History Scholarships and Awards

This scholarship shall be awarded annually by a committee appointed by the History Program.

The amount of the annual award varies. In awarding, the following criteria shall be applied. The scholarship shall be designated for a rising junior or senior with a 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA) who is majoring in History. Preference may be given to students who are residents of the State of Georgia, working toward a B.A. or B.S.Ed. in History, and who demonstrate financial need.

This memorial scholarship fund is in memory of Vachel Davis Whatley, Sr., a prominent educator in Carroll County, who believed that by a thorough study of history, nations could avoid making the same mistakes as their forebears and the quality of life for subsequent generations could be vastly improved.

The recipient must be a sophomore, who has declared a History major at the University of West Georgia, and who intends to pursue a four-year curriculum at the University of West Georgia, graduating with a B.A. Degree with a major in History. Those persons empowered to select a recipient, shall give equal consideration to qualified and eligible students from Polk and Carroll Counties for selections as recipient of the scholarship. If no student is selected from one of these two counties, an eligible and qualified student from Troup County may be selected. If no student is selected from the above counties, an eligible and qualified student who is a resident of any county in the State of Georgia, may be selected.

To qualify for the scholarship the recipient shall be selected in the manner, or process, established by the Foundation in making awards of merit and based on scholarship achievement while a student at the University of West Georgia. Financial need may be given due consideration.

This scholarship will annually provide $1,200 to a meritorious History major.

The Casimir Pulaski Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution Scholarship was established in order to promote and support the study of the history of the United States at UWG; to provide financial assistance to UWG students pursuing a degree in American History; and to honor the Casimir Pulaski Chapter SAR and its membership (past, present, and future) for their efforts in the perpetuation of the study of the history of our nation.  

To qualify for the award, the student must meet the following: 

• be an undergraduate or graduate students majoring in history;
• have an overall GPA of 3.5 or better;
• preference will be given to students whose research focus is American history;
• preference will be given to students who demonstrate financial need.

This award was established as a memorial to Thomas A. Herndon, a 1939 graduate.

The award is presented to a History major who has exhibited outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, civic leadership, and participation in the social and political sciences as exemplified by the late Thomas Herndon.

This award is established by Mrs. W. Steve Worthy and Dr. Peter T. Worthy.

The scholarship is awarded to a diligent student majoring in History despite adversity and financial difficulties. The scholarship is awarded every two years.

This award was established by Robert H. Claxton, Professor Emeritus of History.

This award is designated to an undergraduate history major with a 3.0 or better grade point who is seeking (or planning to seek) teacher certification and who has an interest in one or more of the world fields of study.

This scholarship has been established by Ms. Arden Williams, an alumnus of our programs (1998 and 2002), as a tribute to her son, Daniel “Danny” Adam Williams.

The scholarship is intended for a non-traditional public history student who needs assistance with the cost of returning to school.

Danny (7/27/83-7/20/16) passed away in a work-related accident off the coast of Georgia (near Tybee Island) in 2016. Danny had worked on tugboats for seven years at the time of his accident. As a child, his mother would often take him with her to classes at UWG. Those were some of his fondest memories and he mentioned shortly before his death that when he returned to school it would be to the University of West Georgia .

Arden worked for Delta Air Lines for 23 years. Towards the end of her airline career she decided to return to college for her undergrad degree as a non-traditional student. She completed her undergrad work in history in 1998 about the time she met Dr. Ann McCleary who was starting the Center for Public History. She decided to continue on at UWG in Dr. McCleary’s graduate program in public history. Completing the program in 2002, she changed careers and began work at the Georgia Humanities (Council).

The Kennedy Graduate Award of Excellence was established by W. Benjamin Kennedy, Professor Emeritus of History.

The award is for M.A. graduate students majoring in history who are taking classes at the University of West Georgia. The award is a cash prize of $250, and should be given to the recipient at the annual Honors Day/Phi Alpha Theta ceremony.

• To qualify for the award, the student must meet the following:
• Be a regularly admitted history student in the Masters of Arts program.
• Have completed at least nine (9) of the thirty-six semester hours required for the degree.
• Be nominated by a member of the graduate faculty in the history department.
• Have satisfied the cultural and global literacy requirement for the Masters of Arts in History.
• Show evidence of excellence in history graduate work through grades in courses, participation in internships, research and writing, or such criteria as the History Awards committee thinks fit.

Graduate students who have graduated in the summer or fall semester immediately prior to the awards ceremony are eligible for the award.

This award was established by Mr. David Champa, former student.  
The award is presented to a graduate student who has completed a thesis and been nominated by the History Program faculty.

The Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship shall be awarded by a committee consisting of faculty within the University of West Georgia Center for Public History. The Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship will provide funding for a graduate research assistantship covering the fall and spring semester of each academic year.

The recipient of the Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship will be required to work fifteen (15) hours per week each semester on a project that documents the musical heritage of Georgia. The University of West Georgia Center for Public History Faculty Committee will work in consultation with the director of the Georgia Music Foundation to develop goals for the scholarship project each semester, with the final decision for the project assigned to the student at the discretion of the Center for Public History Faculty Committee.

The successful applicant(s) can hold the Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship for up to two years provided he/she receives positive evaluations from the University of West Georgia Center for Public History Faculty.

History Club Paper Competition Guidelines

1. Papers submitted may concern any historical topic, but must substantially utilize historical methodology. The paper must be twelve to fifteen pages in length (not including title page, endnotes, or bibliography). It must be typed, double spaced, and include endnotes and a bibliography that conform to the Chicago Manual of Style or Kate Turabian's Guide to Writers.

2. The writer's name, address, and telephone number must be listed only on the title page.

3. Three copies of each paper must be submitted to the History Club advisor before February 1.

Judging will be the responsibility of a special committee of three history department members, one an Americanist, one a European specialist, and one "third world." Their selections will be based on how well the papers meet these criteria: coverage of a well-defined topic or thesis, writing style, originality, use of sources, overall quality.

• The winning undergraduate writer will receive The Hellen J. Jackson Undergraduate Paper Award, and a $100 prize.

• The winning graduate student writer will receive The Albert S. Hanser Graduate Paper Award, and a $100 prize.

Do you have a great research paper on Georgia history?

In 1978, Elizabeth L. Parker, long time Registrar and member of the University of West Georgia's Department of History, provided funds for an award for the best student research paper on Georgia history. Miss Parker's award was motivated by her loyalty to the University of West Georgia and her interest in the state's history. A Department of History committee determined that the award should be $100 and a certificate.

Any UWG student may submit a paper on a topic involving Georgia history. It should be between ten and thirty typed, double-spaced pages, and should utilize Turabian's Manual in respect to style.

The Theodore B. Fitz-Simons Award was established in 2001 in recognition of Mr. Fitz-Simons’s commitment to community outreach during his tenure teaching at the University of West Georgia.

He lectured extensively in the community about topics related to Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era and participated in the Georgia Political Heritage Project and local history programs.

This award is presented annually to recognize a graduate or undergraduate history student who demonstrates excellence in the field of public history through scholarship and service activities. Undergraduate students should be a junior or senior majoring in history. All recipients must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

The recipient will receive an award of $50, and their name will be engraved on a plaque to be housed in the History Program.

The Abraham Baldwin Chapter of the NSDAR American History Award shall be made annually by a committee established by the Department of History. The minimum amount of the award shall be $125.00.

The award shall be designated for a UWG non-traditional female pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History with a concentration in American History. The recipient must be a rising senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

If you apply for more than one award, please prepare separate and specific letters for each application.