Guidelines for Student Honoraria and Fleharty Fellowship

Student Honoraria

Application Form (MS Word file)

The Department of Biological Sciences encourages graduate and undergraduate students to attend and participate in professional meetings. To assist students with the costs associated with attending these meetings, the Department offers two forms of financial support.

One form of assistance covers transportation expenses associated with travel by van or car. The Department uses funds from its regular operating budget to pay mileage costs charged for vehicles supplied by the University Motor Pool. Faculty typically make these arrangements for travel to professional meetings, so it usually is not necessary for students to submit requests for this benefit. Use of a university vehicle must comply with all current university policies. You should not expect reimbursement for use of a personal vehicle when the Department provides transportation.

The second form of financial assistance is directed at students who participate in a professional meeting (typically students who give a presentation). Biology students may submit a request for reimbursement of expenses for lodging, meals, and registration fees. The money used for this purpose comes from donations to the Department that are deposited in an account with the Endowment Association. These funds also are used to pay for departmental scholarships. Requests for this money must be documented with receipts, so advance payments are not possible. However, students are encouraged to submit their application for preliminary approval prior to their departure. Students, not faculty, are responsible for submitting the Department's application form and all receipts. The application form is an MS Word document; please complete the form on the computer and submit a printed copy for consideration (final dollar amounts for receipts may be written on the original form after you return from the trip). Biology students who meet the following guidelines are more likely to receive reimbursement.

• You should be delivering either an oral presentation or a poster in which you use the FHSU Department of Biological Sciences as your address, or you should be an officer or committee member in the society or organization sponsoring the meeting.
• You should be a member of the society or organization sponsoring the meeting (if there is a society or organization).
• You should have participated in the University Telethon held each fall semester (during which we solicit the funds that support this benefit).
• You should be representing Fort Hays State University and the Department of Biological Sciences as a current or recently graduated student.

Along with the application form, students also must submit a copy of their vitae and the abstract for their presentation, if they are giving one. The Department's Endowment Oversight Committee will consider the request and award full or partial reimbursement as funds and circumstances allow. The committee may seek additional information or clarification for receipts submitted for reimbursement. The funds for this benefit are limited, so please be reasonably frugal with your lodging and dining choices. This will help us to provide this benefit to as many students as possible throughout the academic year. If you have any questions about this benefit, please contact the Department Chair.

Fleharty Fellowship

In a continuing effort to support graduate student education and research at Fort Hays State University, retired Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Eugene Fleharty, along with his brother, Mr. Lyle Fleharty of Hastings, Nebraska, have donated substantial funds to the Endowment Association. Additional moneys have come from efforts by Dr. Fleharty and current faculty to solicit donations from graduate alumni; he has also been generous enough to match donations from the annual Endowment Association phone-a-thon. Interest earned for this fund is used to provide annual support for a graduate research assistantship; FHSU provides an in-state tuition waiver, resulting in a standard financial compensation package.

A committee chaired by the current chair of the Department of Biological Sciences and consisting of 3 other members of the biology faculty appointed by the department chair will assess applicants for this honor on an annual basis. Dr. Fleharty will serve as an ex-officio member of this committee as a representative of the Endowment Association and will have voting privileges. An annual review of potential applicants will commence in spring and be completed and announced by 1 April for the following academic year. Applicants must be eligible for this award during both the fall and spring semesters of a single academic year (the Fellowship is not available during the summer session). As with other support administered by the FHSU Graduate School, graduate students are limited to 4 semesters of eligibility, which includes any combination of graduate teaching assistantship, certain graduate research assistantships, and the Fleharty Fellowship. Students can receive the Fellowship more than once.

To apply for the Fleharty Fellowship, applicants must provide the following information by 12 February (Charles Darwin's birthday) to: Fleharty Fellowship Committee, Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601.

• Completed and submitted FHSU Graduate School and Departmental applications for admission into the Graduate School AND for an assistantship (which includes the Fleharty Fellowship).
• Two letters of recommendation specific to this Fellowship; at least 1 must be from a member of the FHSU biology faculty.
• Copies of undergraduate and graduate (if appropriate) transcripts.
• A statement specific to this honorarium describing the applicant's “plan of action”. For example:
  • What will you accomplish with this opportunity?
  • What will this honor offer you that a standard graduate teaching assistantship will not provide?
  • Include information in the statement on past experiences that demonstrate to the committee your potential to succeed as a Fleharty Fellow. If appropriate, include a section on your current research project, including results and any preliminary interpretation.
  • The statement should not exceed 4 double-spaced pages in 10-point font, with margins of 1" on top and bottom and 1.25" on each side.

The committee may contact an applicant to clarify information in the application package and may request interviews with potential finalists. Fleharty Fellows will provide a public oral presentation during the fall semester following completion of their appointment. This presentation should cover work done during the time the student was supported by the Fleharty Fellowship and must be distinct from the oral presentation given during their thesis defense. As with other graduate assistantships, recipients must meet and maintain academic expectations at the beginning of, and throughout the time they hold, the Fleharty Fellowship.