Opportunities listed on SNR Website
Assistantships and Fellowships offerings for the the School of Natural Resources and external sources are posted on the Funding page on the SNR Graduate Student section.
Opportunities through Office of Graduate Studies
Keep an eye on the opportunities through Office of Graduate Studies, including the Presidential Fellowship, Fling Fellowship, and Dean's Fellowship. Funds are quite substantial, but you have to be advanced in your program, so be sure to mark on your calendars to keep an eye out for the deadline!
Opportunities through Agricultural Research Division
Here is a link to some potential additional funds for graduate research and teaching assistants through the Agricultural Research Division (ARD), some more relevant to SNR fields than others. The following information was copied from the website and may be out of date (as of March 10, 2014). Application deadline is typically mid-June, please talk with your advisor before June if you are interested in being considered for one of these fellowships. All applications will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the ARD Advisory Council, the Skala and J.M. Fellowships will also be reviewed by the Director of the Industrial Agricultural Products Center.
Nomination materials/CV should show that:
- Candidates shall be significantly engaged in extracurricular activities (in addition to presentations, etc.) such as in volunteer work with the community and/or professional societies.
- Candidates shall have high professional standards and morals.
- Candidates shall have clear career aspirations.
Widaman Distinguished Graduate Assistant Award/Shear-Miles Agricultural Scholarship/Fellowship
The Widaman Trust was established in 1975 through a generous gift provided to the University of Nebraska Foundation by Ms. Blanche Widaman who asked that the income from the trust be used for basic research in agriculture and that the funds be used for scholarships or fellowships for graduate students conducting basic research in agriculture.
The Shear-Miles Agricultural Scholarship and Fellowship was established at the University of Nebraska Foundation with a gift from the estate of Dorothy S. Miles who planned the gift as a memorial to both her father and father-in-law, Cornelius Lott Shear and George Miles. This endowed fund provides scholarships and fellowships to benefit the Agricultural Research Division and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
Both provide a $2,000 stipend, which will be distributed on an academic-year basis and is to be an additional stipend over and above the regular assistantship rate for the student's department. This is not to be used in lieu of other dollars which the academic unit or department/school would otherwise allocate to the recipient's assistantship.
Both stipulate that only students on Graduate Research Assistantships are eligible for consideration; students paid from fellowship funds are not eligible. Nominees may be either beginning graduate students or students in progress, but all nominees must have identified a thesis topic that would clearly be considered "basic research in agriculture" as stipulated in the Widaman Trust and the Shear-Miles Fellowship agreements. Preference will be given to Ph.D. graduate research assistants, although exceptional M.S. students may also be considered; only students with high scholastic merit and research potential should be nominated. Students who receive these awards are not eligible for the award in subsequent years; this is a one-time award.
Hardin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
This fellowship is made possible through an endowment in the University of Nebraska Foundation honoring Dr. Clifford Hardin. The income earned by the fund is to support research in plant physiology with particular emphasis on genetic mechanisms influencing plant responses to stress conditions.
The ARD office is able to present up to two fellowships to exceptional students this year. The recipients will receive a $3,000 per year supplement to their graduate assistantship (payable in equal installments during the academic year) plus $2,000 for program enhancement which could include (but is not limited to) travel as approved by the graduate student's unit administrator. Any graduate student doing research in the general area of plant physiology is eligible for nomination. Students who receive this award are not eligible for the award in subsequent years; this is a one-time award.
Skala Fellowship
The John and Louise Skala Fellowship is available to recruit and recognize exceptional graduate students engaged in research in areas relating to new industrial uses of agricultural products. These funds are to be used to supplement existing assistantships (GRA or GTA) with awards of $3,000 for M.S. and $5,000 for Ph.D. students. Please note that the recipient must have been accepted into either a M.S. or Ph.D. program, and have been offered a graduate assistantship.
Fellowships constitute an award based on academic and scholastic achievement or promise, cannot be associated with any service requirement, and will be awarded only to students doing research in the area of industrial uses of agricultural commodities. This fellowship is renewable, but students must be nominated annually.
J.M. Fellowship
The J.M. Fellowship is available to recognize an exceptional graduate student engaged in research in areas relating to foods, biomass, biomaterials, bioenergy and biomedical research. These funds are to be used to supplement existing assistantships (GRA or GTA-minimum 0.33 FTE) with one fellowship awarded in the amount of $500. This fellowship is renewable, but students must be nominated annually.
Only students offered graduate assistantships are eligible; students with generally high scholastic and career potential should be nominated. No service expectations can be made of the recipient as a result of being awarded this fellowship.