Alumni and friends have contributed generously to the department and have enabled us to offer financial support for study abroad and professional development.  The Lunsford-Ihrie Travel Grant, established in honor of faculty emeriti Dr. Ernest Lunsford and Dr. Maureen Ihrie, is dedicated to supporting full-time students with semester-long study abroad.  Students may request up to $1000 in financial assistance.  The number of grants offered yearly varies depending on the number of applications and the amount of assistance requested. Individual rewards will be determined by a committee of faculty members based on student application materials and/or information obtained from the Office of Financial Aid.

Criteria

Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students at Elon University with a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on file for the current academic year.
They must also have a current application on file with the Elon Global Education Center for an Elon University study abroad program that is one semester or longer (short-term study abroad will not be funded by this grant). Preference will be given to those students studying in environments where the target language is spoken. In addition, students must be a major or a minor in a second language or in an area studies program that includes language study.

Application Timeline and Process

The selection committee will consider applications on a rolling basis.  For consideration, please submit applications electronically to Dr. Elena Schoonmaker-Gates (egates2@elon.edu), Chair of the Department of World Languages & Cultures.

Each application should contain the following information in the format that follows:

1. Student name:
2. Elon email address:
3. Expected term and year of graduation:
4. Major(s):
5. Minor(s):
6. Courses currently taking in the Department of World Languages & Cultures (if applicable):
7. Current transcript (unofficial versions are acceptable):
8. Name of study abroad program/experience:
9. Term/year:
10. Have you ever studied abroad (through Elon or other)?  If so, please elaborate:
11. Amount Requested:

12. Please respond to the prompts below using no more than 150 words per answer: Describe what has led you to take courses in the Department of World Languages & Cultures.  Share any information you can about your involvement in WLC projects or events in languages and cultures outside of the classroom.

13. In a short essay of 500 words of less, please explain how this funding will benefit you as a budding scholar of world languages and cultures. How will this funding allow you to pursue opportunities that you might not otherwise pursue?

14. Financial Authorization

I authorize the Department of World Languages and Cultures to check my financial records for qualifications for this scholarship. I further authorize the Elon Financial Planning Office to release any and all financial aid information related to this scholarship. I also certify that all the information given in this application and budget form is complete, accurate, and true.

Include your (electronic) signature + date here: