The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, through Student Success Initiatives, is now accepting applications for the 2019 University Co-op/George H. Mitchell Undergraduate Student Awards for Academic Excellence.

Each spring, UT Austin, with the generous support of the University Co-op, recognizes up to five undergraduate students for superior scholarly or creative achievement.

Two students receive awards of $2,500 each, two students receive awards of $5,000 each, and one student receives the top award of $12,000. In addition to the student award, the Provost’s Office provides a concurrent award of half the value of each student’s award to the academic department in which the scholarly work was supervised.

The application and all supporting materials must be received by March 27, 2019.

Nominees must be either a junior or senior currently enrolled at UT Austin or have received their undergraduate degree in December 2018. Students must demonstrate superior scholarly or creative achievement through a notable paper or thesis, research project, creative or artistic endeavor, or other product of the student’s academic work. Submitted work should be finished or close to finished (e.g. a complete draft of a thesis or research paper). Previous Mitchell Award recipients are eligible only if the submitted work is a completely different project.

Students will complete the application via Interfolio. The following materials are required:

1. The student project (paper, thesis, publication, video, artwork, etc.) in a single digital file. If the project is a video, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link in a Word or PDF document briefly describing the project and referencing the link.
2. A 1-2 page CV or resume highlighting activities and achievements during the student’s years of study at UT Austin.
3. A 1 page statement in which the student places his/her project in the context of their educational experiences at UT Austin and their future occupational work or graduate school plans. (limit 1 page, 12 point font)
4. A scanned copy of the student’s academic summary, which is available through the Registrar’s Office at no cost.
5. A confidential letter of recommendation from a faculty member at UT Austin. The student should request the letter from the recommender via Interfolio as soon as possible during the application process. The letter should be on departmental letterhead and should describe in detail how the applicant has demonstrated superior scholarly or creative achievement through a notable paper or thesis, research project, creative or artistic endeavor, or other product of the student’s academic work. In case of a collaborative project, describe the student’s contribution and why it is substantial. The committee will pay particular attention to the recommender’s explanation of the significance of the applicant’s work in the context of the relevant field of study.

The application link and more information can be found atprovost.utexas.edu/awards/mitchell.

If you have any questions, contact Kathy Uitvlugt at 512-475-9675 orkathy.uitvlugt@austin.utexas.edu.