Doctoral Assistantship Available Through Holmes Scholars Program

FAYETTEVILLE -- The curriculum and instruction department in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas is taking applications for the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education Holmes Scholars Program.

The Holmes Scholar position is a 12-month, half-time doctoral graduate assistantship that requires a commitment of 20 hours a week. It pays tuition and a monthly stipend of $1,000. 

For qualifications and information about applying, visit the curriculum and instruction website or contact Worthen at dworthen@uark.edu.

The Holmes Scholars Program was established in 1991 and provides "mentorship, peer support, professional development and rich scholarly experiences to doctoral students from groups and backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in academia who are pursuing terminal degrees in education at AACTE member institutions. The program helps member institutions increase the diversity of their faculty by developing a pool of diverse candidates for higher education and other positions in education," according to the organization's website.

The recipient of the scholarship will receive funds to travel to AACTE Holmes Scholars annual meetings, the Holmes Scholars Job Fair and the Summer Policy Institute in Washington. The position will begin in the summer or fall of 2014 and will end in June of 2017.

Previously, the curriculum and instruction department supported 12 Holmes Scholars who are now tenured faculty and serving in leadership positions at institutions of higher education or state departments of education.

"The Holmes Scholars program enabled me to study full time while pursuing a doctoral degree," said Diana Gonzales Worthen, a Holmes Scholar from 2000 through 2002. "I met other doctoral students from across the U.S. and attended workshop sessions that assisted me through the dissertation process. The sessions included such topics as narrowing your dissertation topic, writing your first publication, and preparing your vita. The topics were specific for first-, second- and third-year doctoral students. Each year, I attended the Holmes Scholars Job Fair to see what was on the horizon regarding job prospects."

Worthen, who directs Project RISE-Realizing and Increasing Student Excellence at the University of Arkansas, now serves on the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni Board, facilitates Holmes Scholars sessions and mentors current Holmes Scholars at the AACTE Annual Meeting.