Applications are now being accepted for the Bill Miller BFA Scholarship for Diversity in Creative Writing, established in 2023 to provide scholarship support for students pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
Applicants should be undergraduate students—either full-time or part-time, in-state or out-of-state—should demonstrate academic merit and financial need, and should respond to the following essay prompt: “Please share your commitment to diversity within the creative writing field.”
The recipient will be selected by a committee coordinated by Mason Creative Writing staff and appointed by the Dean in coordination with the Office of Student Financial Aid. This scholarship is renewable.
All applications must be submitted using the application portal here:
https://gmu.academicworks.com/opportunities/6158
Submission deadline is March 1, 2024.
The scholarship—the first of its kind aimed at undergraduate writers—is named for Bill Miller, MFA ’87, who served the George Mason University community for 33 years and was Director of Creative Writing from 1992 to 2018. He remains on the board of the Cheuse Center for International Writers and Fall for the Book, which he founded in 1998. During his time at Mason, he spearheaded the creation of Mason BFA programs, one of the few such undergraduate programs in the country.
“That this scholarship has been named after me is a great honor, not something I deserve, but I was willing, more than willing, as a way of separating it from more general funds and giving purpose to fundraising efforts,” said Miller. “Mason students deserve far more financial support than the university can afford on its own. This small scholarship, if it is nurtured and can grow, will be able to help support and recruit students to Mason’s BFA program in creative writing. I hope others will join in supporting that purpose.”
If you have questions about the scholarship or the application process, please reach out to one of the following members of the creative writing admin team:
- Gregg Wilhelm, Director, Mason Creative Writing gwilhelm@gmu.edu
- Art Taylor, Assistant Director, Mason Creative Writing etaylori@gmu.edu
- Laura Scott, Advisor, BFA and English Majors lscott@gmu.edu
September 15, 2023