Scholarships and financial aid
The annual Wayne State University Scholarship Application period runs from Oct. 1 through March 1. Applicants will be considered for the scholarships listed below, as well as the scholarships available throughout the university, by using just one application.
Departmental scholarships
Aaron Irving Geselis Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Sociology
This memorial scholarship is dedicated to Aaron Geselis – a man very interested in how society functioned and in what way he could help it function even better.
This fund was established to recognize scholastic achievement, encourage continued progress and provide assistance to students in financing their education in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To be eligible for the award, applicants must be undergraduate and graduate students accepted for study in sociology with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.3 in sociology courses. Recipients must demonstrate current and continuing involvement in charitable community activities designed to improve the community and themselves. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate financial need.
About Aaron Irving Geselis
Mr. Geselis grew up in Detroit and attended its public schools. He began his college education at the University of Michigan, later transferring and obtaining his B.A. in Sociology in 1952 from the then-Wayne University. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy. Following his discharge, he returned to help operate the family business, Capitol Cut Rate Department Store, in Highland Park. He was an active seven-year member of the Highland Park Jaycees and held every office except that of president. His way of life, his gentleness, complete lack of any bias or intolerance, made all who came in contact with him, a better human being. He enjoyed golf, bowling and collecting stamps and coins. His greatest enjoyment came from the love of his family and a world of friends. Aaron's exuberance, love of life and sense of humor was a delight. Tragically, his life was cut short by cancer at the young age of 32, in 1961.
Allen Goodman and Janet Hankin Endowed Scholarship in Health Economics/Health Sociology
Allen Goodman and Janet Hankin came to Wayne State University in 1986 and immediately began teaching and research in health economics and in health sociology. Both wrote successful major grants to the National Institutes of Health and other funders and both have mentored and supported numerous graduate students in their Wayne State careers.
The Allen Goodman and Janet Hankin Endowed Scholarship in Health Economics/Health Sociology award is established to recognize scholastic achievement, encourage continued progress and provide assistance to students in financing their education in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To be eligible, applicants must be full or part-time graduate students who have completed at least one year of Ph.D. study in economics or sociology, with an interest in health economics or health sociology. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. This award will alternate between economics and sociology, with an economic Ph.D. candidate being selected in even-numbered years and a sociology Ph.D. candidate being selected in odd-numbered years.
Darrin Adams Memorial Scholarship
In May of 2020, after the tragic and untimely loss of Darrin Adams, sociology major and Wayne State University employee, the Department of Sociology established this gift fund, in memory of Darrin and all of those students lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Darrin Adams Memorial Scholarship fund was established to provide scholarships to full or part-time students enrolled in the Department of Sociology who are in good academic standing. Preference will be given to students who are first-generation college students whose birth parents or adoptive parent(s) have not attained a bachelor's degree as disclosed in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Dr. Annie Pearl 'Kaleema' Sumareh Award for Student Teaching and Activism
This scholarship honors the life work and legacy of Dr. Sumareh, a poet, scholar, teacher, mentor and friend.
The Dr. Annie Pearl 'Kaleema' Sumareh Award recognizes graduate students who have made outstanding contributions to teaching, mentoring and social activism in the Wayne State community and beyond. To be eligible, students must be full-time sociology graduate students, in good academic standing and submit a 500-word essay describing their teaching philosophy and accomplishments and in addition, the ways in which they have helped their community through activism.
About Annie Pearl 'Kaleema' Sumareh
For most of her life, before she was a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at Wayne State University from 2012-2016, Dr. Sumareh was a passionate and poetic voice for the historically oppressed and institutionally marginalized in Detroit and abroad. Operating on the principles of truth, trust, justice and equity for all, Dr. Sumareh's undergraduate and graduate research and scholarship directly reflect her activism on behalf of women, people of color and those who live in poverty. As a teacher and mentor, Dr. Sumareh instilled sociological imagination into the classroom and life. Dr. Sumareh was also a devoted daughter (and granddaughter), mother, sister, aunt and friend.
Janice L. Dreachslin Endowed Sociology Scholarship
The Janice L. Dreachslin Endowed Sociology Scholarship Fund recognizes scholastic achievement, encourages continued progress and provides assistance to students in financing their education in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To be eligible, students must be full-time and part-time graduate and undergraduate students majoring or minoring in sociology with a minimum GPA of 3.0 for graduate students and 2.75 for undergraduate students.
About Janice L. Dreachslin
Janice L. Dreachslin, Ph.D. earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at Wayne State University. She considers her Wayne State University education, especially her coursework and experiences as a sociology undergraduate, as pivotal in shaping her interest in diversity leadership. Dr. Dreachslin has written two books and numerous academic journal articles focused on diversity leadership and served as a consultant to healthcare organizations in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia. Now professor emerita of health policy and administration at Penn State University, she served on the faculty for twenty-five years.
In addition to awards for excellence in teaching, research and service at her campus, Dr. Dreachslin's academic recognition includes the 1999 American College of Healthcare Executive's (ACHE) Health Management Research Award; the 2018 ACHE Edgar C. Hayhow Best Paper Award and 2010 induction into the National Center for Healthcare Leadership's (NCHL) Innovator's Circle for her contributions to diversity leadership. Dr. Dreachslin personally experienced the transformative power of sociology in her own life and established this scholarship fund to help others finance their studies in the field at Wayne State University.
Lucille Makarov Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is provided by Lucille Makarov who expressed at age 84 that she remained deeply grateful to the Wayne State Department of Sociology for her B.A. degree in 1953, which had enabled her to have a 30-year career at General Motors as a computer research librarian. Lucille believed and lived, that you cannot have too many parties to welcome your friends or too many books to welcome your mind. She passed on November 19, 2013, still in love with (her deceased husband) Nick and is lovingly remembered by her family and her friends, who are her family.
This fund recognizes scholastic achievement, encourages continued progress and provides assistance to students in financing their education in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To be eligible for the award, applicants must be full or part-time sophomores or juniors majoring in sociology. A minimum 3.0 overall GPA and 3.3 in sociology courses is required. Applicants must demonstrate financial need.
Mary Cay Sengstock Diversity Scholarship
In view of the fact that sociologists must be keenly sensitive to the diversity of groups and cultures in modern society, this endowed scholarship is established to provide assistance to students who contribute to the knowledge and promotion of social and cultural diversity. Award recipients will be graduate students who contribute to the knowledge and promotion of social and cultural diversity. The contribution of specific social and cultural perspectives should be demonstrated through educational vehicles such as a written paper, in-class contribution, research, an oral presentation at a professional meeting or elsewhere or other such expressions of knowledge and promotion. Members of racial, ethnic and other underrepresented groups are particularly urged to apply as is anyone interested in studying the importance of diversity.
To be eligible, applicants must be full or part-time graduate students within the Department of Sociology with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Preference is given to first-generation graduate students, students overcoming adversities and students who live in the city of Detroit.
Shirley Slayman Memorial Endowed Scholarship
The Shirley Slayman Memorial Endowed Scholarship is established to recognize scholastic achievement, encourage continued progress and provide assistance to students majoring in sociology. To be eligible, applicants must be full or part-time graduate and undergraduate students majoring in sociology with a primary focus on a student's financial need. Scholastic achievement, qualities of leadership and a commitment to community improvement will be taken into consideration.
About Shirley Slayman
Shirley Falconer Slayman's enjoyment of success as an individual, wife, mother, grandmother, social worker and citizen was enriched by Wayne State University. This scholarship fulfills her wish to enable others to be equally enriched.
She was raised in Detroit and educated in Detroit schools. Throughout her life, she contributed and encouraged others to be active in improving the cause of social justice and equal opportunity. Mrs. Slayman died in 1992. A Detroit Board of Education Scholarship enabled her to attend and graduate from Wayne University with honors in 1947, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. It is her family's hope that awardees also will develop a similar sense of appreciation for education and financial success and, thus continue to share their benefits with succeeding generations of students.
Sociology Alumni Endowed Scholarship
This award supports students pursuing a degree in sociology at Wayne State University. Established by alumni of the Department of Sociology, this scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence, a commitment to the study of sociology and a passion for understanding and addressing social issues.
To be eligible for the award, applicants must be full-time or part-time graduate and undergraduate students majoring in sociology. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduates.
Professor Frank E. and Rosemary K. Hartung Memorial Endowed Award in Sociology
This award honors the legacies of Professor Frank E. and Rosemary K. Hartung, distinguished faculty members of Wayne State University’s Department of Sociology. This fund supports exceptional students who demonstrate a passion for sociology and a commitment to academic excellence in the field.
To be eligible, applicants must be a full or part-time graduate or undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Sociology. Awards will be given to students who write outstanding papers, theses or dissertations in the area of sociology as recommended by faculty in the department.
About Frank E. and Rosemary K. Hartung
Frank E. Hartung was a professor in the Department of Sociology from 1942 to 1978. He promoted the sociological approach to crime and deviance. He was a great proponent of the notion that crime was a freely chosen behavioral pattern and was not the result of psychological abnormalities.
Dr. Hartung was a prolific author. In 1965, he published "Crime, Law and Society" with the Wayne State University Press. His published articles covered a variety of topics including: "White-Collar Offenses in the Wholesale Meat Industry in Detroit" in the American Journal of Sociology; "Problems in the Sociology of Knowledge;" "Cultural Relativity and Moral Judgments" and "Social Function of Positivism" in Philosophy of Science; and "Trends in the Use of Capital Punishment" in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
After Dr. Hartung died in 1985, Professor Mary Cay Sengstock wrote, "Frank's writings were not only scholarly explications, they were also delivered in a witty and incisive style which delighted those who agreed with him and infuriated his opponents" (ASA Footnotes, May 1986, page 11). While Vice President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, Professor Hartung testified before the House Special Committee on Education urging "more highly qualified personnel to staff prisons. In particular, for teachers to develop more effective rehabilitation programs" (Sengstock, 1986). Rosemary K. Hartung had three long and vital careers. Her first career was as a medical technologist, working at Women's Hospital in Detroit and in the lab of a doctor's practice in the Fisher Building. It was here that Frank and Rosemary met through mutual friends.
Her second career was in education. Rosemary worked as an elementary school science teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. From there she moved to Highland Park Public Schools, where she was both a homeroom teacher and an adult education teacher. For several years, Rosemary and her fourth-grade students planned and took a three-day field trip by bus to important sites around Michigan. The planning incorporated all classroom curriculum subjects. Rosemary later transferred to the Adult/Continuing Education Division of Highland Park Public Schools, where she had two functions. She taught math and reading skills in the Adult Basic Education program and helped create a learning lab where adult students could enhance their skills at their own pace and to their own level of competency.
Upon retirement from paid employment, Rosemary devoted twenty years to volunteering in the community. Three organizations benefited from her work: Friends of the Royal Oak Public Library, Oakland Literacy and Karmanos Cancer Foundation.
After Professor Hartung's death, Rosemary, along with colleagues and students, established the Frank E. Hartung Memorial Award in Sociology to recognize students who wrote outstanding papers, theses or dissertations in the area of sociology. Rosemary continued funding the award in her husband's name until her death in 2016.
Graduate funding
Fellowships, awards, assistantships and scholarships for graduates are available at gradschool.wayne.edu/funding.
For sociology-specific funding, see the Application for Graduate Assistantships/Fellowships/Scholarships.