Virginia Sugg Furrow Dissertation Fellowship

Dr. Virginia Sugg Furrow 

The Virginia Sugg Furrow Endowment for Ph.D. Candidates was established in 1990 by Dr. Virginia Sugg Furrow of Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Virginia Sugg Furrow received the B.S. degree from Baylor University in 1938 and the M.D. degree from the Baylor College of Medicine in 1942. She was a charter member of the Old Main Society, a Golden Bear Circle Benefactor of the Endowed Scholarship Society, a member of the Medallion Fellowship (receiving the Huckins and Pat Neff medallions in 1992), a member of Heritage Club, and a life member of the Baylor Alumni Association.

The Virginia Sugg Furrow Endowment

The Virginia Sugg Furrow Endowment for Ph.D. candidates supports advanced doctoral students at Baylor University through competitive dissertation fellowships awarded annually by the Graduate School. Ph.D. students will be selected to receive this fellowship in recognition of exceptional academic promise, progress toward dissertation completion, and alignment with the donor’s original vision for supporting Christian scholars.

Fellowship Purpose

The fellowship provides 12-month stipends to doctoral students nearing completion of their dissertation, to allow the student 12 months to focus on dissertation completion without a standard TA or GA position.

Eligibility

1. Must have completed coursework and advanced to doctoral candidacy
   1. Passed preliminary exam or dissertation proposal
2. Must be on track to complete the PhD program in 3, 4, or 5 active years, as defined by program requirements.
3. Must be in-residence during year unless visiting an archive, conducting field work, etc.

Selection Criteria

A. Consistent with the terms of the endowment, applications will be solicited from doctoral candidates who meet the following criteria, in the following priority order:

1. Christians who graduated from a university or college affiliated with the BGCT
2. Christians who graduated from any Baptist university or college
3. Christians
4. Other deserving students

B. Academic and Scholarly Excellence

C. Progress on dissertation

1. Must be on track to complete PhD within 12 months of starting fellowship (no extensions or renewals available)

D. Support from dissertation chair or Graduate Program Director

Application Process

The Graduate School will invite students in the priority groups to apply. Applications submitted without an invitation will be reviewed only if no students from priority categories 1 or 2 choose to apply.

The application should be a single PDF that includes:

1. Curriculum vitae
   1. Including peer-reviewed publications and presentations as your field defines these, other funding for dissertation research, and other research awards from Department, College/School, or Graduate School
2. Summary of dissertation project and its potential significance and impact for the field and for society (500 words maximum)
3. A statement describing how this fellowship will advance your degree to completion/graduation
4. Your work plan for completing the dissertation (e.g., timetable for completing each uncompleted chapter, proposed month for defense)

Your application must also be supported by your dissertation chair or Graduate Program Director.  When you fill out the online application, you will provide their email address.  

To submit your application, fill out this online form.  You will receive an email with a file request to upload your application PDF.  Your recommender will also receive an email with a file request to upload their letter of support.

Letter of Support

The letter of support from the dissertation chair or GPD should address the following (2 pages maximum):

1. Confirmation that the student is free from teaching or other paid research obligations in the fellowship year, such that working on the dissertation is their only paid position
2. The significance/impact of the dissertation
3. Student’s academic preparation, research contributions, professional maturity, and overall career readiness

Questions 

Please contact the Graduate School at Grad_Awards@baylor.edu for more information.