AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP

Congratulations to the 2008 Travel Fellowship Recipients
Joseph Marra, Senior Linguistics Major
M. Guion Pratt, Junior Communications Major

The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs is pleased to administer the “Travel Fellowship Fund.” The awards are to be made every Spring Semester to two deserving Carolina students with applicable travel plans. The travel fellowship fund is made possible by the very gracious contributions of an anonymous donor who has established a permanent University trust fund for this purpose.

Intent of the Fellowship
The fellowship has been established due to a realization of the need for understanding and communication between people of various nationalities and cultures as methods of preserving world peace, the hope of increasing international awareness among citizens of the United States of America, and the inestimable value and reward of foreign travel for undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Eligibility
To be eligible for selection to receive a fellowship, the student must:

1. be a citizen of the United States;
2. have completed at least 51 semester hours of college credit, with at least 27 of those semester hours in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
3. be enrolled in good standing as a full-time upper-class undergraduate, in any major, of a baccalaureate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the term immediately preceding the receipt of the fellowship; and
4. submit a proposed foreign travel itinerary that includes a stay of at least four days in London, England, United Kingdom.

The Award
Up to $6,000 is available to two recipients.

Selection Committee and Basis for Award
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will convene a Selection Committee representing different departments at UNC-Chapel Hill. All decisions concerning the award of the travel fellowship shall be made only by the Selection Committee.

The fellowship is intended to provide an opportunity for the financial support of a student's personal enrichment and growth through travel, but it is not intended to support the expenses of participating in the University's formal study abroad program (although it may be used to supplementally 'extend' a student's participation in that program). The awards are for support of an individual student, traveling either independently or as part of a group, and are intended to support travel for no less than two months and no more than six months.

While financial need may be considered as part of the criteria for selection, it will not be the sole criterion. Emphasis in the selection process will be placed on the applicant's academic success and record of service to others. Special consideration will be given to applicants who are Eagle Scouts and a strong preference will be shown to students for whom this will be the initial international multicultural experience. If you attained the status of an Eagle Scout, this should be noted at the top of your application.

The primary factor in selecting recipients of a fellowship will be consideration of the student's formal written application and proposal about the intended use of the funds for travel abroad, including the proposed itinerary. That itinerary can involve anything from independent study for college credit (e.g. European cathedral architecture) to experiential activities (e.g. a bicycle tour of England, Scotland and Wales). The application and proposal must not exceed two pages in length.

Travel Stipulations
A recipient must begin travel no later than twelve months from the date of selection for the fellowship. A graduating senior must begin travel within six months of receiving his or her undergraduate degree.

Any use of the funds for purposes other than those described in the application for fellowship, or any substantive failure to complete the travel and itinerary as proposed in the application, will require a full or partial repayment of the moneys advanced to the student (the amount of repayment to be determined by the selection committee).

The recipient is expected to

1. Confirm final travel plans and itinerary before commencing travel.
2. Send monthly status reports on the trip itself during the course of travel.
3. Provide a final summary of the experience, hardcopy receipts, and verification that the itinerary and activities proposed were followed at the conclusion of travel.

How to Apply/Deadline
Reflecting the above, applicants must submit a typed letter of application and itinerary of no more than two pages in length to Natasha Harris (travel.fellowships@unc.edu) in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (110 Carr Building), by no later than March 31, at 5 p.m. An email with attachment is encouraged. The awards of the fellowship will be made in April, and the recipients will be immediately notified. Once notified, recipients will be posted to the website no later than April 30, 2008. There is no specific application form or format for the application letter, although applicants are encouraged to be as specific as reasonably possible in sharing their plans with the selection committee. Complete contact information for this current Spring Semester and Summer, PID, and current academic year at Carolina should be included. Questions or requests for additional clarification should be directed to Mr. Harris (nlharris@email.unc.edu).

Sincerely,
Margaret Jablonski, Ed.D.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs