About

Office of Scholar Development

The Office of Scholar Development (OSD) at Indiana University Indianapolis supports students who are interested in competitive national scholarships and grants. OSD works with faculty and campus offices to identify students whose academic accomplishments meet scholarship and grant guidelines, and coordinates, supports, and mentors students and their faculty as they develop their applications. The Office of Scholar Development is open to all IU Indianapolis students and strives to help them demonstrate their excellence to external stakeholders.

Student applications

Steps for students interested in applying for nationally competitive scholarships or grants:

Verify your eligibility for the award by visiting the award website. Verify your eligibility using the guidelines for the current call for applications.
Complete the Intent to Apply Form.
Schedule a meeting with the Scholar Support Specialist to discuss the process and your application directly at sdevelop@iu.edu.
1. Complete OSD application training in Canvas.
2. Students will draft materials via Canvas training modules.
Finalize award submission with OSD and submit application.

For awards that are limited in the number of applications per campus students may be asked to complete an interview with staff and award representatives prior to training and submission of the award.

Faculty and Staff Information

Faculty interested in working with the Office for Scholar Development are encouraged to:

Identify a potential student for scholarships and grants
Provide letters of support
Serve as internal evaluators for limited submission scholarships and grants

If you have been a recipient of a nationally competitive scholarship or grant at any point in your academic career, we want to know! Contact us by emailing sdevelop@iu.edu.

Our team

Shay Mays

Scholar Support Specialist

Phone: 317-278-4603
Email: smmays@iu.edu

Say hello to our new Scholar Support Specialist, Shay Mays. Her role is to help connect students with external scholarships to support the work of the Office of Scholar Development. Shay is a social worker by training who loves working with young people.

History of OSD

OSD was founded in August 2024 by Honors College dean, Kristy Sheeler, with support from the vice provost for undergraduate education, Christina Downey, and executive associate dean of the Institute for Engaged Learning, Jerry Daday. Kristy Sheeler is joined by professor Kathy Marrs of the School of Science and professor Jennifer Guiliano of the School of Liberal Arts who serve as inaugural faculty fellows.