Scholarships & Awards

To honor Philosophy majors, to support completion of their degrees, and to recruit new majors, the Department of Philosophy bestows several types of undergraduate scholarships and awards. Some are given to graduating seniors. Most of the scholarships and awards honor and support students for either their senior or junior year of study. The signing bonus is a blatant attempt to recruit new majors. All of these scholarships and awards are made possible through the Donald K. Hanks Endowed Scholarship Fund in Philosophy, which exists because of a very generous bequest made by Mr. Carl E. Muckley (see photo). Mr. Muckley graduated from UNO twice -- first in 1975 with a B.A. in Philosophy, then again in 1983 with an M.A. in History with a thesis written under the supervision of Stephen Ambrose. Although Mr. Muckley became a successful businessman, his love for learning compelled him to continue his education by auditing courses at UNO, including more PHIL classes. He did this until his untimely passing in 2004, the victim of an automobile accident. Those who knew Mr. Muckley remember him for his wit and generosity. To this department, he was extraordinarily generous. His departing gift created an endowment of nearly $2 million dollars. Annual interest on that endowment generates the funds that make the following scholarships and awards possible:

Name	Requirements	Amount1	# of awards
Donald K. Hanks2 Scholarship3	awarded annually in the spring to a Philosophy major of junior or senior standing with a GPA of at least 3.0 to honor outstanding work in Philosophy and to support his or her final year of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; satisfactory student progress is required	$5,000	1
Edward R. Johnson4 Scholarship	awarded annually in the spring to a Philosophy major of sophomore or junior standing with a GPA of at least 2.5 to honor outstanding work in Philosophy and to support his or her next-to-last year of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; satisfactory student progress is required	$2,500	1
Carolyn Morillo5 Scholarship	awarded annually in the spring to a Philosophy major of sophomore or junior standing with a GPA of at least 2.5 to honor outstanding work in Philosophy and to support his or her next-to-last year of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; satisfactory student progress is required	$2,500	1
Norton Nelkin6 Scholarship	awarded to a post-baccalaureate Philosophy major to support completion of their final semester of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy	$2,000	no limit
Carl E. Muckley Award	awarded to EACH Philosophy major upon graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy	$2,000	no limit
Philosophy Faculty Award7	awarded annually in the spring to the outstanding Philosophy graduate of that fiscal year	$1,000	1
Signing Bonus8	awarded once to ANY student who completes at least 15 credits of PHIL courses and becomes a new Philosophy major at UNO	$500	no limit

1. The department is committed to offering these amounts until Summer 2014. Adjustments to the award amounts may be required if there is a significant increase in majors or a significant decrease in annual interest on the fund. 
2. Donald K. Hanks, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, taught at UNO from 1967-2006. He earned his Ph.D. from Tulane University. His main research interests are Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Psychology, and Logic. He now resides in Carson City, Nevada, where he continues to teach.
3. Normally, only 1 student will receive this scholarship each year. But when appropriate, this scholarship may be split between 2 students.
4. Edward R. Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, taught at UNO from 1976-2011. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University. His main research interests are in applied ethics and ancient western and eastern thought. He held many administrative positions during his many years at UNO, including the third Chair of the department, from 1982-2011. He continues to teach courses at UNO as an Adjunct Professor.
5. Carolyn R. Morillo, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, taught at UNO from 1960-1961, then from 1965-1993. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Her early work focused on issues in ethics, and she was active in environmental causes. Her later work was concerned with Philosophy of mind, and especially with neurobiologically informed theories of motivation. She served as the first Chair of the department from 1968-1979. She currently resides in Port Angeles, Washington, near Olympic National Park.
6. Norton Nelkin was a Professor of Philosophy who taught at UNO from 1969-1995. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. His main research interests were in Philosophy of mind, focusing on the theory of perception and the nature of consciousness. He served as the second Chair of the department from 1979-1982.
7. Normally, only 1 student will receive this award each year. But when appropriate, this award may be split between 2 students.
8. This award is intended to entice Philosophy minors to become double majors. However, this award applies to EVERY Philosophy major. An incoming freshman Philosophy major becomes a "new Philosophy major" at UNO their first semester, as does any transfer student who was a Philosophy major at another institution first. This award is NOT intended for any Philosophy major who plans to transfer away from UNO to complete their degree elsewhere.