Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship

Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Students in Archival Administration

Purpose

To provide financial assistance to a resident or full-time student of the MAC region pursuing graduate education in archival administration and to encourage the study of archival administration.

Award

One scholarship of $1,500 (payable to the educational institution) and a one-year membership to MAC.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must be:

• a resident or full-time student residing in one of the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
• currently enrolled or accepted into a graduate, multi-course program in archival administration. If the program is not listed in the SAA Directory of Archival Education, the applicant must provide proof of the multi-course standard by submitting course descriptions from the institution's current department catalog.
• a grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on 4.0 scale) in their most recent academic year.

Application

Applications are due April 17, 2026 and must include the following documents sent as email attachments:

• Application Form (pdf)
• Current resume with details about:
  • Education
  • Relevant (archives-related) employment/volunteer/internship experience
  • Campus and community involvement
  • Other scholarships for archival studies the applicant has received
  • Honors or awards the applicant has received
• Memberships in professional organizations
• Transcript from the applicant's most recent academic program
• Essay describing the applicant’s interest in archival administration and their future plans and goals for contributing to the archival profession (500 words maximum)
• One letter of recommendation

Award Requirement

Award winner will write an essay for the MAC Newsletter on their academic activities assisted by the scholarship and its importance to their graduate archival education.

Return completed application and related materials to:

Morgen MacIntosh Hodgetts, Chair (2024-2026)

Email: mmacinto@depaul.edu

Louisa Bowen

Louisa Hopkins Bowen began her professional career in 1975 as archivist at Wayne State University. In 1976, she was appointed archivist for the National Board of the YWCA in New York City. Upon leaving New York, Bowen served as cataloger and archivist at the University of Memphis from 1978 to 1980. Relocating with her family to the St. Louis area, Bowen served for five years as curator of manuscripts at the Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, before assuming the position of archivist at Lovejoy Library, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She held degrees from Skidmore College, Wayne State University, and New York University. Bowen passed away on October 24, 1996.

Long active in both her profession and her community, Bowen was a member of the Midwest Archives Conference and the Society of American Archivists; she also served as president of the Association of St. Louis Area Archivists. In May 1997, MAC’s general scholarship was renamed the Louisa Bowen Memorial Scholarship for Graduate Students in Archival Administration to honor her contributions to MAC, including Legislative Update editor for the MAC Newsletter, Council member, and program committee chair.