Thomas R. Purnell and Edna Preston Purnell Scholarship

The School of Education invites applications for this scholarship from masters, specialist and doctoral level graduate students who are residents of Sussex County in Delaware. One to two scholarships will be awarded each year, and funds will be used towards the payment of tuition. The scholarship is awarded for one academic year, including winter and summer sessions, but students can re-apply for up to 4 years in total of doctoral study, 3 years in total of MA/EdS  study, and 2 years in total for masters study. Renewal recipients must maintain the same standards of academic performance and remain otherwise eligible under the criteria listed below.

Students in the 4+1 program should apply in the spring prior to their graduate year (in the spring of their senior year).

Recipient selection is based on eligibility requirements, academic merit, and potential contribution to communities in Sussex County. Financial need may be considered.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a resident of Sussex County and intend to continue working in this county upon graduation
• Must be accepted into or currently enrolled in any of the SOE masters, specialist or doctoral programs (EdD and PhD), including the 4+1 program during the last year of program.
• Purnell Scholarships for masters and 4+1 students may be renewable for the duration of the student’s career, provided they remain eligible. Purnell Scholarships for EdD and PhD students may be renewed for up to 4 years in total, provided they remain eligible. Purnell Scholarships for MA/EdS in School Psychology students may be renewed for up to 3 years in total, provided they remain eligible.
• Previous scholarship recipients must reapply for scholarship consideration for subsequent graduate degrees. For example, students who wish to earn additional master’s degrees or enter a doctoral program after receiving the scholarship during their master’s program must apply for scholarship consideration as a NEW recipient. This rule does not apply to School Psychology students who earn the MA/EdS in a connected degree program.

Application Materials

If you were recently admitted to one of the graduate programs in the School of Education, we can use the materials you submitted with your admission application. However, you should submit an essay addressing the three questions in the Purnell application.

We will provide the following to the scholarship selection committee on your behalf:

• CV or resume
• Copy of transcript
• Three letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s scholarship and leadership potential. One letter of recommendation should be from an immediate supervisor who has observed your professional work. If there is not a letter of recommendation from a supervisor in your graduate program admission application, please solicit one for this scholarship application and ask the recommender to upload it online.

The Purnell scholarship applicant should upload an essay that addresses the following:

• What the applicant has done thus far in terms of leadership and professional development
• How the applicant will benefit from the scholarship and receiving the advanced degree
• How the advanced degree will benefit the Southern Delaware educational community.

All materials must be submitted by May 10 using the online application. If a recommender prefers to send their letter separately, the recommender should upload their letter using the online recommendation form.

Questions can be sent to Alexis Milam at aalbanes@udel.edu. 

Renewal Application Materials

Students applying for renewal of the Purnell Scholarship should submit the following materials in a single PDF with the documents in the following order:

• A personal statement discussing their progress in the program and the ways in which they have benefited from the scholarship so far
• A letter from their academic advisor discussing their standing and progress in the program
• A copy of their academic transcript (An unofficial copy printed from UDSIS is fine.)

All materials must be submitted by May 10 using the online application. If a recommender prefers to send their letter separately, the recommender should upload it using the online recommendation form.

Questions can be sent to Alexis Milam at aalbanes@udel.edu.