The 2025-26 Reubin Askew and Preston Haskell Scholarship application are now open.
Watch the Information Session recorded March 4, 2025. Please direct questions to Graham-Center@ufl.edu.
Dr. Matt Jacobs will host in-person office hours on Friday, March 7, from 11:00-12:30 and Monday, March 10, from 1:30-3:30 for anyone with additional questions about the application process.
Office hours will be held at the Graham Center in Pugh Hall, Room 220. No scheduling required. Hours are first come, first served.
The Reubin Askew and Preston Haskell Scholars program identify an outstanding cohort of undergraduate researchers selected for their commitment to public service, in either domestic or international spheres.
Askew Scholars’ projects focus on domestic policy issues, while Haskell Scholars’ projects engage with international affairs.
Askew and Haskell Scholars receive $2,000 over the course of an academic year to support a significant research project. The program will require participation in the life of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, which can include attending Bob Graham Center events, meeting with the Director, and working with a mentor to help prepare them for a life of civic involvement.
About the Program
Applicants from any undergraduate major and college at the University of Florida may apply. To determine eligibility, students should review the criteria below.
NOTE: University Scholars or CLAS Scholars cannot hold both awards unless they can clearly demonstrate two entirely different research subjects.
The GPA requirement is 3.0 and above.
Students apply during the spring to be recognized as an Askew or Haskell Scholar for the following academic year. Students should apply with at least two full semesters remaining before graduation.
Both Askew and Haskell Scholars will receive $2,000 to support a significant research project. NOTE: The stipend will be disbursed in two installments ($1,000 in Fall 2025 and $1,000 in Spring 2026).
Faculty mentors will guide the work of the Scholars, interact with them on a regular basis, and direct their writing and research on their project. Students will choose their own mentors, though the Center can assist and connect them to faculty with shared interests if necessary. Faculty mentors will each receive $1,000 in professional development funds.
Previous Scholars have demonstrated the following characteristics:
Personal Qualifications
- I aspire to improve the ways that government agencies, nonprofit organizations, international NGOs or educational institutions serve the public.
- I have identified broad issues in the public sphere that need solving.
Academic and Public Service Record
- I actively participate in community- or campus-serving activities such as:
- Student government and/or campus-based extracurricular activities;
- Student affairs or other public service employment;
- Community service-related activities;
- Internships, commissions or boards, advocacy or interest groups;
- Nonpartisan political activities, or military/ROTC;
- Partisan political activities and campaigns.
- I am involved with organizations or activities related to my career interests.
- I stay informed of local, state, national, and/or international current events.
General
- I will take advantage of the opportunity to be mentored by a UF faculty member with similar interests to learn to effectively analyze a public issue and present my findings.
Requirements for Completing the Award
During the term of the award, Askew and Haskell Scholars must:
- Actively engage and participate in regularly scheduled cohort meetings with their fellow scholars and members of the Bob Graham Center or invited guests;
- At the midpoint, submit a two-page memo, summarizing the work completed thus far;
- Complete the research project;
- Engage in the life of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service;
- Participate as an active mentee in the relationship with faculty member;
- Publicly disseminate the research (e.g., at the Center’s annual undergraduate research symposium).
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit:
- A 300-word statement of purpose, outlining how you will draw value from the scholarship and contribute to the Bob Graham Center for Public Service;
- A 500-word proposal for the research, that identifies the domestic (Askew Scholar) or international (Haskell Scholar) issue the project addresses, the intended audience, and the intended outcome;
- A one-page resume;
- A two-to-three paragraph letter of support from a faculty member (ideally a prospective project mentor) indicating their confidence in your ability to effectively complete the program.
Timeline
Applications are now open. Apply at this link.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 2:30-3:30 pm: Virtual information session. Watch the recording.
Friday, March 14, 2025: Application closes
Monday, March 31, 2025: Applicants notified of status; recipients announced
April 2024: Scholars orientation with Bob Graham Center faculty
For questions on the program contact Reed Jeffries, Special Projects Assistant, at Graham-Center@ufl.edu.
About Reubin Askew
Reubin O’Donovan Askew (1928-2014) served as Florida’s 37th Governor from 1971 to 1979. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest governors in the state’s history, and rated by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as one of the United States’ top 10 governors of the 20th century.
A native of Muskogee, Okla., his family settled in Pensacola during his childhood. He served in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. In 1951 he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in public administration, then completed law school at the University of Florida College of Law.
Askew was first elected to public office in 1958 in the Florida House of Representatives, then served in the Florida Senate from 1962 till election as governor in 1970. Askew’s reform agenda included extensive funding for public education, environmental protection, the state’s first corporate income tax, and improved race relations.
After leaving the governor’s office, Askew served as the U.S. Trade Representative and briefly mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1984. The Askew School of Public Administration within Florida State’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is named in his honor. He spent much of his retirement lecturing in Florida’s universities. Askew died in 2014 from complications of a stroke.
This research program furthers Governor Askew’s legacy of education and civic engagement by supporting the next generation of public servant scholars.