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Things to Know Before You Apply

WHAT KINDS OF WORK CAN BE PRESENTED AT CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP?

Scholarship takes many forms and occurs in every academic discipline. Therefore, the Celebration of Scholarship welcomes any work that presents the academic product of your field. Examples of the kinds of work you can present that will be considered for inclusion in the symposium include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Original research focused on an issue or problem in your field
• A scholarly project you developed individually or as part of a group
• A painting, illustration, photograph, or other visual work
• A musical composition you will perform at the symposium
• A poem, short story, or other literary work you will read at the symposium

If you are a student, you must generate this work with the support of a faculty sponsor. All student applications must be approved by the faculty sponsor before they are reviewed for acceptance into the symposium.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni who graduated in Academic Year 2023-2024 or later are invited to apply to present at the Celebration of Scholarship. Preference will be given to current undergraduate and graduate students during the review process, but opportunities for recent alumni to participate will exist as space allows. All work presented must be current; only projects that were created after February 2024 are eligible.

WHAT MUST I SUBMIT TO BE CONSIDERED?

In order to have your application considered, you will need to provide information about your work, as well as information about the author(s) or developer(s) of the work and the faculty mentor. First, consider what type of presentation is most appropriate for your work. Consult with your faculty mentor and determine if it is the best fit to present as part of a Concurrent Session, Poster Session or as a Creative Work Performance or Exhibit. For more information about the differences in these presentation types, and the specific requirements for the associated applications, see the Getting Started and Application page. Students participating in the Brother Joel Damian, FSC, Business Plan Competition and STEM Slam can also participate in Celebration of Scholarship.

Students participating in the President's Annual Art Exhibition can also participate in Celebration of Scholarship. For more information about the President's Annual Art Exhibition, please contact Ms. Natalie Swain, Director of the Art Gallery or visit the gallery web page to access the submission form.

Before you begin your application, make sure you know the following information pertaining to your project:

• Presentation Type
• Title
• Abstract and Summary OR Description (depending on Presentation Type)
• Keywords
• Names, ȺpÎÞÂë email addresses and mailing addresses of all authors/developers that will be involved in the presentation
• Name and ȺpÎÞÂë email address of your faculty sponsor
• Knowledge of whether your project has been funded by any ȺpÎÞÂë granting parties (Doherty Center, Lasallian Research, Caterpillar)

Please Note: Once evaluated for merit, applications for this presentation type will be determined for acceptance based on the order in which they were received. Please make submissions as soon as possible.

WHAT IS THE TIMELINE?

To apply to present as part of this year's Celebration of Scholarship, your application must be submitted by:

Deadline for Student Submissions: 11:59PM on Friday, February 14, 2025

All Celebration of Scholarship projects are required to be approved of by a faculty mentor. Please work closely with your faculty mentor to assure adequate time for the mentor to review and approve your submission. You must apply online by accessing the "Getting Started and Application" page.

Applicants will be notified of acceptance in mid-March, and will be asked to confirm their acceptance in a timely fashion.

Please Note: ALL posters must be created using the Celebration of Scholarship directions, using a template provided on the PowerPoint and Poster Templates page.

WHAT PRESENTATION TYPE IS BEST FOR ME?

An important decision to make is choosing the best format for presenting your work. To help you select the best fit for your presentation, check out the Getting Started and Application page. Once you determine the presentation type, you will then be provided with details about developing the particular requirements for applying in that presentation group. You will then be able to designate the type of presentation you have selected as part of your application.

IMPORTANT "DO'S AND DON'TS" FOR PARTICIPATING IN CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP

Whether this is your first time participating, or you're a seasoned pro, the Committee hopes this will be a rewarding experience. To help make this year's Celebration of Scholarship a success, a few things to keep in mind:

Think outside the box – scholarship comes in many different forms. Help increase the diversity in types of work that is presented as part of the symposium.
Review previous programs and talk to participants from years past – they can be a great source of information and you prepare to participate this year. Individual projects are welcome, as are group projects.

However, as you are submitting applications, do not over-extend yourself and take on too many projects.

Please Note: In order to make scheduling possible, ONLY the first listed author on submissions will be considered when checking for conflicts of multiple presentations at the same time.

Remember to Save the Dates: Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday April 24, 2025! Please block out the day on April 24 and make sure you will be available to present your work between 10am-6pm.

Plan to arrive in advance of your presentation time so you can become familiar with the space (and check out some other great presentations!). Make sure to be present for the entire session to which your work is assigned.

DR. STEPHANY SCHLACHTER EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

In honor of Dr. Stephany Schlachter's remarkable 18-year tenure as Provost and in recognition of the significant role she played in advancing undergraduate research and scholarship, Dr. David Livingston, President, has announced the establishment of the Dr. Stephany Schlachter Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship Award. An award in the amount of $2,000 will be presented for outstanding undergraduate scholarship as part of the University's Celebration of Scholarship.

Eligibility: Undergraduate students from all disciplines are welcome to apply. Because students participating in the Business Plan Competition and President 's Annual Art Exhibition are already eligible to receive monetary awards for their projects, these students are not eligible to receive this award.

Scholarship is developed through various stages, ranging from initial exploration to completion of a final work. While there is merit in all of these stages and projects reflecting this progress are all welcome to be presented at Celebration of Scholarship, only those projects that have reached the level of completion will be considered for this award. It is highly recommended that students discuss their intention to apply for this award with their faculty mentor. If a project is developed by both undergraduate and graduate students, the project can still be considered, but only the undergraduate student(s) are eligible to receive the award. During the application process, these projects will need to be submitted in the undergraduate category. Please feel free to contact Dr. Matthew Domico and Dr. Marie Meyer, Co-Chairs of the Celebration of Scholarship (celebrationofscholarship@lewisu.edu), if you have any questions.

Application and Evaluation Process: When an undergraduate student submits a project proposal on the Celebration of Scholarship website, there will be an option on the application form for the student to self-select their work for consideration, as long as the project meets the criteria stated above. Creative Works Presentations, Poster Presentations, and Concurrent Session Presentations are eligible for this award. The presenter(s) must include a statement describing the project work and how this shows evidence of excellence in scholarship.

All projects received through the Celebration of Scholarship application process must be approved by the project 's faculty mentor. During this approval process, the mentor will need to endorse the project for consideration for this award. A statement as to the exemplary nature of the project will be needed.
All identified submissions will be reviewed by content experts during the abstract review and those deemed as showing excellence in scholarship will progress to an award evaluation committee. These semi-finalists will be asked to submit additional documentation such as a poster draft or narrative on the project design. The award committee will evaluate and rank the projects to identify the top three finalists. All finalists will be notified through a formal letter.

During the Celebration of Scholarship event, a panel of judges will view and judge presentations given by all three finalists, using an established rubric. All finalists should be prepared to engage in a discussion with the judges. At the Awards Presentation during the Celebration of Scholarship event, the finalists will be recognized.
Following the Celebration of Scholarship event, the judges will meet to discuss their evaluations and determine the winning project. If the project has more than one author, the award will be distributed evenly among the undergraduate students. Only those identified on the application will be considered as project authors for purposes of the award. An announcement of the winning project will made to the ȺpÎÞÂë community.

Review Criteria for Students and Mentors: Stephany Schlachter Excellence Award - Review Criteria List

READY TO START WORKING ON YOUR APPLICATION?

Visit the Getting Started and Application page for help with determining the best presentation type for your work, as well as information for helping you prepare a strong application.

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