Mark Mensink Honors Research Scholarship
Overview
The Mark Mensink Honors Research Scholarship is the L&S Honors Program’s most prestigious grant, awarded in recognition of an exceptional senior Honors thesis proposal. The purpose of the grant is to enable its recipient to undertake more demanding and extensive senior Honors thesis research than might otherwise be possible due to limited resources or time. The Mensink family established this scholarship to honor the memory of their late son Mark, whose exceptional academic record and service to the university community stand as a model for other aspiring, high-achieving students.
The award provides funding equivalent to two semesters of resident, full-time tuition (excluding fees) and is applied directly to the student’s account.
On this page
Students must complete the L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant application to be considered for the Mensink Research Scholarship. Review the Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant information.
Application opens: December 15, 2025
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Info sessions are typically offered in late fall and winter for students to learn more about the application process and to ask questions. See upcoming Honors information sessions.
All applicants for the L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant are considered as candidates for the Mensink Research Scholarship. Students are eligible for the Mark Mensink Honors Research Scholarship if they meet the criteria outlined on the Summer Senior Thesis Grant webpage.
Additionally, a student must be a U.S. citizen and a Wisconsin resident to be eligible for the Mensink Research Scholarship.
A student may only receive one Honors grant or scholarship per funding term.
Students must complete all parts of the L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant application. Review the Summer Senior Thesis Grant information.
Students interested in the Mensink Research Scholarship must complete all parts of the L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant application. The L&S Honors Summer Senior Thesis Research Grant application is available in the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). You can access WiSH through your MyUW or by logging in at wisc.academicworks.com.
Applications for this grant are reviewed by the Faculty Honors Committee. Applications are evaluated based on the criteria outlined on the Summer Senior Thesis Grant webpage.
All recipients will need to:
- Present their research at the Senior Honors Thesis Symposium in the spring of the next academic year (mid- to late-April)
- Submit a copy of their completed thesis to the L&S Honors Program. With the student’s permission, the L&S Honors Program will then submit completed theses to MINDS@UW, the University of Wisconsin’s open access institutional repository. Click here to view recent senior Honors theses.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Students are not permitted to accept funds from another university (UW) source for the same research over the period of time covered by this grant, which is funded during the academic year.
A more demanding and extensive thesis typically requires deeper intellectual engagement and a broader scope. This could mean the following, although this list is not exhaustive:
- Stronger Argumentation: Your thesis should present a nuanced, well-supported argument that goes beyond surface-level claims.
- Expanded Research: Your topic needs to draw from a wider range of credible sources, including scholarly literature, primary data, or interdisciplinary perspectives.
- Greater Originality: Aim to contribute fresh insights or challenge existing viewpoints, rather than simply summarizing others’ work.
- Increased Depth: Expect to explore complex ideas, engage with theoretical frameworks, and critically analyze multiple dimensions of your topic.
- Longer and More Structured: The final product may be more substantial in length and require a more sophisticated organizational structure.
In short, it’s about pushing your thinking further and demonstrating a higher level of academic rigor. Your faculty mentor(s) and department advisor(s) will be able to provide a great deal of experience and expertise. Please connect with them as soon as you are able!
The L&S Honors Program has recently partnered with UW Libraries to collect digital copies of senior Honors theses in the institutional repository, MINDS@UW. Please take a moment to review the recent submissions to the L&S Honors collection.
If you are unable to locate any theses in your specific field, we encourage you to connect with your major advisor(s) to learn more.
The Mensink Research Scholarship is processed as a scholarship. These funds are applied to the recipient’s tuition bill in the Fall and Spring semesters. Students receiving scholarships may have financial aid package adjustments. If you have questions about your financial aid and/or the potential impact of receiving this scholarship, please contact L&S Honors Program Administrator Kendra Ramthun (honorsprogram@honors.ls.wisc.edu).
Please reach out to Associate Director of Admissions and Engagement, Pete Keys, at pkeys@wisc.edu.
Additional Resources
Attend an upcoming information session to learn more about the Mensink Research Scholarship and other Honors funding opportunities.