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Online Application2008/2009 |
INTRODUCTION -- please read this information carefully, then fill out the eligibility and contract screens, before proceeding to the on-line application. Before applying, you are urged to meet or communicate by e-mail with the Program Coordinator to verify your own and your mentor’s eligibility, receive a sample proposal and contact information for current scholars, and receive feedback on your proposal. Contact Leah Carroll, 345 Campbell, or 643-5374 to make an appointment.
Program Description:
Established in 1997 through the generous donation of Robert and Colleen Haas, the Haas Scholars Program creates opportunities for academically talented undergraduates who are eligible for financial aid to engage in a sustained research, field-study, or creative project in the summer before and during their final year at Berkeley. Each year, twenty Haas Scholars – selected from all disciplines and departments across the university – will be awarded the funding necessary to pursue their independent projects and will participate jointly in a program designed to support their intellectual development. As a Haas Scholar, you will benefit from the following:
• a $3,800 summer stipend that will allow you to work full time on your project during the summer before your final year/semester.
• up to $3,600 in academic year stipend to reduce the necessity for work or further loan indebtedness during the final year/semester.
• up to $5,000 in funding for major and minor expenses associated with a research, field-study, or creative project launched in the summer before the final year/semester;
• an additional $200 to be paid upon the scholar’s completion of all obligations to the program;
• the opportunity to develop a close mentoring relationship with a faculty sponsor;
• membership in a close-knit, interdisciplinary, intellectual communty of fellow Haas Scholars and their mentors;
• participation in a series of coordinated intellectual enrichment events and activities intended to support your academic and professional development;
•assistance and advising regarding application to graduate and professional school;
• the opportunity to present the results of your research, field-study, or creative project.
Eligibility:
The Haas Scholars Program is open to undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, who meet the following criteria:
• are expecting to graduate in Fall 2008 or Spring or Summer, 2009. This is a program for graduating seniors. You are on your honor to give an accurate account of your most likely graduation date. If you intend to graduate after August, 2009, we encourage you to apply in March of 2009.
• have maintained a Berkeley GPA of 3.5 or above;
• are eligible to receive need-based US federal financial aid
• are working with a mentor who is a member of the Academic Senate (ladder faculty member -- usually with title of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor) OR who has been explicitly approved for an exemption to this requirement by the Haas Scholars Program.
Commitment:
Students selected as Haas
Scholars are expected to work full-time on their projects during
Summer 2007, to abstain from employment during the 2008-2009 academic
year, and to be present for, and participate fully in, the activities
of the program, including the Summer Research Retreat (June 3-7,
2008), a weekly Friday 12-2 colloquium during the Fall 2008 semester,
and the Haas Research Conference on May 1-2, 2009.
Selection:
Twenty Haas Scholars will be selected
from among the pool of qualified applicants (up to 100 applicants) by
one of three selection committees: arts/humanities, social sciences,
and behavioral/natural sciences. If your proposal falls between these
categories, please make known to the program coordinator which
committee you'd like to review your application. Each proposal is
read and ranked by four selection committee members, and the scores
are averaged.
The Board will award funding on the basis of the merit and originality of the project proposal; the appropriateness of the preliminary budget; the applicant’s academic performance and qualifications to undertake the project; the applicant’s opportunity for good mentoring; the applicant's potential for making a positive contribution to the group dynamic; and the applicant’s overall likelihood of success.
About the funding:
Stipends: If you are selected as a
Haas Scholar, your academic year stipend will be calculated into your
total 2008/2009 financial aid package and will be based on your
eligibility for need-based aid in 2008/2009. Your summer stipend
should not affect your 2008/2009 financial aid award, but it may
affect your award for 2009/2010 (if you are in graduate school).
Research expenses: Proposed budgets
of up to $5,000 will be considered by the Faculty Advisory Board. See
the program
guidelines for specific permitted budget categories and policies.
Both stipends and research expenses may be taxable.