Awards & Scholarships

The Psychology Department offers several award and scholarship opportunities for psychology students. Read the descriptions below for each, including award criteria and eligibility.

John Kramer Awards

East Stroudsburg University graduate John Kramer '02 found his niche in the field of psychology while completing his degree here. John passed away in the summer of 2003 – he was working on his Master's degree in psychology at West Chester University.

John's parents and others have contributed to a fund to honor his memory and recognize his love for psychology.

Two awards are given in his name:

The John Kramer Science Award

This award recognizes the outstanding poster presented at the Psychology Department Biannual Research Forum. Posters based upon classroom research activities are evaluated by a judging committee of psychology faculty members. Judges assess the logical coherence and scientific integrity of the presentations, as well as the poster's adherence to APA style. Award recipients are given a certificate recognizing their accomplishment and their names are included on a plaque displayed in the Psychology Department.

The John Kramer Service Award

This award recognizes a psychology major's service in the area of psychology to the university, department, and community. Each spring semester, psychology majors who have completed at least 75 credit hours toward their degrees are nominated and considered for the award by full–time members of the Psychology Department. The faculty assess the nominee's contributions to service in the field, taking into account activities such as volunteer work in community agencies and participation in the activities of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology and the student Psychology Association. Award recipients receive a cash award, a certificate recognizing their accomplishment, and their names are included on a plaque displayed in the Psychology Department.

Hodge Family Scholarship for Psychology Majors

Scholarship Award

The scholarship will consist of a $1000 monetary award that can be applied directly to your tuition for the next academic year.

Eligibility Requirements

1. The applicant must be a currently enrolled Psychology major of at least junior class rank (a minimum of 60 earned credit hours at time of application).
2. The applicant must have a major grade point average of 3.0 or better and an overall grade point average of at least 2.75 or better.
3. The applicant must demonstrate active participation in Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology and/or the student Psychology Association. Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate activity in at least one other university-wide organization.

Application Process

Online applications for the Hodge Family Scholarship will be accepted beginning March 1st and no later than March 31st of each spring semester. Applications received before or after March of the current spring semester will not be eligible for consideration. The award will be made for the following academic year.

Drago Family Scholarship Award

The Drago Family Scholarship Award, given by the family of Anthony Drago, Ed.D., chair and distinguished professor of psychology, is a monetary scholarship awarded to a counseling psychology student who exemplifies academic excellence.

Selection Process

Scholarship recipients will be selected annually in the fall semester by a committee of full-time faculty members from the Psychology Department.  The award will be credited to the recipient's tuition and fees for the following spring semester.

Amount of Award

The scholarship is for $1000 and may be split between multiple students at the discretion of the selection committee.

Criteria for Selection

Candidates must be full-time, undergraduate students majoring in psychology with a counseling concentration. The scholarship will be awarded to the senior(s) with the highest grade point average (GPA) who is(are) completing their internship(s) in the spring semester and will be graduating in May.

Disbursements

The scholarship will be paid through the ESU Foundation on behalf of each student selected using its standard procedure for transferring funds to ESU.