The Drake University Honors program's scholarship, fellowship, and research awards are designed to support the program's mission, vision, and core values. These awards are offered to encourage and sustain the development, growth, and learning goals of the program. Student awards focus on experiential learning, skill development, and academic, personal, and professional development. Faculty awards focus primarily on course, student, and research development that results in concrete benefits and comprehensive value to the Drake University Honors community. All applications and proposals are reviewed by the Drake University Honors Advisory Board. The deadline for all of the following awards is the 8th week of semester prior to the award semester. 

Honors Student/Faculty Development Fellowship 

This fellowship is designed to develop the personal, academic, and professional skills of Honors students through faculty mentorship and collaboration. The annual award will go to a student/faculty member pairing that benefits the Drake University Honors community. Partnership proposal outcomes may be academic, social, and/or professional, and for AY25/26 and AY26/27, should focus on developing courses to fulfill the Honors ‘Paths to Knowledge’ requirement.

The student and the faculty member will share the award, which may be granted in conjunction with a three-credit Independent Study course designed for this purpose (HONR 196: Honors Development Fellowship).

Types of awards: Course Development, Research Development, or Professional Development awards of $2000 (split between the student and faculty member). One award each academic year to be awarded either Fall or Spring semesters. 

Examples of appropriate projects: Honors-only or Paths to Knowledge course development and teaching (with student as a co-developer and course assistant); a research project focused on developing Honors student research skills and faculty knowledge creation, publication, and/or conference presentation (involving both the student and the faculty member); a service-learning project. Please ask Director of Honors, Dr. Matthew Hayden, about other ideas.

Final course materials, research paper/progress report, or other demonstrations/examples of the work completed to be submitted within one month of the end of the award semester.

Faculty eligibility: Must be FT faculty, willing and able to teach a Paths to Knowledge course within teaching load sometime within 4 semesters from the conclusion of the semester of the award. Experience teaching in the Honors program and/or advising Honors Senior Theses preferred. Faculty will need Dept. Chair or home program Director approval. (New faculty: please see John August Faculty Development Award).

Student eligibility: Must be second-semester sophomore or higher during the semester of the award.

For award year AY2025-2026 we are accepting proposals for Course Development awards from faculty members and students who wish to create a Paths to Knowledge course. Awardees will teach a Paths course in either semester of AY26/27 or 27/28

Honors Faculty Paths to Knowledge Development Grant

This fellowship is designed to increase the variety and frequency of Paths to Knowledge course offerings, providing Honors students more opportunities to fulfill Honors Track requirements, by supporting Paths course development by faculty.

Faculty eligibility: FT faculty, willing and able to teach a Paths course within teaching load within 4 semesters of the conclusion of the semester of the award. Experience teaching in the Honors program and/or advising Honors Senior Theses preferred, but not required. (Junior faculty: see John August Faculty Development Award).

Award: Faculty development grant of up to $500 for materials related to Paths to Knowledge course development. One award each academic year to be awarded either Fall or Spring semesters. 

Examples of appropriate projects: Honors-only or Paths to Knowledge course development; costs of research or professional development required to develop an Honors-only or Paths to Knowledge course; costs of student TA for Honors-only or Paths to Knowledge course;  costs associated with implementing a service-learning project for an Honors-only or Paths to Knowledge course. Please ask Director of Honors, Dr. Matthew Hayden, about other ideas.

John August Junior Honors Faculty Grant

The grant is designed to encourage early-career faculty to participate in the Honors program by providing support to aid the development and implementation of an Honors course that will be taught by the awardee. 

Award: $500–$1000

Faculty eligibility: FT Assistant Professors and FT Associate Professors who have not taught an Honors course before and have been at Drake for less than 8 years. Awardees agree to teach the developed course for load sometime within 4 semesters of the conclusion of the semester of the award (requires authorization and confirmation of Dept. or Program Chair). Desire to also advise Honors Senior Thesis students preferred.

Please refer to the details, requirements, and core components of Honors and Paths to Knowledge courses before applying. 

Application