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Scholarship Nomination Form | 1
Dear Miami Community,
The 1809 LGBT Alumni was formed to provide a professional and educational network of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, trans, and allied alumni as well as foster support for LGBT students currently
attending Miami University. As part of our efforts to build a legacy of Miami Pride, each year we
award scholarships to Miami students. We would like to invite you to nominate yourself or
another deserving student for this opportunity.
To be eligible, students must be enrolled at a Miami University campus (Oxford, Hamilton,
Middletown, or Luxembourg) during the 2015-2016 academic year. Students must have a
cumulative GPA of greater than 2.5. Nominations are sought for persons of diverse backgrounds.
Each recipient will have $500 awarded in fall and $500 in spring, which may be applied towards
tuition, books, or fees. It is reported to the Financial Aid office as a scholarship.
The 1809 LGBT Alumni Board is responsible for reading and evaluating nominations, in
cooperation with GLBTQ Services and the Office of Student Financial Assistance. We will be
considering evidence of serving, leading, and working for change in the LGBT community on
campus or off campus. We will also be looking at financial need and academic aspirations.
Successful applicants will be notified by email on May 9th, and we will celebrate the recipients at
our annual Lavender Graduation ceremony on May 10, 2015.
Members of the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board will meet with each of the scholarship recipients at least
once during each semester of the 2015-2016 academic year. The meeting will include an
opportunity for recipients to share with the board representative(s) the concrete things (at least
two) that have been done to continue the legacy of the scholarship donor. The board encourages
each recipient to remain in contact with board members in a mentor/mentee relationship in
person or virtually throughout the year.
To nominate yourself or another student for a scholarship, please fill out the form below and
answer the questions on the next page. If you choose to nominate someone else for an award,
please inform him/her/ze. Those nominated by others are strongly encouraged to submit
their own nomination form. Please email the form as a single PDF or Word document to the
1809 LGBT Alumni Board at 1809lgbt@miamioh.edu. The completed form must be received
electronically by May 1, 2015.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
1809 LGBT Alumni Board
1809 LGBT Alumni | a legacy of Miami Pride | www.1809LGBTalumni.org
Scholarship Nomination Form | 2
About Our Scholarships
Grote & Neal LGBT Miami Merger Scholarship
Tom Grote (1986) and Rick Neal (1988) did not meet at Miami. During their time at Miami, Tom
was closeted, while Rick was not. Tom was a Theta Chi and played rugby, while Rick was in the
theater. After Miami, Tom spent two decades working in the family business. Rick spent twenty
years overseas in the Peace Corps and working with international health organizations. Tom and
Rick finally met in Washington, D.C. in 2006, where they discovered their shared history with and
love of Miami. Today, Tom and Rick are married and have two children. In 2010, Tom was
appointed the first openly LGBT member of the Miami University Board of Trustees. By endowing
this scholarship, Tom and Rick hope to enhance opportunities for other LGBT individuals to reach
for all of the possibilities life has to offer and to not let anything stand in their way.
Michael R. Burkhart LGBT Leader Scholarship
While a student at Miami University, Michael R. Burkhart, Class of 1993, held various leadership
positions with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) student organization and sought
to further acceptance of LGBT students within the broader university community. Michael chose
to live his student life openly as a proud gay man and used whatever opportunities arose to
educate other students, faculty and staff about LGBT concerns. This was accomplished through his
visibility and by challenging misperceptions about the LGBT community. Michael has continued
his efforts toward a fully inclusive Miami University community through his work on the board of
the 1809 LGBT Alumni Association. Michael believes his time at Miami University provided a
valuable education and leadership foundation which has contributed greatly toward the success
he has enjoyed in his chosen career. Michael would like to help students fulfill their potential for
leadership within the Miami University LGBT community through the financial assistance this gift
will provide.
William J. Gracie, Jr., LGBT Scholarship
William J. Gracie, Jr., was a member of the faculty for thirty-nine years both as a professor in the
Department of English and as an academic administrator. His administrative appointments
included Director of Freshman English; Director of the Summer Reading Program; Associate Chair
of the Department of English; University Director of Liberal Education; and Dean of the School of
Interdisciplinary Studies/Western College Program. Although he taught over twenty discrete
courses from first-year composition through PhD-level seminars, most of those courses
concentrated on his field—Victorian literature. In 1992 he offered the first course in Miami’s
history on gay literature; he offered it a second time in 1994. He was given the Outstanding
Teaching Award by Associated Student Government in 1990 and nominated to be Effective
Educator several times. He was faculty advisor to the College Democrats for many years and
academic advisor to Eta Upsilon of Pi Kappa Phi. His memberships include the Federal Club of the
Human Rights Campaign; Tennyson Society; Titanic Historical Society; and the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra Association. In 2015, William Gracie and his partner Daniel Fairbanks celebrated their
fortieth anniversary.
1809 LGBT Alumni | a legacy of Miami Pride | www.1809LGBTalumni.org
Scholarship Nomination Form | 3
Self-Nomination Form
Use this form if you are nominating yourself for a scholarship.
Your Full Legal Name
Preferred Name (if different)
Mailing Address
Email Address
Telephone Number
Banner ID
+
Major(s) and Minor(s)
Primary Campus at Miami
Anticipated Graduation Date
Cumulative GPA
Upon submitting this application, the candidate certifies he/she/ze is in good academic and conduct
standing, and gives authorization to have academic and judicial standings verified by GLBTQ
Services.
To complete this application, fill out the information above, and include the following. Please email
the application as a single PDF or Word document to the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board at
1809lgbt@miamioh.edu by May 1, 2015.
1) A current résumé of your educational, employment, and leadership activities. Please be
sure to include membership in student organizations.
2) Community Essay: (less than 500 words) How have you been involved in the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and allied community at Miami? How has it rewarded you and
contributed to your growth?
3) Personal Goals Essay: (less than 500 words) How will this scholarship help you in
achieving your academic goals? (This is an appropriate place to discuss issues of financial
need, extenuating circumstances, and academic performance.)
4) Legacy Essay: (less than 500 words) We hope that this scholarship encourages you to
continue the legacies built by the founders of the scholarships. Choose one of the people
described on the “About Our Scholarships” page, and describe the concrete things you plan
to do over the next semester that will continue this legacy.
1809 LGBT Alumni | a legacy of Miami Pride | www.1809LGBTalumni.org
Scholarship Nomination Form | 4
Nomination Form
Use this form if you are nominating another person for a scholarship.
Your Name
Your Email Address
Your Telephone Number
Nominee’s Full Legal Name
Preferred Name (if different)
Email Address
Telephone Number
Major(s) and Minor(s)
Primary Campus at Miami
Anticipated Graduation Date
To complete this application, fill out the information above, and include the following. We will
follow up with your nominee to get permission to check judicial and academic records and to
request that the nominee submit a Legacy Essay. Please email the application as a single PDF
or Word document to the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board at 1809lgbt@miamioh.edu by April 24, 2015.
1) Community Essay: (less than 500 words) How has your nominee been involved in the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied community at Miami? How has the nominee
contributed to the community?
2) Nomination Essay: (less than 500 words) Why are you nominating this person for a
scholarship? What is your connection to the nominee, and why do you consider this person
especially deserving?
3) Legacy Essay: (less than 500 words) We hope that this scholarship encourages the
community to continue the legacies built by the founders of the scholarships. Choose one of
the people described on the “About Our Scholarships” page, and describe how this nominee
is connected to this legacy.
1809 LGBT Alumni | a legacy of Miami Pride | www.1809LGBTalumni.org