Media Contact: Yvonne Taunton
University of Alabama at Birmingham
UAB alumna Abigail Franks has been recognized for being awarded a prestigious fellowship to continue academic achievement. graduate Abigail Franks ’20 has been awarded an $8,500 fellowship by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Franks is one of 58 recipients nationwide to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship.
Franks earned a degree in political science with a minor in peace, justice and ecology from UAB’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Political Science. Franks was also in the UAB Honors College. As a Phi Kappa Phi fellow, Franks will pursue a master’s degree in environmental justice and environmental policy and planning at the University of Michigan.
Since its creation in 1932, the Fellowship Program has become one of the society’s most visible and financially well-supported endeavors, allocating $615,000 annually to outstanding students for first-year graduate or professional study. This year’s program awarded 50 fellowships of $8,500; six $20,000 Marcus L. Urann Fellowships, named for the society’s founder; and two awards at $35,000 each: the 1897 Fellowship and the Sherrill Carlson Fellowship.
The selection process for a fellowship is based on the applicant’s evidence of graduate potential, undergraduate academic achievement, service and leadership experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement of educational perspective and career goals, and acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program.
During her time at UAB, Franks advised UAB administrators and the City of Birmingham’s Planning Design Team on solar power policy. As the founder of We Envision Alabamian Renewable Energy, she presented to university classes around the state and to citizen groups, including a session organized by Birmingham law firm Baker Donelson.
“Abigail deserves this honor,” said Michelle Cook, Ph.D., interim director of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships at UAB. “Her dynamic work in defending the environment and promoting social justice has created positive waves in Birmingham and throughout the state. Her leadership inspires others to join in alongside her, and it has been exciting to watch her grow her platform throughout her undergraduate career. We anticipate great things for her future.”
Franks is a Udall Scholar, a Truman Scholarship institutional nominee and Rhodes Scholarship Finalist. Franks graduated in spring of 2020. She works with the Southeast Climate and Energy Network.
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in the United States and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The society’s mission is “To recognize and advance excellence in all fields of higher education and society and engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.