Michael Handelsman has been named the faculty director of the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSF) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Handelsman, a professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, will help students apply for nationally competitive awards such as the Fulbright, Goldwater, Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Udall, and Gates-Cambridge scholarships.
The office reports to Ruth Darling, assistant provost for student success, and is located in Melrose Hall. Handelsman will work closely with Rebekah Page, assistant director of ONSF and the Chancellor’s Honors Program. Handelsman will continue to teach a reduced number of classes.
“Our approach goes beyond just assisting students with the process of applying for scholarships and fellowships,” Handelsman said. “We aim to help students understand that their education is really about developing their full potential as socially responsible citizens, which is the principal expectation embraced by the sponsors of the major scholarships and fellowships.”
To help them develop that potential, Handelsman said, the office will work with students early in their academic careers, providing information and encouragement for study-abroad experiences, internships, community service, and service-learning projects.
“When our students apply for a Fulbright or Rhodes or other scholarship their junior or senior year, it’s really the culmination of years of advising, teaching, and nurturing,” he said.
For more information, visit the ONSF website at http://onsf.utk.edu/.