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Department of
French and Italian

wide shot of Cinque Terre, many colorful houses on a hilltop by the ocean

Awards

Jane L. Drushal Memorial Scholarship

Established in memory of Jayne L. Drushal, a French major at Vanderbilt who died at a young age, a cash award is given to one or more students accepted for study in a francophone country for the spring, summer, or fall semester.

Please return your application to the department office in 215 Furman Hall.

Deadlines:

  • November 15 (spring study abroad)
  • March 31 (fall and summer study abroad)

The Franklin Brooks Memorial Award

Established in 1994 in memory of a much-loved faculty member and director of the former Vanderbilt-in-France program, a cash award is given to one or more students accepted for study in a francophone country for the spring, summer, or fall semester.

Please return your application to the department office in 215 Furman Hall.

Deadlines:

  • November 15 (spring study abroad)
  • March 31 (fall and summer study abroad)

The Jacqueline Wachs Essay

The award was established in 1999 by the Department of French and Italian in memory of Jaqueline Wachs, who taught French from 1966 to 1994. The prize is a cash award for the best essay submitted by an undergraduate.

Students are invited to submit a critical essay (topic open) of approximately 5 pages. The essay should be written specifically for the competition but may be a revised paper from a class taken at Vanderbilt. All entries will be judged on originality, rigor of argument, grammar, and idiomatic expression.

Please return your application to the department office in 215 Furman Hall.

Deadline: March 29

The Gardner Prize

The Gardner Prize was endowed in 1980 by Grace Gardner in memory of her husband, treasurer emeritus of Vanderbilt. The cash award is given to a graduating senior for excellence in French. This award is made by the faculty and has no formal application procedure.

The C. Maxwell Lancaster Award

This award was endowed in 1991 with a gift from Professor Luigi Monga to honor the memory of C. Maxwell Lancaster, professor of French and Italian from 1939 to 1976. It is a medal awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in Italian. This award is made by the faculty and has no formal application procedure.