College scholarships created in honor of MVPs!

Questia, the premier online research and paper-writing tool for students, will establish one $2,500 scholarship in EACH of three winning professors’ names, and the reigning MVPs will become part of the integral team that selects the scholarship recipients. What better way to honor an educator than to give back to education!

Nominating a professor is easy

Visit Questia on Facebook and tell us why your professor deserves the Most Valuable Professor title in just 400 characters or less.

“Valuable professors not only educate students on their subject of expertise, but provide students with tools and lessons they can apply to real life situations,” says Joe Miller, Chief Researcher at Questia.  “We probably don’t thank them enough. Nominating a special professor is a wonderful opportunity for students to elevate an unsung hero to MVP.”

At Questia, we know that professors are a go-to source for more than just homework questions. They are advisors, mentors and MVPs! See what a few of our Questia team members had to say about their Most Valuable Professors:

Now head to Questia’s Facebook page to nominate and vote for your MVP!

College scholarships created in honor of MVPs!

Questia, the premier online research and paper-writing tool for students, will establish one $2,500 scholarship in EACH of the three winning professors’ names, and the reigning MVPs will become part of the integral team that selects the scholarship recipients. What better way to honor an educator than to give back to education!

Nominating a professor is easy

Visit Questia on Facebook and tell us why your professor deserves the Most Valuable Professor title in just 400 characters or less.

“Valuable professors not only educate students on their subject of expertise, but provide students with tools and lessons they can apply to real life situations,” says Joe Miller, Chief Researcher at Questia.  “We probably don’t thank them enough. Nominating a special professor is a wonderful opportunity for students to elevate an unsung hero to MVP.”

Here’s what some students said during last year’s competition

About Professor Zafar Iqba and Professor Hank Rodkin at DePaul University:

“Zafar and Hank exemplify what it means to look out for the goals and futures of students. They taught me the value of building a network, helping others succeed, and connecting people with like interests for future success. Zafar works with the DePaul IME Program, and his influence on the members of that program shows for years beyond graduation.”

About Professor Neal Houze at Purdue University:

“I’m grateful to Professor Houze because his classes made me realize that I could graduate (I did in 1999) with a chemical engineering degree and use the problem solving techniques he taught to apply to anything (not just engineering) and that yes, indeed, engineers can be well-rounded and have a sense of humor.”

About Richard Castaldi  at San Francisco State University:

“To many that didn’t pass his class, he was the one thing that stood in the way from you and your degree. It was a serious class, it was a realistic class. He exposed us to what it would be like to work in the professional world. The fluff that got us through other classes didn’t fly with him. He pushed us to be polished and I will always be grateful to him for that.”

Submit your own nominations now!

Competition timeline

• Nominations will be accepted through April 15th.
• Voting will then be open to the public for a month starting April 16th to determine which of the professors will ultimately receive Questia’s National Title of MVP!
• The winners will be announced on May 21st. Follow it all on Facebook!

Rules

• All nominations will be vetted and only legitimate college professors will make the cut to the voting round.
• Invalid entries won’t be eligible for the $50 Visa gift card drawing.
• Once voting begins, you can vote for each finalist once – everyday! So get your friends and classmates to vote with you daily too!

In a Questia survey, we asked students who they turn to first for trustworthy academic advice, and more than half said it was a professor. In a separate survey where we asked who their college mentor is, the majority also said it was a professor. It seems as though professors are a go-to source for more than just homework questions. They are advisors, mentors and MVPs!

Most Valuable Professor Julia Corine Barnes

The Most Valuable Professor

In the summer, we at Questia announced the winner of the first “Questia’s Most Valuable Professor” contest, as part of our ongoing dedication to education. College students from across the country nominated special professors they believed deserved the title of Most Valuable Professor (MVP). For the grand prize, we pledged to establish three $2,500 scholarships in the winning professor’s name, and our winner earned the duty of determining the scholarship criteria and ultimately selecting the scholarship recipients.

After much anticipation, the time to apply for The Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia has finally arrived! 

We know that saving for college is never easy. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, students who borrowed for college and earned bachelor’s degrees in 2011 graduated with an average $26,600 in student loan debt, up from $25,250 in 2010! Questia has elected to sponsor these scholarships to help illustrate the importance of a college education as well as the hard-working professors that facilitate higher learning.

So, now it’s the students’ turn for their chance at getting their hands on one of these three $2,500 scholarships. The scholarship is open to all students pursuing a degree in language, linguistics or literature. To apply, students can submit their application including a one-paged personal statement detailing what they are majoring in and what they hope to accomplish with their major. Questia is accepting applications now through January 31^st, 2013. To submit your application, please visit “The Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship By Questia.”

How to apply

Once there, you’ll be asked to do the following:

1. Answer the pre-qualifying criteria questions.
2. Create an online account to enable you to access and save the online application.
3. Submit your application materials by the deadline.

Then you’re all set!

How to qualify

In order to be qualified for The Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia applicants must meet the following qualifications:

1. Be either high school seniors, high school graduates, undergraduates enrolled in college or graduate school students.
2. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the latest spring term.
3. Plan to pursue a degree in language, linguistics or literature.
4. Plan to attend an accredited college, university or technical college.
5. Demonstrate traits of a high moral character and leadership qualities.

What to submit

Applicants will submit the following materials:

1. Signed Terms of Agreement.
2. Official transcript with grades and cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the latest spring term.
3. SAT/ACT scores for applicants who are high school seniors.
4. Letter of recommendation from a teacher/professor.
5. Personal statement.
6. List of your academic honors, leadership skills, community service, etc.

Be sure to submit all of these materials by January 31^st, 2013 deadline! But why not get started early over winter vacation?

The Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship By Questia is non-renewable and is for the year awarded only. The Center for Scholarship Administration, Inc. (CSA), a non-profit and independent organization, will facilitate and narrow down the finalists. From there, the three lucky scholarship winners will be selected by Julia herself. Stay tuned this spring, when the scholarship winners’ names will be announced. Congratulations again to MVP, Julia Corine Barnes, and a big thank you to professors everywhere! Best of luck to all the applicants!

For further information regarding The Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship By Questia, please send all questions to Sally King at sallyking@bellsouth.net.

After all the nominations were collected from students, Questia’s reviewing panel then narrowed them down to our 10 finalists. Then, it was up to our fans to vote on the top 10! This was no easy choice, as we had a group of passionate and hard-working professors. In a survey, Questia asked students who they turn to first for trustworthy academic advice, and more than half said it was a professor. When asked who their college mentor is, the majority also said it was a professor. Professors are a go-to source for more than just homework questions—they are advisors, mentors and MVPs!

“Valuable professors not only educate students on their subject of expertise, but provide students with tools and lessons they can apply to real life situations,” says Joe Miller, Chief Researcher at Questia. “We probably don’t thank them enough. Nominating a special professor is a wonderful opportunity for students to elevate an unsung hero to MVP.”

When all the votes were in and tallied, our winner was clear! Congratulations again to Berry College’s Julia Corine Barnes for winning the first ever Most Valuable Professor Competition by Questia! In addition to receiving the title of Most Valuable Professor, we have created the Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia in which three students will each be awarded $2,500. We at Questia know that the best way to honor an educator is to give back to education.

Berry College student Marlon Blugh submitted the winning nomination:

“Through my first two years in college, I have struggled to find my place. An unfamiliar atmosphere coupled with career uncertainties troubled me, but Sra. Barnes was always there to offer me guidance. Her kindness and compassion were incomparable and her optimism gave me life. Sra. Barnes’ willingness to go the extra mile is why she is my new academic advisor and why she deserves the MVP award.”

A native Georgian, Barnes is finishing her second year as an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Berry College. Her research interests are in the contemporary Spanish novel (particularly by women) and women studies. “I’m very honored that Marlon thought so highly as to nominate me for MVP,” says Barnes. “I’m so pleased to have won.”

Thanks to all of Julia’s hard work and dedication to learning, students now have the Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia to look forward to! Coming soon in December, students will have the opportunity to apply to win one of three $2,500 scholarships. The three lucky scholarship winners will be selected by Julia herself. Stay tuned until December, when the scholarship criteria and application form will be made available. Congratulations again to Most Valuable Professor, Julia Corine Barnes, and a big thank you to instructors everywhere!

Questia MVP: Most Valuable Professor, Julia Barnes at Berry College

The first ever Most Valuable Professor competition by Questia resulted in dozens of nominations and over a thousand votes! The professor who ultimately took home the title of MVP was Spanish professor at Berry College, Julia Corine Barnes, and her students were ecstatic over the victory. Not only does Berry College have the world’s largest campus to tout, but now they also have America’s Most Valuable Professor teaching at their school!

Marlon Blugh, a junior at Berry College, nominated Barnes for the honor of MVP for many reasons. “Prof. Barnes is simply a fair and reasonable individual. I nominated her because she has helped me in ways other professors have not. She truly listens and works with you.” Read the nomination Blugh submitted in our MVP announcement.

When Blugh learned his professor had made the finalists, he notified all of his classmates about the competition and “they were as eager as I was to vote.”

Blugh’s classmate and also a junior at Berry, Cari Voutila, was excited to hear her professor had won. “She set a new precedent for my expectations of what a professor should be like,” said Voutila. “She is incredibly challenging yet incredibly caring at the same time and I’ve encountered few professors that are both of those things at once. I can’t think of another professor that would deserve it more.”

Senior at Berry, Lara Thomson, said she’s learned so much from Barnes in a small amount of time. “I’ve learned more Spanish in two semesters than I’ve learned in seven years of middle and high school. I am really glad she knows how much her students appreciate her and I hope she feels appreciated.”

Congratulations again to Professor Julia Corine Barnes for winning the inaugural title of Most Valuable Professor! We will create the Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia in her honor, where three students will each be awarded $2,500 scholarships. Barnes will participate in determining the scholarship criteria and selecting the scholarship recipients with a team of Questia researchers.

Check back on our blog for more news on the Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia!

Over a thousand votes poured in, with junior at Berry College, Marlon Blugh, submitting the nomination that received the most votes:

Through my first two years in college, I have struggled to find my place. An unfamiliar atmosphere coupled with career uncertainties troubled me, but Sra. Barnes was always there to offer me guidance. Her kindness and compassion were incomparable and her optimism gave me life. Sra. Barnes’ willingness to go the extra mile is why she is my new academic advisor and why she deserves the MVP award.

“I’m very honored that Marlon thought so highly as to nominate me for MVP,” says Barnes. “I’m so pleased to have won.”

A native Georgian, Barnes is finishing her second year as an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Berry College. Her research interests are in the contemporary Spanish novel (particularly by women) and women studies.

In addition to receiving the title of MVP for Most Valuable Professor, Questia (www.questia.com), the premier online library and research tool for students, will create the Julia Corine Barnes Scholarship by Questia in which three students will each be awarded $2,500. As MVP, Barnes will be part of the integral team that determines the scholarship criteria and recipients.

We’ll be taking nominations and giving out scholarships every year in our annual MVP competition. Who’s going to take home the MVP title next year?

Take a look at the finalists and visit Questia’s Facebook page to read why students nominated them and cast your vote on Monday. Your vote could make the difference!

1. Dr. Ashley Mears, Sociology at Boston University
2. Julia Corine-Barnes, Spanish at Berry College, Georgia
3. Dr. Jamie Ward, Communications at University of Michigan-Dearborn
4. Dr. Patrick McCauley, Religious Studies at Chestnut Hill College, Pennsylvania
5. Kenneth Cherry, Marketing at Central Michigan University
6. Jeannie Harmon, Child Development at Santa Rosa Junior College, California
7. Dr. Michael Anders, Music at University of Findlay, Ohio
8. Daniel L. Lemisch, Criminal Justice at Henry Ford Community College, Michigan
9. Dave Miller, Mathematics at Queens College, City University of New York
10. Mike Eddy, Film at Century College, Minnesota
11. Dr. Ralene Mitschler, Biology at McDaniel College, Maryland

Why should you vote? The professor with the most votes will win the title of MVP, and the best part—Questia, the online research tool for students, will create three $2,500 scholarships in the MVP’s name. Three scholarship opportunities for students, it doesn’t get much cooler than that!

College study habits

As we continued to receive nominations for sensational professors across the country, we also took the time to survey 1,000 students and instructors on everything from study and research habits to relationship building with faculty. We knew that professors were substantial influencers in students’ lives, but these results may surprise you!

When students were asked who they turn to first for trustworthy academic advice, a whopping 61 percent said it was a professor. When asked who their college mentor is, 46 percent said it was also a professor. It looks like students put a lot of trust in their instructors, but do students take their advice on study and research?

When it comes to researching a term paper, the majority of instructors recommend spending 1-3 hours researching in the library and 4-6 hours of researching online. Surprisingly, students agree! However, when it comes to starting the term paper, it sounds like students and instructors aren’t quite on the same page. While 52 percent of instructors recommend starting the very day its assigned, 46 percent of students start a few weeks before the due date, 33 percent start one week before the due date and 5 percent don’t begin until the night before!

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Via Q&A

Check out what students across America are saying about their professors!

Daniel L. Lemisch at Henry Ford Community College
Nominated by Christina Arnold
People come and go out of your life. However, the manner in which he brought criminal law to life, will forever earn him a place in my psyche…Possessing credentials to teach at an ivy league school, he chose community college out of his passion for teaching and not money. Truly, he is not only a person that has impacted me for life, but also my Most Valuable Professor.

Julia Corine-Barnes at Berry College
Nominated by Marlon Blugh
Through my first two years in college, I have struggled to find my place. An unfamiliar atmosphere coupled with career uncertainties troubled me, but Sra. Barnes was always there to offer me guidance. Her kindness and compassion were incomparable and her optimism gave me life. Sra. Barnes’ willingness to go the extra mile is why she is my new academic advisor and why she deserves the MVP award.

Dave Miller at Queens College, City University of New York
Nominated by Stephanie Jeret
Albeit the stigma on math professors, Mr. Miller is by far the most down to earth, witty, and nicest professor I have ever had. Although difficult, he kept class enjoyable. If it was a 2 AM email or unofficial office hours, he was always there. In fact, I am no longer his student, and he still is always there. The most important thing to him is his student’s success, exemplifying the qualities of an MVP.

Tomorrow is your last day to nominate an influential professor for the title of MVP. Go to our Facebook page to submit your own nomination now!

For more information about the competition, visit our page on the Most Valuable Professor.