The Seinfeld Scholar Award for Undergraduates

The Seinfeld Scholar Award for Undergraduates is awarded to two outstanding seniors who are nominated by faculty members and selected by an all-University committee. Two awardees are selected based on the award’s criteria:

• Contributions to the beauty (broadly understood) of the world
• Evidence of adding to human values and mitigating human abuse or suffering
• Excellence, creativity, and originality in their field
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and bring out the best in others
• Potential for future contributions to society

Nominations are due the first Friday of the first week of classes in the spring term.

Students may not self-nominate. Faculty nominators should ask nominated students to complete the online nomination form. All submitted application portfolios should include a nomination form.

Seinfeld Scholar Award for Undergraduates Nomination Portfolio Guidelines

Nomination portfolios for the Seinfeld Scholar Award must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file by the nominating faculty member. Faculty may wish to coordinate with their home college Dean’s office to compile and submit materials.

Portfolios for nominees in creative fields should include photographs of the student’s work, if relevant, in a PDF file.  Sound files or video files should be submitted in consultation with Jolynn Parker, and with clear, working access information included in the portfolio.

Please organize the materials in the PDF document in the following order:

1. Nomination form – The nomination form must be downloaded and completed with nominee’s biographical and contact information. Nominees must indicate they understand their records will be checked with the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities and the Office of Academic Integrity before their applications are reviewed.
2. Nomination letter – The nomination letter must be written by a faculty member in the student’s field. The letter should address:
   • The student’s dedication to creating beauty (broadly understood) within the world
   • How the student has added to human values and mitigated human abuse or suffering
   • How the student has demonstrated excellence, creativity and originality within their field
   • The student’s record of leadership to motivate others or bring out the best in others
   • Why the student is worthy of the Seinfeld Scholar award

Faculty may also use their letters to address what constitutes excellence, creativity and originality within the student’s discipline.

2. Student’s resume or CV (maximum 2 pages)
3. Samples of student work (maximum 25 pages)

Samples should demonstrate the student’s contributions to their main discipline(s) of study. Portfolios may contain one sample (e.g. one 25-page research paper) or a number of samples (e.g. 15 newspaper articles, or 6 photographs of sculptures, etc.). If the student chooses to submit portfolio materials related to a group project, the student must clarify their individual contribution(s) to the group project.

Nominees may choose to submit a brief paragraph (maximum 150 words) providing an introduction to or context for the sample. Please note that nomination portfolios will be read by faculty who are most likely not in the student’s field of study, and thus the paragraph should help the “educated layperson” understand what they will be reading, seeing or listening to.

All nomination portfolios must be received no later than the first Friday of classes in the spring term.

Nomination portfolios should be submitted by email to Jolynn Parker at jmpark02@syr.edu.