JMC's academic scholarships for current students open annually in the spring. Applications have now closed for 2025. Please contact Kristie Hess (hessk1@msu.edu) with questions.
Established in 2002, the Ron Dorr Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Writing is awarded annually in recognition of the best academic essay, autobiographical narrative, or piece of creative writing submitted by a James Madison College student. The award is named in honor of Professor Ron Dorr, whose vision, dedication, and passion for teaching have immeasurably enriched the College.
Professor Dorr's founding vision of a first-year writing program focused on the human dimensions of public affairs has ensured that, from their first semester on campus, James Madison students are encouraged to “take serious books seriously,” gaining an appreciation for the richness and complexity of the human experience by engaging with significant texts from the humanities.
Dorr's dedication to fostering his students' analytical abilities has contributed to the College's reputation for graduating students skilled at conveying complex ideas clearly, in writing and in speech. His own passion for ideas and model of self-reflection have helped his students develop the habits of mind essential to a liberal education. His sponsorship of the Madison “Madhouses” has enabled countless students to share their literary and musical talents, enhancing the sense of community that is vital to a residential college.
Dorr's commitment to educating the whole student -- in the classroom, during his office hours, and at evening Madhouses -- embodies the College's primary mission of excellence in undergraduate teaching. The Dorr Award acknowledges the central place of writing in the Madison curriculum, and honors Ron Dorr's outstanding contributions to the Madison community.
James Madison College is pleased to announce The Blaney Scholarship for Technology and International Affairs. This scholarship is open to students interested in Technology and International Affairs. Recipients must be enrolled in James Madison College and pursuing a degree in the college. Preference shall be given to students pursuing interests in technology and international affairs. Applicants can be selected based on financial need as determined by the Federal Government according to its policies and practices. The scholarship can be renewed for up to an additional three-years. Recipients will be selected during the Spring semester, with awards to be effective the following Fall semester. This spring there will be one renewable award for up to three years in the amount of $1,500 per year.
The Kussy Endowment offers up to three scholarships of at least $1,000 each per year for projects related to study of the Holocaust or genocide.
Students (undergraduate, graduate, or postdocs) or faculty in James Madison College or in other colleges at Michigan State University who are engaged in serious academic work related to the study of the Holocaust or its legacy or on matters of the history of genocide, contemporary genocide, and genocide prevention are invited to apply.
Projects may include coursework, thesis, independent study, relevant study abroad, independent research, travel to collections, or creative academic projects.
Applications will be judged on merit, student academic performance, faculty performance, contribution to knowledge, and/or contribution to society.
Applicants may apply no more than three times in a five-year period.
After the scholarship, undergraduate awardees working on the Holocaust will be asked to present their work at the Jewish Studies Undergraduate Research Conference in April, faculty and graduate students will be asked to give a public lecture, and all awardees will submit copies of completed projects to be kept on file at James Madison College.
Selection
A committee of three faculty members will review applications and, under the dean’s leadership, select Kussy Award recipients. Awards are usually effective the following academic year, either for summer or academic year study but may be used in the current spring. Awards may be used for tuition, to support travel or study abroad, or for research or material costs related to the project.
The Herbert Garfinkel Award for Community Service is presented annually to the graduating senior whose record best exemplifies the integration of voluntary community service into their program of study in public affairs. Named after the founding Dean of James Madison College, this award reflects his and the College's commitment to public and community service in its many forms as an integral part of Madison's mission and program of study.
All graduating seniors, from fall, spring and summer semesters of a given academic year, are eligible for the Garfinkel Award. To be considered for this award, students must have a strong and abiding commitment to community service, demonstrated by volunteer and other community activities. They must also have shown a strong academic competence and good character throughout their time at Madison. The best candidates will have successfully blended their academic, personal and service lives into an integrated whole.
Students must be nominated to be considered. Any member of the Madison community -- student, faculty, staff or alumni -- may make nominations for the Garfinkel award. Nominations should take the form of a letter, presenting the case for the nominee in a clear, detailed and verifiable manner. No self-nominations will be accepted.
The Gerber Scholarship is awarded each year to rising senior JMC students.
You must be enrolled for the full academic year following the award notification. The one-year award for $3,500 is specifically for students entering their final academic year and who need financial assistance.
Eligible students should demonstrate academic excellence, engagement in a range of activities, and possess a commitment to public service, with a goal of joining one of the foreign affairs agencies of the United States, an international service agency, the military service of the United States or a career in international law or international trade.
Dr. John Habib held a joint appointment with the College of Social Science and James Madison College at MSU as a Diplomat in Residence for 2005-06. He has a long record of diplomatic service for the U.S. in the Middle East and has taught extensively since retiring. Dr. Habib established this scholarship in 2006 to encourage students to advance their knowledge of other cultures and support the Muslim Studies Program at MSU.
The Habib Scholarship may be awarded to any MSU student enrolled in the Muslim Studies minor as of January of the year they are applying. The $2,500 scholarship is applied to a student’s account for the fall semester of the following academic year.
Steven J. Kautz Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to qualified applicants enrolled in James Madison College or majoring in Political Science.
Steven J. Kautz was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan but raised in the suburbs of Milwaukee. There, Steve developed diverse but lifelong passions for reading, studying, and practicing democratic politics, baseball, and the Green Bay Packers. He entered James Madison College in 1977, deepening his understanding of themes that would become his life work: The workings of the democratic regimes of the United States and the United Kingdom, great democratic politicians such as Lincoln and Churchill, and the art and science of everyday democratic politics, including elections, the workings of representative bodies and the courts and executive power. He was an outstanding student, winning a prestigious Truman Scholarship, graduating with high honors, and going on to the University of Chicago, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1989 from the Committee on Social Thought.
He was a productive scholar, best known for his book “Liberalism and Community,” where he examines the issue of how, in a system predicated on self-interest and individual rights, the encouragement of equality, community and political virtues that aim at social goods still flourishes. He also published many articles on American political theory and Abraham Lincoln. He was working on a book about Abraham Lincoln at the time of his death. He also took his passion for undergraduate education into academic administration, serving as the Associate Dean of the Honors College (2005-2007) and the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Social Science (2014-2018).
Recipients shall be selected based on outstanding academic work, a preference for a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and personal experiences that share Steve's lifelong devotion to the study and practice of American, British and comparative politics.
Interested applicants must provide a letter of interest relating to Professor Kautz’s lifelong passion for a better understanding of democratic politics in the U.S. and the UK and democratic leadership. The letter should also detail your long-term aspirations as they connect to the goals of this scholarship, a current resume and one faculty recommendation.
Awards are given during the fall semester of the following year.
Derek J. Sarafa was a proud alumnus of James Madison College and excelled because of his interest in the curriculum, particularly the Federalist Papers, the atmosphere of the residential college environment, and the stewardship and personal attention his professors provided. He earned a B.A. in Political Economy with high honors in 1994 and received many honors and awards, including the MSU Outstanding Senior Award and the 2016 James Madison College Distinguished Alumni Award posthumously. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1997.
Upon graduating law school, Derek served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Gerald Rosen at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He then joined the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he practiced, becoming a partner in 2006.
The Derek J. Sarafa Scholarship is a one-year award of $3,000 and is a non-renewable scholarship available for the following fall semester to third-year JMC students. Applicants must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and in need of financial aid.
The Blaine W. Strimple Endowed Scholarship honors Blaine Strimple, who earned his degree from Michigan State in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in French.
While attending college, Strimple was also in the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC). Mr. Strimple traveled the world for the next 20 years as an officer in the United States Air Force. He was an academic instructor for the USAF Officer Training School at the Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. In addition to speaking and teaching English, French and German, he taught Spanish and Russian.
After retiring from the military, Strimple traveled and taught extensively. During his travels, he discovered how uninformed Americans were about other people and places. He established this scholarship to promote cultural tolerance and encourage understanding through the study of language, international relations and travel.
The Blaine W. Strimple Endowed Scholarship is awarded annually to a JMC student studying international relations with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. This one-year award of $3,500 will be applied to the recipient's account for the following academic year.
The purpose of the scholarship is to assist a student who has shown, through academic excellence and diverse outside activities, that they are committed to changing impressions and prejudices by focusing people on their common hopes and desires.
The Michael and Audrey Rubner Scholarship is awarded to JMC students who have been invited to apply and meet the following criteria:
Anticipated graduation date is December, May or August following the semester of application.
The Rubner Scholarship is a one-year scholarship for $2,000.
Specifically, the scholarship honors Michael Rubner, one of several founding faculty members in James Madison College, and his wife Audrey, an important member of the extended family of James Madison College. Priority for the scholarship will be given to students in International Relations or similar fields of study, with clear interest in the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy-making, or in international security.
Application information pertaining to this scholarship is sent out in the spring of each year.
About the Scholarship
Recognize your outstanding roommate for their contributions to your college experience, your floor and the living-learning environment in Case Hall. This $3000 scholarship has been established by friends of JMC alumnus Doug Toma (Socio-Economics '86) to recognize and support those students who best exemplify the "residential college" elements of the Madison experience.
Scholarship recipients must be enrolled in James Madison College and have lived in Case Hall for the last two semesters to receive this award. Recipients are required to live in Case Hall during the subsequent academic year while the scholarship award is paid. The scholarship will recognize students who are outstanding roommates, active participants in the residential college community of James Madison College and students who add value to the living and learning experience in the residence hall.
Sylvia Tramm was a lifelong advocate, activist and volunteer in support of public education and the opportunity it promises for all. Created by Peter Tramm, Sylvia's husband, and Professor Constance Hunt Tramm, Sylvia's daughter, the Tramm Scholarship honors the memory of Sylvia Tramm. Constance C. Tramm Hunt's name was added to the scholarship in the fall of 2023 during her final semester teaching prior to her retirement.
The Sylvia E. Tramm and Constance C. Tramm Hunt Scholarship Fund in James Madison College is awarded to outstanding sophomore students based on financial need and merit. Top first-year students who are not already receiving scholarships are invited by James Madison College's Academic and Student Affairs Office to apply for this scholarship.
The Tramm Hunt Scholarship is a non-renewable award of $2,000 for each recipient.