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Student Scholarships and Awards

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SLIS Awards

Anna M. Roberts Award for Scholarship, Service, and Professionalism, named in honor of Anna Roberts, the first Professor and first Chair of Library Science department, is given to a graduate of the previous year, majoring in Library Science, who possesses an outstanding scholastic record, who provides evidence of distinguished service to the School of Library and Information Science, the University, and the Community, and who displays promise and leadership in the field of library science.

2025 - Amy Vessella
2024 – Eleanor Bishop
2023 – Regina Dewitt
2022 – Clista Shamley
2021 – Bethanie Finger
2020 – Laura Schreiber
2019 – Barbara Bera

Warren Tracy Award for Professionalism, Scholarship, and Service, named in honor of Warren Francis Tracy, USM Professor Emeritus of Library Science, is given to a graduate MLIS student of the previous year who possesses an outstanding scholastic record, who provides evidence of distinguished service to the School of Library and Information Science, and who displays professional promise and leadership in the field of library science.

2025 - Josh Cromwell
2024 – Phadre Hocker
2023 – Laura Schreiber
2022 – Sarah Hodge-Wetherbe
2021 – Laura Valliant
2020 – Rachel McMullen
2019 – Alex Brower

The Dorothy “Liz” Haynes Emerging Leaders Award is given to an undergraduate student, majoring in Library Science, who has shown promise as an emerging leader in the field. This can apply to either in a library, archive, museums, or within the USM SLIS program, who has been nominated by faculty from the previous or current academic year.

2025 - Georgia Campbell

The Teresa Welsh Emerging Leaders Award is given to a graduate MLIS student, who has demonstrated leadership skills in the field of archive, museums, or libraries from the previous or current academic year, and who has been nominated by faculty from the previous or current academic year.

2025- Sara Gonzalez

The SLIS Graduate Certificate Award is given to a graduate student who has shown promising research skills or creative skills as a student enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Archives and Special Collections or the Graduate Certificate in Youth Services and Literature, who has been nominated by faculty from the previous or current academic year.

2025 - Dusti Falgoust

National Scholarships, Awards

ALA Association for Library Service to Children Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship

Kalsye Baudoin, 2024

American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship

Jordan M. Jones, 2023

Association for Rural & Small Libraries Dr. Bernard Vavrek Scholarship

Hannah Hobbs, 2021

ALA Student-to-Staff Program

Whitney Baswell, 2019

Library Journal Movers & Shakers

Eryn Duffee (Advocates), 2023

Southern Miss SLIS Scholarships

Dr. Elizabeth Haynes LIS Scholarship

2022 – Robert McRae
2021 – Matthew Fillingame
2020 – Carl Jared Ziegler

Dr. Teresa S. Welsh LIS Scholarship

2024 – Grace Beikman, Phoebe Thomas
2023 – Joy Doukas, Katelyn Thornton
2022 – Jaleesa Kennedy
2021 – Caroline Akers

Molline Mayfield Keyes Scholarship

2022 – Jovonne Carr, Lara Taylor
2021 – Savannah Covarrubias, Anna Morgan
2020 – Elizabeth Latham, Vanessa Armstrong
2019 – Michael Emerson, Cherry Lockett

H. W. Wilson Foundation Scholarship

2021 – Therese Rose Beranis, Victoria Patrick
2020 – Laura Valliant, Chrystal Coon
2019 – Deborah Thompson, Dustin Cotton

School of Library and Information Science Scholarship

2022 – Alicia Bass
2021 – Jennifer Ottinger
2020 – Jennifer Ottinger
2019 – Candace Burkett

Beta Phi Mu Beta Psi Chapter Scholarship

2022- Amanda Osborne
2021 – Bridy Foster
2019 – Kate Dutro

Mississippi Scholarships

Mississippi Library Commission Public Librarian Scholarships

2021 – Mandy Hornsby, Cynthia Hudson, Megan Miller, Loraine Walker, Meridith Wulff

Mississippi Library Association Scholarships

Until Peggy May's tragic and untimely death in 1974, she traveled the state to support library colleagues in small and large libraries to develop library services for its citizens. The Peggy May Scholarship was established to honor her dedication to librarianship and her commitment to recruit talented individuals to the profession. The award of about $1,000 is made to a qualified graduate student currently enrolled or admitted in the Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science.

2024 – Kimberly Bonner
2023 – Erica Will
2022 – Lara Taylor
2021 – Anita Winger
2020 – Amanda Osborne
2019 – Rachel Long

The Virgia Brocks-Shedd Scholarship is awarded by the MLA Black Caucus Roundtable (BCRT) in honor of the late Virgia Brocks-Shedd who devoted 26 years of outstanding service to the humanities. This award is made annually to a minority student and is a one-time, non-renewable award paid directly to the recipient. The recipient must attend the Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science.

2024 – Tiffany Smith
2023 – Kim Blackett
2022 – Contaka Norman
2021 – Erik Cebrian
2019 – Shirley Ginn

Central Mississippi Library Council (CMLC) Scholarship

2020 – Amy Lee
2019 – Diana Brown

IMLS-Funded MInority Scholarship Initiative, 2009-2012

In 2009, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded a grant of $429,388.00 to Southern Miss SLIS to fund a minority scholarship initiative to increase the number of underrepresented minority librarians in the state. Through targeted recruiting of minority undergraduates in Mississippi's universities and colleges, the project awarded 10 IMLS-funded scholarships to minority students. All 10 recipients earned a MLIS degree and are working as professional librarians in a variety of libraries.