Guidelines For The Preparation Of Nominations For The Delyte And Dorothy Morris Doctoral Fellowship

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Last Updated: Oct 29, 2026, 08:19 AM

Morris Research Fellowships -- Primary Purpose

The primary purpose of the Delyte and Dorothy Morris Doctoral (Morris Doctoral) Fellowship is the recruitment and support of new doctoral students of the highest quality. Thus, the fellowship program is not intended for students who are already enrolled in doctoral programs at SIU, although such students continue to be eligible for the regular doctoral fellowship program.

Stipend and Tenure of Awards

The Morris Doctoral Fellowship is a five-year financial support package. The Graduate School provides a 12-month 50% research fellowship award for the first three years, with an annual $1,000 ($500 fall/spring) book/travel allowance for the first three years while on fellowship. The academic program provides a 12-month 50% research or teaching assistantship for the years four and five.

The Morris Fellowship pays a monthly stipend amount that is above the Doctoral Fellowship stipend rate. A full tuition scholarship will be awarded for fall, and spring, and a 9-hour tuition scholarship for summer semesters for the term of the award.

During the first three years, recipients will be assigned a ten-hour per week research assignment. During years four and five, recipients will be assigned a twenty-hour per week research or teaching assistantship. These assignments will provide professional development opportunities for the student and be of value to the program. The research assignment will be consistent with the student's educational objectives. The Program Chair will determine the research assignment and monitor the student's progress.

During the first three years, recipients are required to register for a minimum of nine (9) graduate credit hours for fall and spring semesters and three (3) graduate credit hours for summer. During years four and five while on assistantship, recipients are required to register for a minimum of eight (8) graduate credit hours for fall and spring semesters and three (3) graduate credit hours for summer semesters. Please note that 601 or audit courses do not count toward the registration requirement. Please note that 601 or audit courses do not count toward the registration requirement.

Recipients may not accept employment inside or outside of the University.

During special recruitment and graduate enhancement events held at SIU, the Graduate School will solicit the attendance of the Fellows to participate in seminars, orientation, and the Assembly of Fellows programs. The Fellows will also be expected to present at internal research or create events.

Tax Information

Fellowship stipends are paid through the university's payroll system which requires income taxes to be withheld. Fellows will fill out the Employee's W-4 Withholding Allowance Certificate form (W-4 form) as part of the research fellowship award packet. Information on taxation of fellowship awards can be found in IRS Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Education (PDF).

Minimum Eligibility Criteria

  1. Must have an overall undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.25, or a grade point average for the last two years in the bachelor's degree of 3.5 (A= 4.0); and
  2. If prior graduate study has been undertaken, must have an overall graduate grade point average of at least 3.7 (A = 4.0); and
  3. Must have a score in the 75th percentile or higher on a standard test such as the GRE, MAT, or GMAT; and
  4. May not already be enrolled in a doctoral program and may have no previous enrollment at SIUC.

In the competition for Morris Doctoral Fellowships, the nominees must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the USA. In addition, preference will be given to those who have not previously enrolled in a graduate program (direct post-baccalaureate entry).

Current SIU Master's students with a high GPA are eligible to apply to the Morris Fellowship if they apply to an SIU doctoral program at the end of their Master's program, provided that they had earned their bachelor's degree from another institution. This is in accord with action taken by the Graduate Council in the spring of 2026.

Students with bachelor's and master's degrees are both eligible if the doctoral degree-granting program that nominates the student certifies that the student is a doctoral track student in the program. What this means is that if the nominating program certifies that the student, although officially admitted to a master's program, is indeed a doctoral track student, the program may nominate such a student for a Morris Doctoral Fellowship.

Since you may be nominating some of the same people for both Morris Doctoral and regular fellowships, we ask that you prepare separate nomination dossiers, copies of some of the same supporting documentation may be placed in both. Also, we ask that you rank your nominees independently within each competition.

In preparing your Morris Doctoral Fellowship nominations, please follow these guidelines:

Criteria for Awarding Morris Fellowships

Morris awards will be offered to the nominees who show the greatest promise for scholarly and professional achievement in their respective disciplines. It is expected that both undergraduate and graduate grade point averages will be high, and that the nominee's graduate work will have been of extremely high caliber. The following criteria will be employed as indices of promise:

  1. The assessment by the program of the nominee's abilities and achievements including honors and publications.
  2. Overall undergraduate and graduate grade point averages.
  3. Strength of letters of recommendation.
  4. Personal statement of the student.
  5. Standardized Test scores (GRE, MAT, or GMAT).
  6.  Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident/immigrant to apply.

For more details in preparing the fellowship nomination packet, please follow the instructions in the section below entitled “Required Nomination Materials for Fellowships”:

Deadlines – Close of business

February 26, 2027: Deadline for submission of fellowship materials to the Graduate School.

March 19, 2027: Fellowship offers are to be announced.

April 15, 2027: Deadline for acceptance of offers.

Submission Process

The completed fellowship nomination packet should be submitted via email (in .pdf format) to gaoffice@siu.edu. The email Subject should be Morris Fellowship Nomination – Last Name. Packets received after the above deadline will be considered ineligible.

Programs submitting multiple nomination packets should create a .pdf file for each nomination packet.

Required Nomination Materials for Morris Fellowships

Nomination materials are routed among the members of an evaluation committee; therefore, each student's dossier must be complete in and of itself. Although a student who has not completed all steps in the admission process to the Graduate School and the Program may be nominated, there must be sufficient documentation (transcripts, letters of recommendation, test scores—required) to ensure that the student is fully admissible and fully qualified. Only nominees whose materials are complete will be considered in the competition.

A completed nomination dossier consists of the following, in the order listed:

1. FELLOWSHIP PACKET CHECKLIST

  1. Completed by the program.

2. APPLICATION FOR FELLOWSHIP AWARD

  1. Completed by the student or by the program; please check to make sure the data is up-to-date.
  2. Program completes section “For Program Signature.”
  1. Indicate the specific award for which the student is being nominated.
  2. Provide the signature of the Program Chair or Director of Graduate Studies, the date, and the name of the program making the nomination.
  3. Students cannot apply on their own. They must submit all documents to the program for nomination.

3. PERSONAL STATEMENT

  1. Completed by the student.
  2. Two-page personal statement indicating firsthand experiences, educational goals, and professional interests and how these items can contribute to a more reflective, responsive environment in the program, the discipline, and the larger university community.
  3. One-page biographical statement addressing academic qualifications regarding academic excellence which should include, but not be limited to the following: academic achievements, honors, awards, publications, and extracurricular activities.

4. CURRICULUM VITAE

  1. Completed by the student.

5. PROGRAM'S FELLOWSHIPS NOMINATION FORM

  1. Completed by the program.
  2. Program's ranking. The rankings of the nominee relative to other Morris Fellowship nominees, e.g., '1 of 2,' '2 of 2.' etc.
  3. Program's certification of doctoral level. The program must certify that the student is either:
  1. Officially entering the doctoral program as a direct post-baccalaureate entry,
    accelerated entry, or with a master's degree; or
  2. Entering the master's program and is certified as a 'doctoral track' student.

  d. Undergraduate GPA. Overall undergraduate GPA or GPA for the last two years of bachelor's degree.

  e. Graduate GPA, if any.

  f. GRE/MAT/GMAT results.

  g. Basis for nomination as Morris Doctoral Fellow. Give any specific information regarding the nominee's background, grades, test scores, evidence of scholarship, etc., which show the candidate to be an outstanding student of great promise. Include such factors as the academic quality of the program from which the student received his or her degree(s), any special accomplishments, and evidence of a commitment to advanced study and scholarship. PLEASE TYPE.

6. THREE (3) LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

  1. These should be from persons who are familiar with the nominee's academic record and who are qualified to judge his or her promise for success in graduate studies. These letters may be copies of those already received in the program in support of the nominee's application for admission to the program; however, it may be preferable to have new letters specifically written to support the fellowship nomination.
  2. These letters should refer to one or more of the following characteristics/skills: communication, creativity, explanation (a reason or cause for some phenomena or finding), motivation, planning, professionalism, and synthesis (those skills that facilitate the development of an expert domain of knowledge structures). The letters should accompany the nomination; they should not be sent separately to the Graduate School.

7. TRANSCRIPTS

a. Please attach copies of final transcripts for ALL institutions that grant degrees, even if a degree was not obtained. This includes transcripts from SIU.

  1. A missing transcript will result in the automatic rejection of the fellowship application.

8. STANDARDIZED TESTS SCORES (recommended but not required)

a. If applicable, please attach a copy of the official standardized test score.

  1.  Acceptable standardized tests are GRE, MAT, or GMAT.