Dr. Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center Scholarships and External Funding Opportunities

Awards/Grants/Scholarships

 

The Ronald Walters Scholarship Fund

The Ronald W. Walters Scholarship was announced by Mrs. Patricia Turner Walters in 2010 after the death of her husband, Dr. Ronald W. Walters. An endowed scholarship was established with contributions received from the public and from Mrs. Walters.  In 2012, Mrs. Walter donated money to award a scholarship while the endowed fund grew. The first scholarship of $5,000 was awarded in October 2013.  Since that time, six (6) scholarships have been awarded.

The Scholarship is awarded to a Howard University junior or senior majoring in Political Science with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. The scholarship funds can be used for tuition, room and board, and books.   However,  the entire award cannot be used exclusively for books.  The scholarship is based in part on the need of the student for financial assistance.  Each finalist for the scholarship has to write an essay on a topic related to the work or life of Dr. Ronald W. Walters. For more information on the scholarship, please contact the Ronald W. Walters Center.

If you would like to contribute to the scholarship fund, please use this link to take you to the Howard University giving page: https://giving.howard.edu/givenow. Select “Other” from the drop-down designation list and enter  “The Ronald Walters Scholarship Fund”.

 

The Edgar J. Kemler Lecture Series

In March 2019, the Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center launched the Inaugural Edgar Kemler Lecture. The annual lecture brings a speaker who is a prominent person to Howard's campus to speak on a topic related to Public Policy, Politics, Government, or Political Science. The 2019 speaker was U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes, the first African-American woman and African-American Democrat to represent Connecticut in Congress. Before serving in Congress, she was a schoolteacher who won the 2016 National Teacher of the Year award.

The lecture is made possible by a gift from Jamie and Paula Kemler in honor of Jamie’s father, Edgar Kemler. Edgar Kemler was an Instructor of Government at Howard University from 1957 until he died in 1960. Before joining the faculty at Howard, Mr. Kemler had taught Political Science at Harvard University, where he earned a master’s degree in Public Administration in 1941. Mr. Kemler, an author, who wrote a biography of H.L. Mencken entitled The Irreverent Mr. Mencken and The Deflation of American Ideals, was a Washington correspondent for The Nation magazine from 1954 to 1956.

Because the pandemic forced the university to switch to a virtual operation, the lecture planned with Newark Mayor Raz Baraka had to be canceled. Instead of a lecture, the Kemler funds were used to sponsor an intern for the 2020-2021 academic year. The intern, a graduating senior, participated in research on issues related to voting elections and labor priorities in the U.S. Congress. She also participated in a virtual student panel at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

 

The Winslow Sargeant Doctoral Award

Description

The Winslow Sargeant Doctoral Award in the Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center supports new and continuing doctoral students preparing to undertake future research endeavors. The awardee of the Winslow Sargeant Award will spend time at the Walters Center supporting research projects. Awardees must be writing a dissertation on a topic in line with the mission and objectives of the Walters Center or have research skills that can advance the research projects of the Walters Center.

Eligibility Criteria

Howard University student enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the following disciplines:

• African Studies
• Economics
• History
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology and Criminology

Applicants who are not at the dissertation stage must demonstrate both an interest in and availability to support the work of the Walters Center.

Award

A one-time stipend of $10,000.

Application

To apply, each student must submit the following items to WaltersCenter@howard.edu

• Curriculum vitae of no more than 3 pages
• A letter of application that explains how you see yourself advancing the legacy of Dr. Walters
• (If the student is writing a dissertation) A 1-2-page description of your research
• (If the student is not at the dissertation writing stage) A 1-2-page description of how you can contribute to the work of the Walters Center during the academic year.
• A current transcript
• One letter of reference from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at midnight. If you have questions, send them to WaltersCenter@howard.edu, Subject: Winslow Sargeant Doctoral Award.