William A. Solemene Foundation Scholarship

William A. Solemene Foundation Scholarship

William A. Solemene was a long time Dallas advertising executive. He was generous in his philanthropy and active in civic service and party politics. He was active at the state and national level in the Air Force Association and for many years he served as Public Affairs Director of the Dallas Veterans Day Parade. In sponsoring this scholarship, the William A. Solemene Foundation wishes to honor the spirit of active citizenship and love of country that was such an important part of his life.

Deadline:

Deadline for submission is April 7, 2019. Winners will be announced May 6, 2019. Due to the generosity of the William A. Solemene Foundation, the University of Dallas has $25,000 available to award scholarships to multiple students.

Qualifications:

1. Applicant must be a current University of Dallas undergraduate with at least 15 credit hours but not more than 110 credit hours earned at UD.
2. Applicant must be a Liberal Arts major.
3. Applicant must have submitted a FAFSA for the current aid year.

Requirements: 

1. 800-1,200 word essay - see topic below. Line spacing for the essay should be at 1 1/2 lines. Do not include personal identification in the essay. Only include your UD student ID number at the top of your essay. Essay must be uploaded within the application.
   
2. A letter of recommendation from a University of Dallas professor. This letter may be uploaded with your application or emailed (either by the applicant or directly from the professor) to finaid@udallas.edu. If the letter is emailed, the subject line of the email must be: Solemene Scholarship, ID (insert the applicant's UD ID number).

Topic of William A. Solemene Foundation Scholarship, Spring 2019

How to Prepare for the Challenges to Citizenship in Twenty-First Century America

Write a reflective essay on the twenty-first century challenges to citizenship in the United States of America. Within the context of these reflections, consider how one might best prepare for the answering these challenges. The points below list a variety of perspectives on the topic of citizenship. They are offered simply as suggestions or possible prompts. None of them are required. Feel free to develop your essay in whatever way allows you to best reflect on the twenty-first century challenges to citizenship in the United States of America, and how one might best prepare for answering these challenges.

1. Preparation can be seen as the responsibility of a wide range of agents: the individual citizen; the family, school, university; elders or leaders in social, civil, religious associations. 
2. Focus can be directed to a wide variety of ways that citizenship might show itself or call for action: personal habits, expectations, virtues; regard for civic and political leaders and institutions; acts of service at the levels of neighborhood, local civic associations, state and nation.
3. Issues of concern might include: tension between what is owed to Caesar and what to God; the opposition between the cosmopolitan perspective of humankind throughout the world and the nationalist concerns for the people of one’s more local community and nation; the vices or darker side to the spirit of citizenship.
4. What sorts of education might best provide the experience, learning, ideals and judgment needed for vibrant spirit of citizenship? 
5. Other direction of your choosing.

Once you have your essay and letter of recommendation from a UD professor ready, submit your application here.