Are you passionate about making a difference on campus or in the local Madison community? Through the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award, the L&S Honors Program hopes to bring your service project ideas to life, supporting initiatives that benefit others and create lasting change. If you are already involved in campus or community service, or if you are motivated to make a real impact, we want to hear your vision. Take this opportunity to turn your passion into action!
What is the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award?
The Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award supports students as they plan, develop and implement projects designed to improve UW-Madison and/or the surrounding community. Each year, up to two (2) students receive awards equal to two (2) semesters of resident, full-time tuition, plus project funds up to $3000 as justified in the proposed project budget.
Past award recipients have established mentoring programs for underrepresented students; collaborated with local organizations to improve community access to fresh, healthy and local produce; and founded an academic journal, the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism, to increase students’ opportunities to see their work published. Award winners are expected to submit progress reports to the L&S Honors staff as required, and to identify a UW-Madison faculty member who will serve in an advisory/resource capacity.
Who is eligible to apply?
You can apply for a Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a currently enrolled L&S Honors Student (HLA, HM, or Comprehensive Honors)
- You have at least sophomore standing
- You have at least one (1) year of undergraduate study remaining at the time of the award
- Your cumulative GPA is at least 3.3.
How are recipients chosen?
Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award recipients are selected by members of the L&S Faculty Honors Committee. They will evaluate your application based on the following:
- Evidence of your past achievement and leadership in co-curricular or public/community service activities
- Strength, rigor, clarity, and novelty of your project proposal
- Clearly defined and justifiable project budget proposal
- Strength of letter(s) of recommendation
- Faculty advisor(s)
- Campus/community partner organization advisor(s)
- Progress towards completing your Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major or Comprehensive Honors degree(s)
Restrictions
- Students who receive the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award may not receive other funding from university programs or scholarships for the project during the funding year. Please send any questions to Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu).
What is the application process?
The following materials are required as part of the application:
- A completed application (available in WiSH when open). The application contains the following requirements:
- Title of your project
- Names and contact information for your faculty and campus/community advisors
- Letters of recommendation from your advisors
- Project proposal (please see the Student Planning Resource: Project Proposal Template and examples below)
- Project budget (we encourage you to meet with Kendra Ramthun before application submission)
- Required essay
- Your UW-Madison student transcript (unofficial or official)
What types of resources are available to students to help with the process?
The Honors Program strives to make submitting a proposal as easy as possible. We strongly encourage you to meet with Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) and/or Kendra Ramthun (kendra.ramthun@wisc.edu) and you write your proposal. Each of these Honors staff members would welcome the opportunity to have a conversation!
Please also consider reviewing each of these materials:
- Student Planning Resource: Project Preparation Timeline
- Student Planning Resource: Project Creation Guide
- Student Planning Resource: Project Proposal Template
- Student Planning Resource: Tips for Creating a Budget
- Student Planning Resource: Tips for Success
- Student Planning Resource: Sample Leadership Proposals
Interested in more inspiration? We invite you to review recent Wisconsin Idea Fellowship awardee projects. Their projects are very similar to those funded by the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award.
When is the application due?
The application will open on Sunday, December 15, 2024.
Priority deadline (with the intent of receiving feedback*): 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 23, 2025
Final deadline for consideration: 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 6, 2025
*Feedback Opportunity: If you would like to receive feedback on your application materials prior to your final submission, please complete the following steps:
- Complete all application requirements in WiSH (including uploading all required files) but do not click submit.
- Email Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) to notify him that you would like to receive feedback on your application materials.
- If you would like more specific feedback about a particular component of the application, please include that request in your email.
- Requests for feedback must be submitted by Sunday, March 23 at 11:59 PM. You will receive comments from the Honors staff no later than Friday, April 5.
Award status notifications will be e-mailed to applicants at their wisc.edu e-mail address by mid-May.
If you have additional questions about the Cyrena Pondrom Leadership Award, please contact the Honors Program office honors@honors.ls.wisc.edu.