Neimeyer-Hodgson Student Research Grant

Neimeyer-Hodgson Student Research Grants shall be funded by the income derived from the investments of the Neimeyer-Hodgson Fund and any additional funds provided by the MU Alumni Association and other donors.  The Neimeyer-Hodgson Fund was initially established with monies bequeathed to the Millersville University Alumni Association by Minnie Menges Neimeyer, Class of 1923 and Laura L. Hodgson, mother of Pearl Hodgson, Class of 1931. [The endowment is managed through the Millersville University Foundation, Inc.] This undergraduate grant program was established in 1983.

Any full-time student attending Millersville University in pursuit of the baccalaureate degree is eligible to apply for a grant.  The student shall receive only one Neimeyer-Hodgson Grant, and previous grant recipients may not reapply even if participating in a different research project.

Students seeking this grant shall:

• submit a completed application, including an itemized budget;
  • Click here for budget request form – it is recommended that you print out the form and complete in detail. You can then utilize the information from the form to complete the budget section of the online application;
  • Click here to view an example of a properly completed budget.
  • Funding approval for a Neimeyer-Hodgson grant is highly competitive. In addition to submitting detailed budget information on the application, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a narrative explaining the anticipated expenses.
• include a brief explanation of the research project;
• submit a detailed research proposal;
• include a letter of recommendation from one (1) faculty sponsor;
• obtain approval from a faculty sponsor;
• and any other relevant information.

In general, a proposal should include the following:

• Title
• Thesis and Purpose
• Background and significance with cited sources, if appropriate
• Project design
• Expected results and application to broader community
• Discussion with cited sources, if appropriate
• For scientific studies, once you obtain the data, how are you going to interpret or determine the significance of your results? Are there appropriate statistical tool(s) to measure and validate or invalidate your hypothesis?
• For projects outside of the sciences, how will you assess the significance of your work, or what will be the end result of the proposed project? For example, for students in the arts, will funds be used to produce new creative works? And if so, where will they be performed or exhibited? How will this work contribute to the professional development of the artist, and/or contribute to the development of the medium, the genre, or the larger community?
• For students in the humanities, where conclusions or arguments are often based on inferences from or interpretations of archival, literary, or other documentary sources, are there bodies of theory (literary, humanistic, sociological, historiographical, etc.) that may drive your understanding and/or the conclusion you draw from the sources?

The most fundamental shortcoming of a failed grant proposal in the sciences is the failure to follow the basic scientific method which should include the following:

• Ask a question
• Do background research
• Construct a hypothesis
• Test your hypothesis
• Analyze the data and draw a conclusion
• Report your hypothesis

For projects in the arts or humanities for which the application of the scientific method may not be appropriate, proposals are likely to fail as a result of the proposal author failing to make a case.

The Scholarships, Grants, and Awards Committee, of the MU Alumni Association, shall meet periodically to review grant applications and award grants.  The committee shall report its decisions to the Alumni Association Executive Committee by way of their minutes.  The committee in its deliberations shall abide by the following guidelines:

1. In any one fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) student research grants shall not be awarded in excess of the amount of income derived from the Neimeyer-Hodgson Fund and other appropriated funds.  Up to one half of the income may be awarded during the Fall application period.  The remainder of the income may be awarded during the Spring application period.  Any income monies remaining after the awarding of grants during any one fiscal year shall revert to the principal account of the Neimeyer-Hodgson Fund. 
2. Because of limited funds, no grant shall exceed $700 (per project) and partial funding may be awarded. A student shall receive only one Neimeyer-Hodgson Grant, and previous grant recipients may not reapply. If two or more students are working on a project, each student must submit a separate single application with an itemized budget not to exceed $700 (note: each project may not exceed awarding of this amount). 
3. Funds sought by the applicant shall be used solely for the purpose of the stated scholarly research. 
4. At the time of the grant application, the research project should be in progress or about to commence. Grant application for research completed before the application deadline date will not be considered.
5. The grant applicant agrees that any reusable books, instruments, or other materials purchased with grant funds will become the property of the sponsoring academic department.  
6. Grant funds may be considered for/but not limited to the following research expenses:
   • Computer runs/processing
   • Survey compilation/reproductions
   • Seminar/conference fee(s) for research to obtain information (NOT for presentation of projects)
   • Museum fees
   • Archival fees
   • Paper
   • Stationary supplies
   • Technology (software)
   • Postage
   • Survey incentives
   • Laboratory equipment and materials
   • Books
   • Personal vehicle mileage
   • Photocopies 
7. Grant funds shall not be awarded for any of the following costs:
   • Tuition
   • Millersville University Fees
   • Wages
   • Conference fees or expenses associated with conferences to present research
   • Membership fees
   • Rent
   • Telephone costs
   • Meals
8. If the student graduates/leaves the University during the semester of research, and is awarded the grant, monies will be made directly to the student.  Otherwise, monies will be placed in the sponsoring academic department’s account.
9. A copy of any published materials shall be submitted to the sponsoring department.

PLEASE NOTE: The decision of the Millersville University Alumni Association’s Nominations and Awards Committee is FINAL.

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