To honor Philosophy majors, to support completion of their B.A. degrees in Philosophy at UNO, and to recruit new majors, the Philosophy B.A. program 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. Another supports Philosophy-related travel. All of these scholarships and awards are made possible through the Donald K. Hanks Endowed 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 $2.1 million dollars. Annual interest on that endowment generates the funds that make the following scholarships and awards possible:
Name |
Requirements |
Amount1 |
|---|---|---|
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awarded to ANY student who graduates with a B.A. degree in Philosophy from UNO; application is required |
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| Donald K. Hanks2 Scholarship |
awarded annually in the spring to a Philosophy major or majors to honor outstanding work in Philosophy and to support the final (i.e., senior) year of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy from UNO; automatically awarded to ANY student with a GPA of 3.9 and above; students with a lower GPA may be considered on a case by case basis after an evaluation of their major GPA and coursework; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; application is required (NOTE: If you change your major or withdraw, then this scholarship will be rescinded and you will have to return all funding, which could result in an outstanding balance owed to the University.) | $1,000 |
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Scholarship Scholarship |
awarded annually in the spring to a Philosophy major or majors to honor outstanding work in Philosophy and to support the second to last (i.e., junior) year of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy from UNO; automatically awarded to ANY student with a GPA of 3.9 and above; students with a lower GPA may be considered on a case by case basis after an evaluation of their major GPA and coursework; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; application is required (NOTE: If you change your major or withdraw, then this scholarship will be rescinded and you will have to return all funding, which could result in an outstanding balance owed to the University.) |
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Scholarship |
awarded to ANY post-baccalaureate Philosophy major to support completion of their final semester of study leading to a B.A. in Philosophy; application is required (NOTE: If you change your major or withdraw, then this scholarship will be rescinded and you will have to return all funding, which could result in an outstanding balance owed to the University.) |
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Scholarship |
awarded to ANY incoming, first-time freshman who declares Philosophy as his or her major and who: (1) has an ACT score of at least 23 or an SAT score of at least 1060, (2) has a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.5, and (3) has a full-time status enrolled in courses consistent with the four-year plan in Philosophy; the award amount will be split between the fall and spring semesters; no application is required |
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awarded annually in the spring to the outstanding Philosophy graduate or graduates of that fiscal year, based on overall GPA and Philosophy course work; no application is required |
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funding is available to ANY Philosophy major to support academic related travel (e.g., to participate in an academic conference); may be used to cover registration fees, transportation costs, lodging expenses, and meal expenses at the UNO designated per diem rate; application required and not all travel grant requests will be approved (NOTE: The intent of this award is to support Philosophy majors through degree completion at UNO. If you change your major or withdraw, then this award will be rescinded and you will have to return all funding, which could result in an outstanding balance owed to the University.) |
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- The program is committed to offering these amounts until Summer 2019. Adjustments to the award amounts may be required later if there is a significant increase in majors or a significant decrease in annual interest on the fund.
- 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 were Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Psychology, and Logic.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
When to apply
The application deadline for the Hanks, Johnson, and Morillo Scholarships is
1 March.
The application deadline for the Nelkin Scholarship will be just prior to the student's final semester:
15 May for summer,
1 August for fall, and
1 January for spring.
The application deadline for the Muckley Award will be after completion of at least 12 or 21 credit hours of PHIL courses AND just prior to the next semester the student will enroll at UNO:
15 May for summer,
1 August for fall, and
1 January for spring.