Gaudino Grants for Independent Projects Conducted During Study Abroad

The Gaudino Scholar is announcing a new grant available to students studying abroad for a semester or more. Students who plan to undertake an independent project while studying abroad can apply for a Gaudino Grant that will pay for their project and allow them to bring the results of their project back to the Williams campus when they return. Gaudino Grants are intended to encourage students to develop intellectually rich independent projects that allow them to explore the language, history, and culture of different regions of the world, to carry on the Gaudino legacy of uncomfortable, experiential, self-reflexive learning, and to share their findings and experiences with the Williams community.

Financial Support:

Gaudino Grants defray up to $1,000 of an individual project budget.

Selection Criteria:

Applicants must already be accepted in a study abroad program approved by the Dean’s Office outside of the United States. Projects should involve experiential learning that is both critical and self-reflective. In addition, they should be academically rigorous and focused on intellectual and social problems that the student has studied in previous course work or addressed in previous extracurricular activities. Selection will favor projects that immerse students in unfamiliar environments and that make the student a participant in the project rather than merely an observer.

Written applications should be no more than six double-spaced pages long and include:

  1. Your name, major, campus address or study abroad address, and email address.
  2. A project title that includes the country or countries where you plan to conduct your project.
  3. A detailed description of your independent project that includes its academic, experiential, and reflective components. You should describe the problem you hope to address, the ways in which you plan to learn about and engage with this problem, what you might hope to find, and the end product of your project.
  4. A statement of your motivation and aims in undertaking this project.
  5. A description of your qualifications to undertake this project, including a profile of the academic work or extracurricular activities you’ve done that prepare you for the project.
  6. A description of any problems or difficulties you anticipate you might experience while conducting your project.
  7. A description of the ways in which you plan to bring your project back to the Williams campus when you return from study away. You should list professors, organizations, or people you’ve already contacted to discuss incorporating your project into their plans, as well as any other ways in which it would be appropriate to share your project with the campus when you return.
  8. A budget for your project that itemizes all anticipated expenses as accurately as possible. The total amount requested should be noted, as well as the minimum amount required for the project to be undertaken at all. You must also specify any other sources of funding for which you have applied or intend to apply to support your project.
  9. A short bibliography of resources you have consulted or plan to consult for your project.
  10. The name of a faculty or staff member at the College who will write a letter supporting your application. Your recommender should be able to attest to your ability to undertake your project, as well as to its potential impact on you and others. Recommendations should be sent directly by the application deadline of November 1, 2006 to Professor Cassiday at Julie.A.Cassiday@williams.edu or via campus mail to Weston Hall.

Application Deadline:

All applications and recommendations must be received no later than November 1, 2006. Applications should be sent to Professor Cassiday at Julie.A.Cassiday@williams.edu or via campus mail to Weston Hall. Applicants will be notified about selection decisions by December 1, 2006.

Expectations of Selected Students:

Students who receive a Gaudino Grant are expected to present the findings of their independent projects to the campus community when they return from study abroad with the help of the Gaudino Scholar.

For More Information:

Contact Professor Cassiday at Julie.A.Cassiday@williams.edu or x2046.