It is the applicant's responsibility to have submitted, by the deadline, six copies of their application package.   Components of the package can not be received separately.  They should be placed in the following order:

• Completed Application, Form A

• A curriculum vitae

• Two faculty references. Students should submit a signed copy of Form B for each reference as part of their application packets and also give a copy of the form to the faculty members writing a letter, since it explains what information the letter is supposed to supply about you and your application. Students should ask faculty members to send their reference letters directly to the Spencer RTG secretary Marian Stoll, either in hard copy or as an e-mail attachment. (Fellows applying for a second year of funding can submit either one or two references. One letter should come from the fellow's primary mentor in the program; a letter from a second mentor is optional.

• Use Form C to write a statement (5 pages maximum, single-spaced, 12-point type) about your background, your professional interests and plans for a research career, your research program for the Fellowship year including writing, apprenticeship opportunities, and the research or other interest groups in which you plan to participate (i.e. "communities of learners"). Be sure that your statement includes a title for your research program. Current Spencer Fellows applying for a second year of funding should include in the statement an account of what has been accomplished thus far during your Fellowship year, a sample of work completed, and an account of what added benefits the second year would provide in research experience and abilities. Be sure your statement includes a title for your second year research program.    

• A student copy of a graduate-level work transcript (no undergraduate transcripts).  Please note: We do not need an official copy of the transcript. You can ask Spencer RTG Secretary Marian Stoll to print a copy of your MSU transcript off SIS. If there are any incomplete or deferred grades on the transcript, please explain. 

• One sample of your recent scholarly writing: a research-based report, a course paper, or document (e.g., a selection from a Master's thesis, an unpublished research paper).  In the case of multiple authorship, show your contribution to the work (1-2 paragraphs).  Please limit the writing sample to 25 pages double-spaced.

• When preparing your application materials, please keep in mind the following:  Use only white printer paper, 8 1/2 x 11.  Do not staple or bind the materials in any way.  Fancy paper and unusual bindings are not accepted.  Prepare 6 identical packets of material, organized in the order shown above: Form A, CV, reference letter(s), Form B, Form C, transcript, and writing sample.  Clip each packet separately and give the 6 packets to Marian Stoll.  Please do not include additional information in your packet.  All materials must be typewritten.  Font size must be at least 12 point and margins must be at least one inch on all sides.  Packets that contain longer statements more than 5 pages for the statement, or more materials than requested will be disqualified and returned to the applicant.

Application Deadline

The application package (six copies) must be received by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 20, 2006.  No applications will be accepted after 9:00 a.m. that day.  All applications must be complete at the time of delivery.

Deliver the application package to:

Marian Stoll
MSU/Spencer RTG Program Secretary
116 Erickson Hall
Phone: (517) 353-6418
Email: mlstoll@msu.edu