First-year students are invited to submit a 500-word essay that answers the following question: 

Is the main purpose of a college education to prepare students for the workforce or to prepare them for lifelong learning? 

To be eligible for this award the student must: 

Be a full-time undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has earned less than 30 credit hours at any accredited university.

Compose a 500-word essay on the topic specified above. Word limits will be strictly enforced.

Essays should be single-spaced with 1” margins, 12-point type, on a standard 8.5”x 11” page layout. 

The essay will be judged on content and technical merit. Essays will be subjected to blind judging. Include your name and contact information on a separate coversheet, not on the essay itself. 

Completed essays and applications should be submitted to Amanda Houser (ahouser@illinois.edu) by March 6, 2017. The award recipient will be announced at the Phi Kappa Phi initiation ceremony in April 2017. Please contact Amanda if you have questions regarding the award or the essay criteria. 

The Phi Kappa Phi chapter at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been designated a Chapter of Excellence, the highest award a chapter can receive. Visit phikappaphi.org for additional information on The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. 

Thanks to Soo-Yeun Lee of the College of ACES for this information item.

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