital Storytelling or Journalism
• GPA of 3.5 or higher
• Be on pace to graduate in 2025 (spring 2025, summer 2025 or fall 2025)
• Exhibit exceptional achievements in their skill area outside of the classroom
• In addition, the Outstanding Senior should exhibit participation in college or departmental activities.

_ Please note: If you are taking classes in the School of Journalism beyond May, you may also be qualified to apply for scholarship from the School of Journalism and the College of Communication Arts & Sciences for a future semester of study. Many of the materials you are asked to submit to this application form can be re-used in your scholarship application! Learn more about these scholarships and how to apply at https://comartsci.msu.edu/departments/school-journalism/student-experience/journalism-scholarships. School of Journalism scholarships are applied to a student’s university account, where they may be applied toward tuition or other university fees._