Bilinski Foundation Fellowship

Bilinski Foundation Fellowship

Overview

Bilinski Fellowships include a $33,000 stipend for each award period, which is for a year and two months (May 15 to July 15) and a stipend for health insurance. Applicants must be full‐time doctoral students in one of the above programs, having completed all qualifying departmental examinations and course requirements at UNM and advanced to candidacy. Fellowship recipients must have defended their dissertation prospectuses in the semester before their applications are due or earlier and must commit to defending their dissertations within the term of the award. Fellowship funds will not be awarded if the dissertation has already been substantially completed.


Eligibility & Criteria

To be awarded a Bilinski Fellowship, and to remain a Bilinski Fellow, and to be eligible to receive fellowship funds, each recipient must meet and agree to ALL of the following:

  • Be a full‐time doctoral student in one of the humanities graduate programs, who has passed all qualifying examinations and course requirements at UNM and advanced to candidacy.
  • Maintain good academic standing at all times.
  • Have demonstrated exceptional ability and potential in his or her field of study
  • Be a student who needs financial support to complete his or her degree.
  • For each semester (including summer periods) in which Fellowship funds are provided, must devote full‐time effort toward dissertation completion.
  • Abide by the University of New Mexico Academic Code of Conduct.

Additional Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, awarded and remain a Bilinski Fellow, in addition to other eligibility criteria set forth herein, a recipient must be a United States citizen or a Permanent Resident eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.


Application Process

Applicants must submit the following materials online by 5:00 p.m. on March 1, 2025. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Required Materials to Apply

  1. The Bilinski Fellowship Application Cover Sheet must be signed by the applicant and the applicant’s advisor
  2. FAFSA Confirmation - Complete an online FAFSA application, which should be filed no later than March 1, 2025 at studentaid.gov/fafsa-apply. To show this was completed, include a copy of the email confirmation sent by FAFSA.
  3. Financial Disclosure Form 
  4. Professional Goals Statement - One‐page statement of the applicant’s professional goals as they relate to the advancement of the humanities.
  5. Dissertation Proposal - A proposal describing the dissertation that includes the following sections: proposal narrative (10 pages), bibliography (2 pages), timetable for completion (1 page), all double‐spaced.
  6. Transcripts - Unofficial transcripts from all post‐secondary academic coursework.
  7. CV - Curriculum vitae containing applicant’s previous education, teaching and research experience, along with awards or honors.
  8. Candidacy Status - Letter from the Department Graduate Program Director or the UNM Office of Graduate Studies certifying the applicant has advanced to candidacy status or will do so by the March 1 application deadline.
  9. IRB Statement - Status statement on the submission of the dissertation proposal to the UNM Institutional Review Board, or alternatively, a statement as to why the proposed research is not subject to IRB review.
  10. Recommendation Letters - Two recommendation letters on departmental letterhead, submitted confidentially by recommender to bilinski@unm.edu. One letter must be from the dissertation chair addressing the applicant’s ability to complete the dissertation in the time period allowed by the fellowship.
  11. Signed Fellow’s Agreement Form for Use of Bilinski Fellowship Funds
  12. Signed Statement from the Applicant’s Dissertation Chair

How-To Submit Application Materials

Log on to your UNM account. Click the link below (or copy and paste in the web browser) to access the UNM Bilinski Fellowships Applicant Site. To create a new application, click New+ and then Item. Complete all required fields, upload your application materials in PDF format and Save your application. Select Edit all (pencil icon) to make edits, delete or upload attachments and Save your changes. To close your application, click My Accounts in the upper right corner and select Sign Out.

https://unmm.sharepoint.com/teams/artsci/bf

Before uploading your application materials, convert all documents to PDF format and label them as listed below with applicant’s last name.

Cover Sheet _Last Name.pdf
FAFSA Confirmation _Last Name.pdf
Financial Disclosure _Last Name.pdf
Goals _Last Name.pdf
Dissertation Proposal _Last Name.pdf
Transcripts _Last Name.pdf
CV _Last Name.pdf
Candidacy Status _Last Name.pdf
IRB _Last Name.pdf
Rec 1_Last Name.pdf
Rec 2_Last Name.pdf
Use of Funds _Last Name.pdf
Chair Statement _Last Name.pdf


Selection Process

The Bilinski Fellowship Selection Committee will select top doctoral fellows based on the eligibility criteria presented above with an emphasis on both merit and financial need, as well as additional information included in the student’s application packet. The duration of the fellowship may be determined at the discretion of the Bilinski Fellowship Selection Committee. Fellowship recipients will be announced the first week of May 2024.

For additional information, email bilinski@unm.edu.

View Bilinski Foundation Fellowship Recipients

About the
Bilinski Educational Foundation

Russell J. and Dorothy S. Bilinski's goal in life was to be independent and challenged intellectually. They strongly believed in people being self-sufficient, ambitious, and above all, responsible. Both Russell and Dorothy were true intellectuals, as well as being adventuresome, independent and driven. Russell was a researcher, academician and an entrepreneur. Dorothy was an accomplished artist and patron of the arts. Russell and Dorothy believed that education was a means to obtain independence, and this is the legacy they wished to pass on to others.

In furtherance of that goal, when Russell and Dorothy died, they left a significant gift for the formation of a nonprofit corporate foundation. The Bilinski Educational Foundation seeks to fulfill this legacy by providing fellowship funds for post-secondary education for students who have demonstrated, and are likely to maintain, both the highest academic achievement and good moral character, but who lack the financial resources to complete their post-secondary education.