Scholarships

The Department of Modern Languages and Classics awards up to three scholarships each year to students demonstrating achievement and ability in the following language areas taught at Ball State University:

• Modern (French, German, and Spanish)
• Classical (Latin)
• Asian (Chinese and Japanese)

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

The Culture and Language Incentive Program for ROTC cadets promotes the study of languages and cultural studies that are important to the Army. Cadets will be given a financial incentive to study Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese, and must successfully complete the course and earn at least a B or better.

Cadets may earn CLIP payments in an amount totaling no more than $3,000 for a single academic year. The languages available to study at Ball State meet the Level-IV payment value of CLIP. They will receive a payment value of $250 per semester credit hour or $167 per quarter hour.

Languages commonly studied that are already prevalent in the Army, such as Spanish, German, and French, are not eligible for payment.

CLIP is only available to contracted Cadets in good standing. Classes taken prior to signing are not eligible for payment. Classes taken during the same term the Cadet contracted are eligible. Cadets may earn CLIP payments in an amount totaling no more than $3,000 for a single academic year.

The Burkhardt Scholarship was established by Dr. Richard Burkhardt and Mrs. Dorothy Burkhardt. Dr. Burkhardt served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Ball State University and was the Acting President in 1979. Dr. Burkhardt retired from Ball State University in 1985 after 33 years of distinguished service to the University and community. Dorothy Burkhardt taught French at Ball State University for 27 years. In 2002, the French Government acknowledged Dorothy Burkhardt’s dedication to cultural exchange by awarding her the Chevalier dans L’ordre des Palmes Academiques. 

The Burkhardt Foreign Language Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding major in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. The scholarship rotates each year among the languages offered in the department.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Student majoring in one of the languages offered in the department.
• Have an overall GPA of at least 3.5.
• Financial need is not a requirement.

The Nancy II Fund was established by Dr. Richard Burkhardt and Mrs. Dorothy Burkhardt. Dr. Burkhardt served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Ball State University and was the Acting President in 1979. Dr. Burkhardt retired from Ball State University in 1985 after 33 years of distinguished service to the University and community. Dorothy Burkhardt taught French at Ball State University for 27 years. In 2002, the French Government acknowledged Dorothy Burkhardt’s dedication to cultural exchange by awarding her the Chevalier dans L’ordre des Palmes Academiques.

The Dorothy J. and Richard W. Burkhardt Scholarship is awarded annually to a student majoring in French who will be studying abroad during the next academic year.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Major in French.
• Preference given to a student who will be receiving Ball State University course credit while participating in the exchange program at the Universite de Nancy II.
• Financial need is not a requirement.

How to Apply

Application forms are available from the department early in the fall and spring semesters or click here for a pdf version of the application.

Dr. Donald Gilman earned his Ph.D. in French and Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Gilman was a Professor of French at Ball State University for 42 years. He retired in June of 2016. Dr. Gilman’s wide-ranging academic interests include sixteenth-century French literature, Renaissance literature of France, Italy, and England, and the history of literary criticism from Plato to French structuralism to post-structuralism.

The Donald Gilman Scholarship in French Studies is for graduate assistants participating in the Nancy/BSU exchange program.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Outstanding student majoring in French who is enrolled in a one or two-semester program to study in France or a French-speaking country.

The Phyllis Howser Scholp Scholarship in Modern Languages was established by Dr. Phyllis Howser Scholp, a graduate of Ball State University. Dr. Scholp majored in German and French and minored in mathematics. A lifelong learner, she earned a Master of Divinity from the United Theological Seminary and a Master of Theological Studies from the University of Dayton. She recently completed her doctorate also from the University of Dayton.

The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships to Ball State University students in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics who are majoring or minoring in Japanese or Chinese and who are planning on studying abroad.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Junior or senior standing.
• Major or minor in Japanese or Chinese.
• Student must be enrolled or will be enrolled in a study abroad program in a country where that language is spoken as the primary language.
• Overall GPA of at least 3.0.

The Robert S. Sears Memorial Scholarship was created in November of 1978 by colleagues and friends of Robert S. Sears, Professor of German at Ball State University.

The Robert S. Sears Memorial Scholarship is for a student with outstanding achievement in German, with preference given to students majoring or minoring in German, in combination with another language. Applicants must have sophomore standing or higher.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

The Nicole King Scholarship was established by colleagues and friends of Dr. Adele King, Professor of French at Ball State University. The award is a memorial for Dr. King’s daughter, Nicole, who had a love and passion for travel.

The primary purpose of the Nicole King Scholarship is to support students during their study abroad experience.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Junior or senior standing.
• Major or minor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics.
• Departmental GPA of at least 3.5 and overall GPA of at least 3.3.

The Vicki Yoakum Burton Scholarship fund was created in 1993 by Larry D. Fouch and Mrs. Fouch’s sister, Vicki Yoakum Burton. Vicki was born on October 14, 1952, in Muncie, Indiana. She had a great love of music, theater, and people. She passed away from a sudden illness in October 1987.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Major in Spanish.
• Preference given to students demonstrating financial need.

The Nathan Trapuzzano Memorial Prize was established in 2014 by Dr. Chris Shea and other faculty in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics in memory of Nathan Trapuzzano. Nathan graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ball State University in 2011 with a degree in Latin, Greek, and Classical Studies.

This memorial prize is awarded annually to an outstanding student of Latin.

Award Amount

The award amount varies year by year and is dependent on the endowment account balance.

Criteria

• Student with a major or minor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics.
• Academically outstanding student who has completed 2nd year Latin.