The Graduate School is grateful to the support offered by the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation (CSCHF) (formerly known as the Portage Health Foundation) for our graduate students. Graduate Assistantships provide one semester of support to PhD candidates. These assistantships are available through the generosity of the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD talent in health-oriented research areas. Applicants must be a catalyst for promoting and improving the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon communities through one of the following:

  • health research and technology development
  • health education or preventive and wellness initiatives
  • rural healthcare access, informatics, and assessment of care

Eligibility

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:

  1. Must be a PhD student conducting a research or outreach project that will promote and/or improve the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon communities.
  2. Must be a PhD candidate at the time of application.
  3. Must be 2 years after starting the graduate program at the time of application.
  4. Must not be a prior recipient of a CSCHF (formerly PHF) Graduate Assistantship.
  5. Preference will be given to applicants with long-standing local connections to Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, or Ontonagon county.

Previous recipients of a CSCHF Graduate Assistantship are not eligible to reapply.

Application Procedure

Nominations for CSCHF Graduate Assistantships will be accepted each fall semester, spring semester, and summer session, for funding in the next semester, pending availability of funds.

Pre-proposal

All PhD students interested in applying for summer 2024 CSCHF Graduate Assistantships must submit a pre-proposal on google forms no later than 4pm on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. In addition to requesting demographic information, the form will require answers to the following two questions:

  • Describe the impact and significance of your health research on our local community. (2000 character limit)
  • Describe your contributions to the community through community engagement and/or volunteering. (2000 character limit)

PhD students who meet the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation's criteria will be invited to submit a full application no later than February 6, 2024.

Full Application

Invited PhD students will prepare an application package that consists of the following items in a single, static, PDF file. Submit the PDF file to our google form no later than 4 p.m. on March 5, 2024.

  1. A complete application form. Please use Microsoft Word on a Mac or PC to complete the form.
  2. A letter of support from the advisor and/or co-advisor.* The letter should:
    1. provide concrete information indicating what portion of the research and writing has been completed,
    2. describe the financial need of the candidate,
    3. describe the scholarly contribution of the student to published articles, and
    4. describe the significance of the research and impact to local community so that a panel of faculty and Portage Health Foundation board members can understand the impact and significance of the research.

      *If the advisor and/or co-advisor prefer to maintain confidentiality, this letter may be submitted to our google form as a PDF file.

  3. A letter from the department chair, college dean, or PI outlining the 1:1 match for requested funds. Tuition support from the department or another funding source can be applied towards the match. This information can be included in the advisor's support letter only if the advisor is providing the matching funds.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated by the CSCHF Graduate Assistantship review panel. Applications will be evaluated on:

  1. The impact and significance of the research on our local community.
  2. The ability of the applicant to be a catalyst for promoting and improving the overall health of Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon communities through one of the following:
    • health research and technology development
    • health education or preventive and wellness initiatives
    • rural healthcare access, informatics, and assessment of care
  3. The candidate's contributions toward The Michigan Tech Plan now and their potential to make contributions in the future.
  4. The candidate's contributions to the community through community engagement and/or volunteering.
  5. The applicant's need for financial support.

Priority will be given to applicants originally from Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, or Ontonagon counties and that intend to complete their degree during the funding period.

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the panel's decision within three weeks of the due date.

Recipients

Recipients will be asked to:

  • Write a thank-you note to the sponsor of the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation.
  • Attend and participate in relevant Michigan Tech/community health forums and presentations.
  • Acknowledge CSCHF support in resulting research publications and presentations.
  • Provide a final report to Michigan Tech to include in its report to the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation.
  • Provide a personal photo and personal statement to the University that helps us introduce the recipient to the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation Board.
    • By providing this photo, the recipient allows the University to share it with the CSCHF Board, include on the Graduate School's webpage, include in print publications (including newspapers), share it on social media, and/or other press releases. Students may request to be excluded from inclusion on the webpage or other press releases.