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!