Undergraduate Awards & Scholarships

Priscilla Tate Award

The Priscilla Tate Award is given annually to a TCU undergraduate whose exemplary research does at least one of the following: explores the social construction of gender; studies women’s lives; provides feminist, gender, or queer analysis of an established disciplinary content or methodology; develops theories and methodologies of feminist, gender, or queer analysis.

Priscilla W. Tate graduated with her B.A. and M.A. in English at TCU, and would later become a member of the English Department faculty and Associate Dean of AddRan College of Arts and Sciences until retirement in 1999. Alongside Dr. Jean Giles-Sim, she pushed for 15 years to start a Women’s Studies program to recover women’s presence in history, art, and literature, and to provide a space to explore women’s issues on and off campus. She also co-taught (with Dr. Jean Giles-Sims) the first Introduction to Women’s Studies course in Fall 1994. Tate was also the first faculty sponsor for the TCU Triangle (LGBT group) after it was approved as an official university organization in the 90s. Her teaching interests and assignments include Women’s literature, Advanced Composition, and Introduction to Poetry. Her efforts and contributions to the WGST have not only put Women and Gender studies on the map at TCU but for the local community as well.

 

Deadline: March 31, 2024
Who is eligible: Any undergraduate TCU student
Criterion:

Student may submit one of the following:

1. A paper, not to exceed 3,000 words, which may be either a research or creative work
2. A digital photograph or film clip of a creative project
3. A multi-media or new media presentation

In addition to the project itself, the student must submit an accompanying paragraph, not to exceed 300 words, that explains how the project focuses on one of the aims of women and gender studies—

1. To explore the social construction of sex, gender, or sexuality
2. To study women’s lives
3. To provide feminist, gender, or queer analyses of established disciplinary content or methodology
4. To develop theories and methodologies of feminist, gender, or queer analysis

Award: Prize of $500 for first place
Judging: The WGST Awards Committee will evaluate research and creative projects based on the quality of the work and its capacity to deepen our understanding of women and gender studies. The Award winner will be announced at the annual WGST spring garden party.

Submission Checklist:

1.) Complete the Priscilla Tate Award Cover Sheet
2.) Project/Paper
3.) Reflection Paragraph

Previous Priscilla Tate Prize Winners

2022: Jane Morey, “Don’t Abuse Me” (video performance)
Pati Carlos, “Honda Barakat’s The Stone of Laughter: Has Queerness Always Been Queer?”
2021: Emily Jackson, “Resilience and Survival: Reading Queerness in Marguerite Duras’s L’Amant”
2020: Noelle Flores, “Hannah Montana and Girlhood: A Rhetorical Analysis of Early 2000s Disney Channel”
2019: Sarah Davis, “To the Church in Burleson”
2018: Marisa Helf, “Assets, Liabilities, and Gender Equity: How Gender and Economic Performance Affect CEO Communications”
2017: Amy Wheeler, “Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo”
2016: Krista Kee,”Dance, The Devine, and The Devious Other: Orientalism and The Presentation of Race and Gender in the Work of Ruth St. Denis”
2015: Alette Gamez, “A Double Standard: Gender Roles Following a Political Sex Scandal” (First Prize); Marcie Orjuela, “A Painful Difference: Nursing Care and Pain Management Treatment in Men and Women” (Honorable Mention)
2014: Tonya Maksimenko, “Women in Congress: An Analysis of Women´s Influence on Male Legislators”
2013: Kourtney Kinsel, “Reflectivity and the Nature of Power in John Fletcher´s A Woman´s Prize; or, the Tamer Tamed” (First Prize); Jacqueline Bolt, “A Shared Argument for a Shared Sphere”(Honorable Mention)
2012: Kourtney Kinsel, “Poor Katherine!: Alterity and Social- versus Self-Identity in Shakespeare´s The Taming of the Shrew”
2011: Claire Taussig, “Suffragettes, Bra Burners, and Feminazis: The Ramifications of the Misconceptions of Feminism;” Sharie de Castro, “A Woman´s Place in the Literary World”
2010: Traci Clayton, “From Austerity to Prosperity: The Challenge that Consumerism Posed to Women´s Roles in Franco’s Spain”
2009: Sam McMillan, “Transgender Health” (First Prize); Aimee Hunter, “Women in the Garden”(honorable mention); Julie Schoelles, “Moustaches, Monkeys, and Manhood” (honorable mention)
2008: Rachel Gollay, “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby: Unplanned Pregnancy Delivered in Film;”
Veronika Terrian, “An Analysis of North American Hunters´ Media: Bringing Hegemonic Masculinity to a Coffee Table near You”
2007: Rachel Gollay, “Deceptacons and Rebel Girls: Searching for Identity in Feminist Underground Music”(First Prize); Molly Marten, “Doing Our Part: A Manifesta on Politics and Reproductive Freedom”(Honorable Mention); Erin Cooksley, “Gender Integration in the Military: Attitudes about Women’s Roles and Effects on Unit Cohesion.”(Honorable Mention)

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The Yancy Austin and Georgia Ellis Austin Prize

Funds for the Women and Gender Studies program have been received in honor of Yancy and Georgia Ellis Austin who lived in the small village of Hopewell outside of Crockett, Texas from approximately 1880-1930.^[1] Like many Texans after the Civil War, they both inherited and bought land which they passed to their heirs. Georgia Ellis Austin (1875-1936) was an heir of Claiborne Ellis, who was enslaved from approximately 1830-1865. Yancy Austin (1860-1922) purchased and farmed approximately 400 acres. Over 200 acres remain in the hands of heirs, who share and honor the memories of a photograph, a letter and artifacts of a beloved, determined couple.

Among the heirs, the donor, Dr. Australia Tarver, emerita associate professor in the English department and affiliate of Women & Gender Studies at TCU, wishes to bring past and present together in celebration of her paternal great-grandparents’ history, part of which is recorded on a historical marker of the Goodbly (Gudeblye) School (Highway 287 East) started by the Hopewell community where the Austins lived. Dr. Tarver has generously established this prize with funds received from oil and gas leases from the Austin property.

This annual prize will be awarded to a student who declares a major, minor, or emphasis in Women & Gender Studies with a demonstrated interest in the history, literature, or culture of a marginalized social identity or community. Dr. Tarver wishes to see the prize celebrate student research or creative activity that demonstrates a process of critical self-examination and a student’s new consciousness or understanding as a result of their project.

Previous Winners

2021-2022: Mariana Valdivia, “Frijolero” (video performance)
2020-2021: Milan Bolash, “An American Nightmare: A Juxtaposition to the Renowned American Dream”

2019-2020: Tymerra Coleman, ““Undisciplining: Reframing Black Girls’ Resistance and Mapping New Theories of Black Girlhood.”
2018-2019: Annabelle Hillstrom, “It’s Not Easy Being Queer”

2022-2023 Award Instructions

Complete the Austin Cover Sheet

Who is eligible: Any student who declares a major, minor, or emphasis in WGST
Prize: $500
Application deadline: March 31, 2024

All applicants should submit the following:

1. Application cover sheet
2. Submission of one of the following:
   a.) a paper not to exceed 3,000 words, which may be either research or creative work
   b.) a digital photograph or film clip of a creative project
   c.) a multi-media or new media presentation.
3. Paragraph not to exceed 300 words, that explains how the project addresses the intended focus
   of this award: critical self-examination around issues of race, gender, sexuality, or other social identities.

[1] All dates are approximate

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Priscilla Tate Scholarship

The Priscilla W. Tate Scholarship is awarded yearly to a student interested in women’s issues. The selection criteria are as follows: In the selection of beneficiaries, first preference will be given to a woman pursuing a minor in Women’s Studies or who has a declared interest in women’s issues. Preference will be given to a woman who is returning to college after time away from pursuing her education. An English major with an interest in women’s issues will also be considered.

Previous Priscilla Tate Scholarship Winners

2021-2022: Austen McLean
2020-2021: Darlena Vu
2019-2020: Tiffany Nguyen
2018-2019: Marilyn Downing
2017-2018: Tamera Hyatte
2016-2017: Madison White
2015-2016: Chelsea Gillespie
2014-2015: Tammie Rhinehart
2013-2014: Alexis Lohse
2012-2013: Caroline Dillon
2011-2012: Kourtney Kinsel
2010-2011: Sharia De’Castro
2009-2010: Aimee Hunter
2008-2009: Aimee Hunter
2007-2008: JoHannah Hamilton