Funding opportunity:
Wisconsin Potato Industry Board-Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
2010-11 Academic Year
The College has a Wisconsin Potato Industry Board-Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate
Fellowship to award for the 2010-11 academic year. We are pleased to issue this call for
nominations. This Fellowship was endowed for the purpose of funding a graduate fellowship in
potato research.
The recipient of this award must be a full-time graduate student enrolled in the College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and must be participating in potato research. Preference
shall be given to students in the Departments of Horticulture, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soil
Science, Life Sciences Communications, and Agricultural and Applied Economics, but
outstanding students from other disciplines that are doing potato research will be considered.
The recipient is also expected to participate in meetings and events of the potato industry.
1) Nomination materials should include the application cover page (see attachment), the
student’s curriculum vitae, the student’s graduate transcript, a one-page research project
description written for a non-specialist by the candidate, and a nomination letter from the major
advisor. Research publications that are submitted, in press or published, may be added to the
nomination package.
2) Nominees selected will hold the fellowship for one year, September 1, 2010, through
August 31, 2011.
3) Nominations will be reviewed by a panel representing CALS and the Wisconsin Potato
Industry Board. The panel will recommend a recipient to the Dean of CALS.
4) ONE copy of the nomination is due Friday, February 19, 2010, in 240Agricultural Hall,
CALS Research Division.
Please contact Ray Guries (2-0449 rpguries@wisc.edu) or Carol Hillmer (5-5495
chillmer@cals.wisc.edu) if you have questions about the nomination process. We look forward
to receiving outstanding nominations for the Wisconsin Potato Industry Board-Wisconsin
Distinguished Graduate Fellowship.
Frequently asked questions for College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Fellowship opportunities

For college fellowships, such as the Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship and the
Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences, what are the
nomination limitations for departments?
o Departments may submit one nominee for each opportunity.
o It is permitted for Departments to nominate the same candidate for multiple fellowship
competitions, but only one nomination may be submitted per department within each pool.

Dissertators / Non-dissertators – which fellowships are we eligible for?
o Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowships (the Thomsen’s) – Dissertators only.
o Senator Robert Caldwell Graduate Fellowship in Agricultural and Life Sciences –
Dissertators and Non-dissertators are eligible.
o Richard M. Heins Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship – Dissertators and Nondissertators are eligible.
o Wisconsin Potato Industry Board-Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship –
Dissertators and Non-dissertators are eligible.

I hold a Director appointment in CALS, however, I do not hold a tenured faculty appointment in
the College. Would a student I mentor be eligible for nomination?
o Unfortunately, no – since you do not hold a tenured appointment in CALS, your student
would not be eligible for these fellowship opportunities.

Graduate transcripts are required – are original/official transcripts required, or are copies
acceptable.
o Copies may be included -- if the review committee desires original/official transcripts at
time of review, you will be contacted at that time.

Does a nominee have to have ALREADY passed their preliminary exam at the time of
application, or can the student take and pass the preliminary exam before the fellowship begins?
o The nominee does NOT have to have already passed their preliminary exam at time of
application, but they DO have to have passed their preliminary exam before the
fellowship begins.

Do I need to include transcripts for both my Masters and PhD work or just PhD work?
o Transcripts for both Masters and PhD work are required.

What signatures are required on the application?
o The student’s major advisor must sign the letter of recommendation.
o The Department Chair for the Department under which the nomination is being submitted
must sign the cover page of the nomination package.

A list of research publications that are submitted, in press, or published may be added to the
nomination package – are copies of the publications/papers to be attached to the nomination
package?
o No, do NOT include copies of publications/papers in the nomination package.
o Note: Students should NOT include “manuscripts in preparation” in their listing of
publications.

May I include support letters other than the advisor’s letter?
o No – the only letter of support to be included is the nomination letter from the student’s
major advisor.
Cover Page – Page 1 of Nomination Package
Application for
Wisconsin Potato Industry Board-Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
2010-11
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Student Name:
Department and Degree
Program:
Major Professor:
Campus Address:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Date of Entry into Graduate
Program:
Date of Successful
Completion of Preliminary
Examination:
Expected Date of Completion
of Graduate Program:
UW Grade Point Average for
Didactic* Courses Taken as a
Graduate Student:
Department Chair’s Signature/Date:
Signature of the Department Chair verifies that this application is the sole nomination from the
department and verifies dissertator status of the applicant.
* Note: For calculation of this grade point average, do not count independent study, internship, or seminar courses.