Please contact The Director of Undergraduate Studies if you would like to be nominated for any of the scholarships listed below. Nominations are generally based on a student’s academic record of distinction (generally a 3.5 GPA or above), extracurricular activities and/or volunteer work, financial need, and professional and/or educational goals for the future. Competition is tough, but as the saying goes "you can’t win if you don’t play."

Departmental Scholarships

The Mamie and Pedro Aguirre Memorial Scholarships:

Established in 1987, these annual awards are given in Spring to outstanding UA junior or senior female Spanish majors. The scholarship is named after the first head of the UA Spanish Department, Mamie Aguirre. She died in 1906 at the age of 62. Mamie’s grandson, Pedro, said to embody ‘the best of both worlds, Mexico and the U.S." was a successful businessman in Mexicali, Mexico and California’s Imperial Valley. He died in 1982 at the age of 74.

Applicants need to show academic promise, financial need, and a commitment to make a significant contribution to society. Preference is also given to students who are returning to school to finish an undergraduate degree. Scholars are selected by a special committee of the department of Spanish and Portuguese and subject to the approval of the Office of Student Financial Aid. Applications may be picked up in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Modern Languages 545 and submitted no later than April 1.

Scholars selected for 1999-2000 were Spanish College of Education major Patricia Arraiga and Spanish College of Humanities major Karleen Jones. We are exceptionally proud of both of our winners.

The Nivea Parsons Scholarship for Study in Brazil

Dr. Nivea Parsons, a retired tenured faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Arizona, was born in Fortaleza, Brazil and passed away on May 14th of 2006 (Mother's Day) at the age of 70 due to pancreatic cancer. In honor of Dr. Nivea Parsons' great accomplishments here at the U of A in the Portuguese program, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese is pleased to offer a scholarship in the amount of $500.00 to a motivated student who will be studying in Brazil this summer with the program that Dr. Parsons founded.

Dr. Parsons directed the Portuguese program here at the U of A and taught courses in Portuguese language, Luso-Brazilian Literature, and Brazilian Film and Culture from 1968 until her retirement in 2003. Even after retirement, Dr. Parsons continued to be very much involved with spreading her love for her language and culture to others continuing to give informal lectures on Brazil as a volunteer to retired U of A faculty. She was an inspiration to all her students, friends and colleagues and worked tirelessly to solidify the study of Portuguese at the U of A. Among other contributions, Dr. Parsons was instrumental in making the Portuguese minor mandatory for those majoring in Latin American Studies at the U of A.

Application Due: March 12, 2010

Professor José Promis Outstanding Study Abroad Student Award

Dr. José Promis, received his certification as high-school teacher from the University of Chile, and his doctorate in Romance Philology from the University of Madrid. Until 1976 he taught Latin American and Chilean Literature at the University of Chile, the Catholic University of Chile and the Catholic University of Valparaíso. Since that year he has been Full Professor of Spanish American Literature in the Spanish and Portuguese Department of the University of Arizona. After the end of the military regime, he has returned periodically to Chile invited as visiting professor by several universities in Santiago and Valparaíso. Currently, Professor Promis is Emeritus from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, although still actively involved in leading and supporting our various Study Abroad programs, especially that in Viña del Mar, Chile, which he established. He has published several books related to Chilean literature. The most recent, published in 2002, is La literatura del reino de Chile. He is also in charge of literary criticism in El Mercurio, the most important Chilean newspaper. In 2004 he was appointed member of the Academia Chilena de la Lengua.

This honor is awarded annually to the Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese Study Abroad student who best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, flexibility, academic achievement as well as the ability to make the most of a Study Abroad Experience.

Please contact:

• Director of the Study Abroad Programs
  Yadira Berigan
  Office: ML 545
  berigans@email.arizona.edu
  626-7647

Byron C. Browder Scholarship for Study Abroad in Guadalajara

Brief biography of Byron C. Browder (pdf)

• Byron C. Browder Memorial Scholarship
• Source: Friends of the late Byron C. Browder.
• Eligibility: Spanish majors with outstanding academic ability and financial need. Selection by the office of the Dean of Humanities subject to the approval of the Office of Student Financial Aid.
• Value: Tuition at Guadalajara Summer School.
• Contact: Department of Spanish & Portuguese, 621-1983.
• Application Due: March 12, 2010

College-wide Scholarships

David Evans and Lucille C. Nutt Scholarship:

The award is designated for UA students who attended high school in the state of Arizona for four years and graduated in the top 25% of their class. Students must be declared or enrolled in majors in the College of Humanities. The scholarship is limited to single individuals of good moral character and no dependents. Potentially renewable if the students maintains no less than a 3.0 cumulative Grade point average and completes no fewer than 16 units per semester. Generally two awards of $1,500.00 are made.

Mary Ann Farman Memorial Scholarship:

This award is designed to provide support for an undergraduate woman student in any degree field offered by UA. Selection is made on the basis of cumulative GPA, a statement of educational goals by the candidate, and a letterof nomination by a faculty member who can comment on the student’s academic work, goals, and character. Recommendations of recipients are subject tp approval by the Office of Student Financial Aid. The amount available for a single award in the 1999-2000 academic year was $1,950.00.

The Van de Verde Memorial Scholarships:

These scholarship are for upper division majors in Humanities departments and programs who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and promise. Candidates may be nominated by faculty members in any University department; additional letters of support may be solicited but are not required. Selection by the committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Humanities is subject to approval by the Office of Student Financial Aid. For 1999-2000, 2 awards of $1,500.00 were given.

Scholarships and Awards for Students in the Colleges of Humanities, Science, Social & Behavioral Sciences and University College

Lorena Desanctis McDuff Scholarship:

This award is for an outstanding junior. It is given to encourage the recipient to serve humanity with the same selfless devotion as the woman in whose memory it was established. Early in the spring semester, each department may submit the name of a student who excels academically, is involved in extracurricular activities, and will have completed 86 units by the end of the spring semester.

Barbara A. Hesler Memorial Award:

This scholarship is designed for a junior or senior with at least 30 units at the University and residency in Arizona. Students are evaluated on the basis of their academic record and community service.

Erdean Patterson Scholarship:

This award is designated for a full-time junior or senior. The students nominated must have a min. GPA of 3.00, must be Arizona residents, and must show financial need.

Thomas E. Campbell Award:

This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding sophomore who is an Arizona resident and who has completed at least 1 year at the University by the spring semester. Nominees are judged on their community service, as well as their academic record.

The Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) -- Outstanding Undergraduate Minority Student Award:

These awards are given to four students: one Asian American, one African American, one Mexican American, and one Native American. The award honors undergraduates who have made a contribution to the University through their extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and community service. Nominations may be made through OMSA until mid-February.

Academic Honors:

Eligibility for one of the Dean's Lists is based on number of credits and letter grades, excluding all pass/fail and "S" grades. All "I's" must be made up before an honor is bestowed. Honors are listed on the student's official transcript.

1. DEAN'S LIST WITH DISTINCTION requires a semester 4.000 GPA with at least 15 units completed.

2. DEAN'S LIST requires a semester GPA between 3.500 and 3.999 with at least 15 units completed.

3. HONORABLE MENTION requires a semester 3.500 GPA or above with 12 to 14 units completed.
Students receiving honors are recognized at the college honors convocations, and their names are posted in the display case outside of the Office of Academic Services, Modern Languages 347, at the end of each semester.
Each college has specific honors, such as the Outstanding Senior Award, which are presented at honors convocations. Information regarding nominations for those honors may be obtained at the college dean's office or the student's major department.

The University Honors Program

The Honors Program is supported by the colleges and strongly recommended by academic departments for any qualified student. Admission for entering freshmen is selective; criteria include high academic achievement in high school as measured by grade point average, rank in class, and scores on the SAT or ACT. Transfer students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or better from accredited 2 and 4-year colleges and universities. There is no separate application for admission; freshman and transfer students are notified of their admission status at the time of admission to the University. Continuing students at the University as well as students transferring from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better to participate.

Further information on the program may be obtained from the Honors Center, Slonaker Bldg, Room 107 (621-6901).