Venture Review Process & Selection Criteria

venture reviewReview Process

1. Nominating letters are read by Mary Gates Endowment staff and screened for complete information and student eligibility.

• If the nomination is strong and the student and project seem to be a good fit with the Venture scholarship, the student is invited to submit a proposal and/or meet with a staff member.
• If the nomination is strong but there are questions about the suitability of the candidate or project, the faculty nominator may be contacted for further information and/or the student may be invited to meet with a staff member.
• If the nomination is weak, the faculty member is contacted and the student is not invited to submit a proposal.

2. Student proposals are evaluated internally. Strong proposals are forwarded to a committee of 4-6 faculty and staff, including individual(s) who have expertise related to the proposal. Proposals are evaluated based on the criteria (see below).

3. All candidates receive notification and are invited to receive feedback on their proposals.

The review process can take several weeks.

Selection Criteria

The candidate will have many of the following qualities:

• Strong background and ample preparation
  • Strong academic background
  • Previous research and/or leadership experience
  • Broad understanding of the research process and appropriate methodology
  • Significant relevant experience preparing the student to take on the project
  • Demonstrates a deep understanding of the context of the proposed project
• Personal characteristics
  • Passionate about the topic
  • Ambitious
  • Motivated and demonstrates initiative
  • Visionary
  • Independent thinker and learner
  • Self-reflective, understands his or her role and responsibility
  • Resourceful

The project should be:

• Innovative (original, inventive, ground-breaking)
• Ambitious - larger in scope than a project typical of a Mary Gates research or leadership scholarship, possibly requiring:
  • Significant time commitment over six or more months.
  • Management, leadership and/or research ability.
  • Creativity and resourcefulness.
  • Partnering with others.
• Useful and Meaningful, contributes to or has the potential to make a significant impact on a field of knowledge or understanding and/or the community.

Overall Proposal and Opportunity: 

• The student is prepared to take on the project and the project is developed enough for potential success.
• The student is committed to completing the project.
• The timing is appropriate and without the support of the award, the student would have difficulty or would not be able to undertake the project.
• The opportunity to engage in the project provides a powerful learning experience for the student and prepares him/her to engage at a higher level in his/her next endeavor.
• Extremely strong nomination.
• The student is in the top tier compared to Mary Gates Scholars and other high achieving undergraduates.