Supporting students, honouring lives lived

A number of new awards in the Faculty of Humanities are set to make a meaningful difference in the lives of undergraduate and graduate students – and, at the same time, honour dear friends, influential colleagues and cherished loved ones.

All the awards have been established or revitalized in the last year, and several support students in particular areas of study, including the arts, French and other Romance languages, and Global Peace and Social Justice.

As well, two awards are specifically aimed at students who are Black, Indigenous or racialized.

“We are so grateful to the individuals, families and organizations who support our students,” says Pamela Swett, dean of the Faculty of Humanities. “I can think of no more fitting legacy than to help deserving students pursue their chosen educational paths. Program-based scholarships and awards like these allow us to celebrate the diversity of our student body and recognize academic achievement in our disciplines. It’s a terrific way for a donor to honour a loved one or support learning in an area of personal interest.”

Edgar Lee Ware Memorial Award

Established by Syrus Marcus Ware, a professor in the School of the Arts, this award is in honour of Ware’s father, Edgar Lee Ware, who was a Black executive, a community mobilizer, and a champion of making the Canadian arts landscape accessible to Black artists, Indigenous artists and artists of colour.

The $3,000 award will be given annually to an emerging BIPOC undergraduate artist in McMaster’s School of the Arts to support their studies and artistic exploration.

Prix pour engagement communautaire francophone

This award honours Suzanne Crosta and Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmed, both professors in the Department of French.

Established by Hélène Caron ’05 in 2022, this $3,000 award will be given to a student in a graduate French program who, while maintaining a high standard of academic and research achievement, demonstrates significant and meaningful community engagement in the Francophone community, especially in the Hamilton region.

Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada Graduate Award Fund

The Lambda Scholarship Foundation supports research and mobilizes knowledge related to Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning plus (2SLGBTQ+) and queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of colour (BIPOC) studies through the creation of scholarships and other supports for students.

Queer and trans students who are Black, racialized or Indigenous in their first year of study in any program are eligible for this $3,000 award.

The Graeme MacQueen Academic Grant

This grant was initially established in 2012 by Paul McArthur ’88 and Susan McArthur in recognition of their friend Graeme MacQueen, who taught at McMaster from 1974 to 2003 and was the founding director of the Centre for Peace Studies.

The $3,000 award, which goes to a high-achieving student in the Global Peace and Social Justice program who demonstrates financial need, has now been revitalized in memory of MacQueen, who passed away in April of 2023.

The Gwen Hoover Memorial French Award

Les MacDonald, along with family and friends, established this award in 2023 in memory of his wife, Gwen Hoover ’72, who was a dedicated supporter of the arts, a loving wife and mother, and a champion for Canadian literature.

Students enrolled in a French program who attain high averages will be eligible for this $3,000 award.

The Peter and Judy Smith Academic Grant

This award was established in 2023 by Peter Smith ’65 in memory of his wife, Judy, with whom he shared a passion for teaching and a love of languages.

To encourage the study of languages, this $1,000-$2,000 award will be given to undergraduate students who have completed a minimum of six units in one or more Romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish), have attained a high level of academic achievement and demonstrate financial need.

Margaret and Ed Lyons Scholarship

Building on the Lyons family’s philanthropic legacy at McMaster, this award will go to undergraduate students enrolled in the Faculty of Humanities or Social Sciences who are actively involved in the performing arts at McMaster.

To find out more about Faculty of Humanities Awards, go to the Student Experience Office website.

For information on how to apply, go to the Office of the Registrar’s website.