Rodler-Wood Endowed Scholarship
The Rodler-Wood Scholarship was established in 2004 by University of Maryland alum James Wood ’72 and his partner Peter Rodler (1936–2010).
Dr. Ruth Zambrana and 2019 Rodler/Wood Scholarship Recipient Tytan Taliaferro at the May 2019 Lavender Graduation ceremony
The Rodler-Wood Scholarship provides $1,000 to support student success in their upcoming academic year. Selection is based on one or more of the following criteria: demonstrated financial need, hardship based on sexual orientation, academic interest in LGBTQ Studies and extracurricular activities on behalf of LGBTQ issues.
Applications are accepted each spring, deadlines will be announced on this page and to the broader community through the Women’s Studies, LGBTQ Equity Center, and other venues on campus. The Spring 2024 deadline is April 29th.
We are proud to report we have awarded 17 Rodler-Wood Scholarships to students across the university who have devoted themselves to making a difference in the world.
Award Selection Criteria
- Demonstrated financial need
- Hardship based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity
- Academic interest in LGBTQ Studies
- Extracurricular activities on behalf of LGBTQ issues
Students at any level (undergraduate, master's, doctoral) who will be returning in the following academic year are eligible to apply for the award.
Submission Materials
- Written statement: 1-2 pages detailing qualifications based on the above criteria
- Transcript: your current unofficial transcript is acceptable
- 1 letter of reference that speaks to the terms of the Rodler-Wood Scholarship (UMD-affiliated recommender highly preferred).
The 2023 application period is April 1 to April 25th, applications are due as a single pdf to wgss@umd.edu.
The recommendation letter is to be sent directly to the department at wgss@umd.edu. The application materials should list their name.
Recipients of the Rodler-Wood Scholarship
- 2021: Maria Azar, Ph.D. Program, Women's Studies; and Shalom Rosenberg, Ph.D. Program, Comparative Literature
- 2020: Jake Beardslee, Undergraduate, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- 2019: Tytan Taliaferro, Undergraduate, Engineering: Bioengineering
- 2018: Aqdas Aftab, Ph.D. Program, English; Anna Storti, Ph.D. Program, Women’s Studies
- 2017: Muhammad Mussadiq, Undergraduate, Individual Studies
- 2016: Cooper Kidd, Undergraduate, Sociology
- 2015: Fiona Jardine, Ph.D. Program, College of Information Studies
- 2014: Samuel Allen, M.S./Ph.D. Program, Department of Family Science
- 2013: Christopher Quach, Undergraduate, Sociology
- 2012: Jay Garvey, Ph.D. Program, College Student Personnel Administration
- 2011: Bailey Kier, Ph.D. Program, American Studies; Octavia Sykes, Undergraduate, Women’s Studies
- 2010: Susanna Harris, Undergraduate, English
- 2009: Mike Ryan, Ph.D. Program, Sociology
- 2008: Damion Clark, Ph.D. Program, English
- 2007: Kimberly Bonner, M.A. Program, Sociology
- 2006: Katherine Kuvalanka, Ph.D. Program, Family Studies
- 2005: Natalie Prizel, Undergraduate, English & LGBT Studies; Vincent Stephens, Ph.D. Program, American Studies