UAB Graduate School is transitioning to a new and improved application platform on May 24. All applications will need to be submitted by May 17 to ensure your information successfully migrates to our new system. All incomplete applicants will need to start a new application in our new system. Note: as long as your application is submitted by this date, you can still send us supporting documents like transcripts or test scores.

In addition, the graduate school application will be down for the transition on May 24 at 8am until May 25 at noon. If you do not want to start an application now, you can fill out the form below to be notified when our new system launches.

The Compass Bank National Alumni Society Endowed Scholarship was established through generous gifts from the UAB National Alumni Society to be used for the purpose of creating an endowed graduate student award fund at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Spendable earnings from the Compass Bank Mortgage Financial Services Endowed Award in Graduate Education fund will be used to provide financial assistance to exceptional students who are enrolled in a UAB graduate program.

Note: Given COVID-19, Ireland travel awards will be postpone until further notice.

The Ireland research travel awards are strategically targeted to provide students with unique and valuable opportunities. The research travel scholarship, which awards a maximum of $1,000, is not designed to send someone to a professional meeting; it’s designed to enable a student to capture an educational opportunity that doesn’t exist at UAB. These travel scholarships are highly competitive, and in the past have funded a wide range of researching, including a trip to the Library of Congress to study historic documents and taking a course on neuroimmunological diseases at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. These travel awards provide elite educational experiences that enrich not only our students, but UAB as a whole.

This award is funded by an endowment established at UAB by Caroline Ireland and the late Charles W. Ireland.

Interested students should contact their graduate program directors, who are responsible for making nominations. In addition to the nomination form, a letter of recommendation is also required. Students are encouraged to check this link or the Graduate Student tab of BlazerNET for the announcement of the next competition, which will be held in the spring of each year. 

Recipients

About Dr. Samuel Booth Barker

Dr. Samuel B. Barker, the inaugural Dean of the UAB Graduate School, was UAB's quintessential Renaissance man. A distinguished scholar and accomplished scientist, he made groundbreaking contributions to thyroid hormone testing that became the foundation for worldwide thyroid testing. Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Barker was an inspirational teacher, mentor, and passionate patron of the arts in Birmingham.

Together with his wife Justine, Dr. Barker deeply enriched Birmingham's cultural landscape through their involvement with numerous arts organizations, including the Alys Stephens Center, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Southern DanceWorks, and the Birmingham Chamber Music Society. As the first president of the Birmingham Festival Theater's board, he demonstrated his commitment to nurturing both scientific and artistic excellence in the community.

Dr. Barker's legacy at UAB and in Birmingham reflects his belief in encouraging young talent across all disciplines, making the institution both scientifically and culturally richer until his passing in 2002 at the age of 90.

About the Award

Established in 1995, the Samuel B. Barker Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies recognizes outstanding graduate students who exemplify Dr. Barker's commitment to academic excellence and community enrichment. Each year, applications are accepted starting at the beginning of the new year and with the final submission deadline falling on his birthday, March 3.  Awards are presented at both the master's and doctoral level to students who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their academic programs. 

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for the Barker Award, candidates must:

• Be currently enrolled (full-time or part-time) as a graduate student at UAB
• Demonstrate excellence in their academic programs

Selection Criteria

Applicants are evaluated on multiple factors that reflect Dr. Barker's multifaceted legacy such as:

• Academic innovation and creativity: Integration of interdisciplinary, multifaceted, creative, and innovative approaches to their body of work (i.e. intersection of arts and sciences)
• Benchmarks of productivity such as research accomplishments (publications and presentations), portfolios, gallery showings, etc.
• Leadership, mentorship, and service to UAB, the broader Birmingham, and/or global community.

Application Process

A complete nomination packet must include:

1. Application
2. Two recommendation forms, supplied by the Graduate School (in lieu of recommendation letters) upon successful completion and submission of the scholarship application.
3. The applicant's curriculum vitae or resume

Students may self-nominate, or Graduate Program Directors may recommend students apply, by submmitting an application using the online application link below.   Successful completion and submission of the scholarship application will automatically generate recommendation forms that will be emailed to the recommenders named in the application.

Winners are selected by the Dean of the Graduate School, and their names are permanently displayed on plaques in the Graduate School Office in Lister Hill Library.

Deadline and Submission

All application materials should be submitted electronically by March 3 of each year. For specific questions about the application process or eligibility requirements, please contact the Graduate School.

Recognition

Recipients of the Barker Award join a distinguished group of alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their graduate studies. This prestigious recognition honors not only their academic accomplishments but also their potential to make significant contributions to their fields and communities, continuing Dr. Barker's legacy of excellence in both scholarship and service.

Submit Application

Past Recipients