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Department of Modern Languages
The University of Mississippi

Scholarships and Fellowships

Scholarships and Fellowships in Modern Languages

The Department of Modern Languages has a variety of awards and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, contact the department or faculty member indicated below.

There are also scholarships available through the Office of the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts. They are available to any major in the College of Liberal Arts, but there is not an application process. Click here to see those possible scholarship opportunities.

Hattie Burke Jackson College of Liberal Arts Scholarship

The Hattie Burke Jackson Scholarship provides $1,500 to two female students – a junior and a senior – who are majoring in Classics, English, History, Mathematics, Modern Languages, or Physics. The recipient must be a resident of Yalobusha, Calhoun, Lafayette, or Grenada Counties, and must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA. For additional information please contact the Departments of Classics, English, History, Mathematics, Modern Languages, or Physics and Astronomy.

This scholarship was established in 2004 by the estate of Miss. Harriet Jackson, a Latin and French teacher at the University of Mississippi.  She established the scholarship to honor her mother, Mrs. Hattie Talbert Burke Jackson (1868-1917), a Water Valley native, who was “a splendid woman, active in every civic and benevolent work” (Water Valley Progress). Mrs. Jackson died at the age of 49, leaving Harriet and her three sisters to be raised by their father, Dr. Manuel Winter Jackson, “one of the most talented practicing physicians in the city (of Water Valley)” (Water Valley Progress).

Miss. Harriet Jackson received her BA in 1924 and MA in 1936 from the University of Mississippi.  While in college she was a member of The Marionettes, a student drama club that William Faulkner helped found in 1920. Miss Jackson joined the Department of Modern Languages in 1950 where she taught Latin and French for 21 years, retiring in 1970. During her time at UM she served several semesters as chair, a member of the Mississippi Modern Languages Association, the Faculty Senate, an advisor to Phi Kappa Phi, and an advisor to the Latin Club.

Alfred William Milden Endowment Scholarship

The Alfred William Milden scholarship provides multiple scholarships ranging from $1000 to $5,000 to full-time upper-class students who are majoring in ancient or modern language, have financial need, and have demonstrated exceptional ability in the area of language study. For information please contact the Departments of Classics or the Department of Modern Languages.

This scholarship fund was established in 2004 to honor Alfred William Milden (1869-1944), a native of Ontario, Canada. He earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1899 and joined the University of Mississippi faculty in 1910 as professor of Greek. Dr. Milden served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts from 1920 until 1936. In 1937 he became head of the Department of Classics, a new department organized when the Latin and Greek departments were combined, serving in that capacity at his death.

Wofford Reynolds Price and Opal Read Price Fellowship in Modern Languages

Recipients of the Wofford Reynolds Price and Opal Read Price fellowship will be graduate students in the Department of Modern Languages, who are Mississippi residents, citizens of the United States, and who qualify for the award based on the criteria of scholastic ability, leadership potential, and financial need. Approximate award is $6,000 per semester for up to two semesters. There is no application process. Recipients are chosen each year from among applicants to the master’s degree programs in French, German and Spanish. Contact Dr. Daniel O’Sullivan, Chair of Modern Languages, for information on this fellowship.

Wofford Reynolds Price (1921-1998), a Winston County native, West Point Academy graduate, and WWII veteran, he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics from the University of Mississippi. Having received a Bronze Star for his army service, he retired after 20 years in the reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He taught physics at the University of Mississippi after the war for five years and subsequently enjoyed a long career with Hughes Aircraft in California before he and his wife returned to Jasper County.

Opal Read Price (1923-2017), a native of Jasper County, Mississippi, earned both her BA (1949) and MA in English and Literature (1950) from the University of Mississippi. She taught in the English Department at the University of Mississippi for five years and later in the California School Systems for 35 years until she retired.

Boyd-Eickhorst Study Abroad Scholarship

The Boyd-Eickhorst Scholarship is given to undergraduate students pursuing studies in Modern Languages with first priority going to students minoring or majoring in German, then to all other languages except Spanish. This scholarship serves to help students further their education by studying abroad. Recipients are chosen each year by the German faculty in consultation with the department chair and the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The yearly deadline for the application is February 20. Contact Dr. Corina L. Petrescu for details.

William Eickhorst (1904-1991) came to the U.S. from Germany in 1925. He received a Bachelor of Science in 1932 from Memphis State University and then a M.S. (1941) and a Ph.D. in Modern Languages (1946) from the University of Illinois. He was professor of Modern Languages at The University of Mississippi from 1947 to 1971 and was the author of several studies on German literature. During his tenure at UM, Dr. Eickhorst led numerous student groups on tours of Europe in what was referred to as the summer studies program, a precursor to Study Abroad.

Hans-Jürgen Gaycken German Studies Excellence Award

Recipients of the $1,000 Hans-Jürgen Gaycken German Studies Excellence Award will be full-time students majoring in German with first preference given to juniors. Recipients will be selected on the basis of merit. Applications are solicited each year, and recipients are chosen by the German faculty in consultation with the department chair and a representative of the Gaycken family from among a group of eligible students who have applied. The yearly deadline for the application is February 20. Contact Dr. Corina L. Petrescu for details.

This award was established in 2016 by Dr. Bettina Gaycken to honor her father, Dr. Hans-Jürgen Gaycken, a German native who came to the United States in 1957 and received his Ph.D. in German languages and literature from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. In 1973, Dr. Gaycken joined the Department of Modern Languages faculty at The University of Mississippi where he taught German for 35 years, retiring in 2008. In addition to his teaching, he was known for mentoring students and developing study abroad programs in Germany.

Benjamin Franklin Martin III Memorial Study Abroad Scholarship

The Benjamin Franklin Martin III scholarship will provide $1,000 to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student with a major or minor in German who is studying abroad, with first preference being given to a Mississippi resident. Applications are solicited each year, and awardees are chosen by the German faculty in consultation with the department chair from among a group of eligible students. The yearly deadline for the application is February 20. Contact Dr. Corina L. Petrescu for details.

Dr. Benjamin Franklin Martin III (1938 – 2014) was raised in Holly Springs and Kosciusko, Mississippi. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1960 at The University of Mississippi and his M.D. at the UM Medical Center in Jackson. Dr. Martin was an avid reader, world traveler, and collector of art, notably of Mississippi artists and photographers. During his time at The University of Mississippi, Dr. Martin was involved with the German program as a student and grading assistant. He believed that learning a second language was the first step to a greater appreciation of the world around him. Dr. Martin also believed that traveling the world was an important and integral part of learning.