Stephen Lynn Smith (1944-2009) was born in Cedar Rapids and raised in nearby Marion. A 1963 graduate of Marion High School, he enrolled that summer in the ROTC program at the State University of Iowa (the original name of the University of Iowa), majoring in engineering. Perhaps influenced by the 1963 March on Washington that August, Steve embraced the Civil Rights Movement. He soon joined the local chapter of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and in 1964 participated in Freedom Summer, an effort to register African Americans in Mississippi to vote. He was one of more than 800 volunteers from across the country.

Two awards of $4000 each are given to students who demonstrate a commitment to the principles of social justice and progress. This award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Applications must include:

• Application Form
• A one-page statement describing your academic or career goals, and some ways in which these reflect a concern for social justice.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Unofficial transcripts of UI coursework

Kris Lippke was a University of Iowa undergraduate student one month away from graduating with a minor in Women’s Studies when a serious car accident changed the course of her life. In her memory the Lippke family has established a scholarship to be awarded to undergraduate students majoring in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) or Social Justice Studies (SJUS).

The 2024-2025 Kristin K. Lippke Scholarship will provide two awards in the amount of $4000 each to GWSS or SJUS majors based on academic merit and financial need.

Please note – this award will be distributed during the next academic year (2024-25); recipients must be enrolled as either a part-time or full-time GWSS or SJUS major during both semesters.

Applications must include:

• Application form
• A one-page statement describing your academic or career goals, and some ways in which these reflect a concern for women's lives
• Two letters of recommendation
• unofficial transcript(s) of undergraduate work

This scholarship honors Adah Johnson, one of the first black women students to graduate from the University of Iowa (1912) and Otilia Marie Fernandez, one of the first Hispanic women to graduate (1924).

The 2024-25 Johnson/Fernandez Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate woman student of color who has taken courses in the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies or whose academic interests include some aspect of women’s culture or experience.

One award of $1000 will be given.

Applications must include:

• Application form
• A one page statement describing your academic or career goals, and the ways in which these reflect a concern for women's lives
• Two letters of recommendation
• Unofficial transcripts