The deadline to apply for the Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship is April 1, 2025. 
Please see below for information on scholarship eligibility and criteria. 

HISTORY AND OVERVIEW

Written by Judith Lorber, read about Beth B. Hess’s groundbreaking work at the Jewish Women’s Archive. 

The SWS Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to an advanced sociology Ph.D. student, preferably in the last year of their program, who began their study in a community college or technical school. A student advanced to candidacy (ABD status) in an accredited Ph.D. program in sociology is eligible to apply if they studied at a U.S. two-year college either part-time or full-time for the equivalent of at least one full academic year that was not part of a high-school dual-enrollment or enrichment program. Students who attended the international equivalent of a U.S. two-year college are also welcome to apply.

The Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship is an SWS award that also receives support from The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) and the American Sociological Association (ASA) as a result of Beth B. Hess’s significant contributions to the discipline and corresponding associations. In addition to her other contributions, SWS also honors her roles as a founding member of Gender & Society and as a mentor (recipient of SWS’s coveted award in 1997).  

The Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship of $18,000 (for the academic year) is from Sociologists for Women in Society. The award recipient will also receive a certificate from SWS, a $500 travel grant to attend SWS’s annual Winter Meeting, a $500 travel grant to attend ASA’s and SSSP’s annual summer meeting, and a one-year complimentary SWS membership. The $18,000 is disbursed in two payments during the academic year ($9000 by August 31st and $9000 at the annual Winter Meeting). 

The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) also honors the awardee with a one-year complimentary membership and waived meeting registration for their Annual Meeting, where the awardee and honorable mention will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony. SSSP also provides a $300 stipend to be used toward travel to their annual summer meeting. 

ASA joins SWS and SSSP in honoring the awardee by providing  a one year of membership, a $500 travel award, and waived registration for the ASA Annual Meeting.

Summary Table of Award Benefits

*Summer travel stipends combined means that award recipient has up to $1,300 to defray the cost of travel to ASA and SSSP annual meetings.

A Note on Honorable Mention Awardees

Up to two honorable mention awardees may be selected. A total of $3,500 award is available for the honorable mention awardee (an amount shared if two awardees are selected). Honorable mention awardees receive a complimentary one-year SWS membership and are celebrated at the SWS annual meeting. Honorable mention awardees are required to submit a report (1 page max) on the work completed during the scholarship year and how the funds were spent no later than August 30 of the year following the award. This report should be emailed to the Awards Chair at: awards@socwomen.org.

WHAT WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR

• Commitment to teaching, especially at a community college or other institution serving under-represented and historically marginalized students.
• Research and/or activism in social inequality, social justice, or social problems, with a focus on gender and/or gerontology being especially positive.
• Service to the academic and/or local community, including mentoring.
• High quality research and writing in the application.

The award is intended to provide support to a student in the last year of their program. Applicants should have completed data collection and be at the final writing stage of the dissertation. Candidates who are already in the writing stage and apparently near completion will be prioritized.

All previous applicants, including honorable mention awardees, remain eligible to re-apply one more time.

All applications are due no later than April 1 of the calendar year at 11:59 pm ET.

THE APPLICATION

Applications for the award must be submitted via the SWS MemberClicks system at https://sws.memberclicks.net/sws25award in one PDF file.

Any questions should be directed to the Awards Chair at: awards@socwomen.org.

Applications must contain the following items in the following order:

1. A cover sheet with:
   • Name and full contact information, including phone and email address.
   • Current academic affiliation, with years attended and expected degree date
   • Community college, technical school, or international equivalent of a U.S. two-year college attended, with years and number of credits completed
   • Name and contact information for graduate faculty reference
     
     
2. A letter of application (no more than 2 pages) describing:
   • The student’s decision to study sociology
   • Commitment to teaching
   • Career goals
   • Research agenda
   • Service and activism
   • Dissertation project, including clear indicators of progress to date and future timeline (this summary statement should be approximately 1 page)
   • A description of challenges overcome by the candidate, how these experiences have shaped their service, teaching, and research related to social justice, inequality, or social problems, and their continuing commitment to helping others to overcome challenges specific to them. In recent years these challenges have included family drug use, social class, immigration status, racial minoritization, nonconforming sexuality, etc.
   • Financial need and a general overview of how the scholarship funds would be used (a budget is not required)
   • For students who attended the non-US equivalent of a U.S. two-year college, please include a brief institutional description.
   • (Optional) A description of a community/technical college faculty member who contributed in a significant way to the decision to study sociology or pursue higher education
     
     
3. Full curriculum vitae, including all schools, degrees awarded, dates/years of study, and full or part-time status in each.
   

Applicants should also arrange for the following items to be submitted via the Member Portal. The items below must clearly state the applicant’s name.

1. A letter from a department representative (advisor, dissertation committee member, or graduate director) confirming advancement to candidacy (ABD status/indication of a successful defense of the dissertation proposal) in a sociology Ph.D. program. ABD status is required.
   
   
2. A letter of recommendation from a sociologist who is familiar with the stage of dissertation completion and is knowledgeable about how the applicant fits the award criteria.
   
   
3. Transcripts (official or unofficial) from the community or technical college attended.

All applications are due no later than April 1 of the calendar year at 11:59 pm ET.

For any questions contact the Awards Chair at: awards@socwomen.org.

RESPONSIBILITES OF THE RECIPIENT

• Attend the SWS annual Winter Meeting. The recipient receives complimentary registration and a $500 stipend to cover travel expenses to this meeting. If the award recipient needs assistance with arranging their travel to the annual meeting, they can contact the Executive Officer, and the travel arrangements will be made on their behalf using the travel stipend.
• Submit a brief report (3 pages max) on the work completed during the scholarship year and how the funds were spent, no later than August 30th, about 1 month after the end of the award period. This report should be emailed to the Awards Committee Chair at awards@socwomen.org.

CONTACT

For questions/inquiries, please contact the Awards Committee Chair at awards@socwomen.org.