David S. Roth Memorial Scholarship for Writing

Concord University students with a passion for writing are invited to put their talents to work in the David S. Roth Memorial Scholarship, which awards $500 to the winner of a writing competition.

According to the scholarship’s website, http://academics.concord.edu/rothscholarship/, “Dr. David S. Roth taught English and journalism courses in the Division of Languages and Literature at Concord University from 1969 to 1986.”

“The David S. Roth Memorial Scholarship is funded by donations and by the entry fees for the annual David S. Roth Memorial 5K Walk/Run, a CU SGA-sponsored activity. The 2015 Roth 5K is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28,” explained Dr. Jonathan Berkey, Chair of the David S. Roth Memorial Scholarship Competition and Associate Professor of History.

Aside from the obvious benefits of scholarship money and the prestige of winning the writing competition, the Memorial 5K holds other benefits for students and other participants. “The walk/run is a nice stress reliever, practically on the eve of final exams, and that time of the year it’d be nice to get outside. We have trophy mugs for those who rank highest in each category. The first one-hundred people who sign up will get a free t-shirt. This is all thanks to SGA funding,” said Dr. Elizabeth Roth, wife of the late Dr. David Roth.

Berkey explains how the judging of the competition works. “Applicants for the David S. Roth Memorial Scholarship send in a 500 word essay, which is judged by a panel of Concord faculty. Most applicants submit work that they have completed for a class, but any writing sample is acceptable,” he said.

The rules and guidelines for the competition are simple. “Students must be enrolled at Concord for the academic year that follows the scholarship competition. A winner could use the scholarship monies to apply to summer courses and the fall semester if they are graduating in December,” Berkey explained.

However, the process of finding a winner does not end after the initial application. “Based on the judges’ evaluation of the sample essays, a group of finalists is chosen. Those finalists participate in an extemporaneous writing session where they write on a choice of prompts based on a packet of assigned readings,” he said.

“The readings packet is sent to the finalists when they are notified of their status. This second round of the competition is judged by a panel of Concord faculty to determine the winner of the scholarship competition,” Berkey continued.

The competition for this year has already begun, as the deadline for applications was March 6. This means that the rest of the process will soon be underway, and there will be a new scholarship winner by the end of the semester.

“All applicants, including the winner of the scholarship are notified of their status by the end of the spring semester. While only the winner receives the scholarship, there are runners-up and honorable mentions,” said Berkey.

This scholarship is not only for those with majors that involve writing or written communication, since this is a skill that is used in most professions in some capacity. “I really like that the competition promotes good writing, which is essential for success in the modern world,” Berkey said.

“I’m very grateful that the scholarship is helping the students who receive the award each year. I’m also happy to hear from students who participated in the competition. They found the selections interesting and the topics thought provoking,” said Roth.

Even though not every student can be the first place finisher, those who participate gain valuable writing experience and an excellent qualification to add to a resume. “I feel sure that David Roth would be happy to see the writing skills of the students being awarded. Even some of those who don’t get the award and are finalists can still put that on their resumes,” said Roth.

“I’d like to stress again that even if a student doesn’t win the competition, the achievement of runner up or honorable mention is something that he or she could put on his or her resume,” agreed Berkey.

Although Dr. Berkey is often the contact for the scholarship, he is not the only one involved. “I have always had a lot of respect for Dr. Liz Roth and appreciate her dedication and contributions to Concord, so to work with her in organizing and promoting the competition is something I am glad to be involved in,” said Berkey.

“I would also like to acknowledge that it has been great to work with committee members and judges including Dr. Liz Roth, Dr. Thomas McKenna, and Dr. Stephen Rowe.

For students who did not get the chance to apply this year, the scholarship competition will take place again next year. To learn more information about the scholarship, visit the scholarship’s website http://academics.concord.edu/rothscholarship/.