Michael Sullivan (USC International Relations, 1957) spent his entire career as a high school counselor in the farming communities around Watsonville, California. He felt that is was important for schools to send its most qualified students to the best universities throughout the United States and he dedicated his life to this goal.

Sullivan made a bequest to the USC School of International relations to be used for graduate/professional school tuition scholarships for students who leave the University with undergraduate loans and who, therefore, would not be able to attend graduate school without his financial support. POIR is pleased to honor his lifework by inaugurating the Michael Sullivan Award (in memory of Michael Sullivan, Class of 1957 and Louise Meyers, Class of 1959).

SIR has been awarding scholarships for graduate or professional school every year since 2003.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Be a graduating senior or recent SIR graduate (applying within 5 years of graduation date).
  • Have applied for graduate and/or professional school program(s).
  • Be able to demonstrate that their “financial status” is such that this fellowship would help remove a final impediment in the applicant’s ability to pursue an advanced degree.
  • Have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and service while at USC and/or outside the university setting.

Award consideration will be given only to those applying for and entering first year of graduate/law studies; those already in graduate/law school need not apply.

Application procedure:

Applications open: TBD
Deadline: TBD

Submit a completed Application Form and the following materials as a single PDF to Akeya Harmon at akeyahar@usc.edu:

  1. A copy of your graduate school acceptance letter(s)
  2. A personal statement demonstrating a clear vision of your goals and how the proposed graduate study will enhance your intellectual and professional development. If you have already graduated, please indicate what you have been doing. (Please type your name and USC ID on the top of the page.)
  3. National Student Loan Data System for Students print-out (NSLDS).
  4. Documentation of private loans, if applicable.

Applicants will also request 3-4 letters of recommendation to be sent directly to Akeya Harmon-Collins. Three recommendations must come from USC faculty members. If a recommendation comes from a POIR faculty member, they do not need to submit a letter; the applicant should provide their name and email in their application. A fourth recommendation may be a professional reference or a faculty member at another college or university.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.