The Clark R. Mollenhoff Award

Purpose: To support a variety of journalistic projects, including an internship.

Funds available: Approximately $2,000.

Eligibility: Juniors majoring in Journalism or Business Journalism.

How to apply: Address applications to the department head. Include: 1) a transcript; 2) a statement explaining why you're seeking the award; 3) an outline of your project or internship; 4) your resume.

Deadline: Second week of March.

For details: See Sarah Bartlett: sbartlett@wlu.edu

Established in 1992 by his widow, Jane S. Mollenhoff, this award memorializes the extraordinary accomplishments of one of the nation's most outstanding and widely respected journalists.

After four decades of dedication to investigating and reporting on corruption and mismanagement at all levels of government, Clark Mollenhoff came to Washington and Lee University and instilled in hundreds of students that same clear-eyed determination to ferret out wrongdoing. His drive and perspective literally live on, in his former students who are reporters and editors throughout the nation.

The Clark R. Mollenhoff Award perpetuates that dedication and perspective by recognizing an outstanding journalism major at Washington and Lee University who shows unusual journalistic promise and by providing a stipend to enable that student to undertake a project of professional or academic merit.

The Clark R. Mollenhoff Award is open to junior Journalism majors. Judging is based on two factors: the student's academic and journalistic accomplishments, and a proposed academic or professional project that would be benefited by or made possible by the stipend that accompanies the award.

The nature of the proposed projects is virtually limitless -- a summer internship as a reporter or with an organization such as Investigative Reporters and Editors or the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press; trips to perform interviews or do research for an Honors paper; travel to investigate and write on an issue of public importance; doing research for an investigative reporter. Ideally, the award would make possible a worthy project that otherwise could not be undertaken, and the project would be undertaken before the recipient graduated.

Generally, the winner will report on his or her project during the Spring Term of the senior year. A certificate recognizing the Clark R. Mollenhoff Award winner will be publicly presented during the week of the student's graduation.

The stipend comes from interest on the Clark R. Mollenhoff Award endowment fund, established by his widow and augmented by former colleagues, friends and students.