Senator Robert Morgan Papers Student Research Award

This award honors Senator Robert Morgan’s legacy as a North Carolina and national leader, advocate for ECU, and outstanding civil servant. The award is intended to raise public awareness of the Robert Morgan Papers, encourage their use, and recognize student excellence.

Submissions will be judged by a committee that includes former associates and/or family members of Senator Morgan. One award of $1,000 will be made.

Topics can include Criminal Justice, Education, History, Political Science, Sociology, or any other field covered by the Morgan Papers.


Award Criteria

  • Open to undergraduate and graduate students at ECU and to students in the Innovation Early College High School located on the ECU campus.
  • Student must be enrolled at ECU or the Innovation Early College High School at the time the work is submitted. Students may enter even if their anticipated graduation date is before the date the award is made.
  • Submissions may be traditional papers or digital projects. Papers should be no less than 2,500 words in length and should be submitted with a bibliography. Digital projects should be submitted in the form of a PDF or Microsoft Word document that includes a written summary of work (250-500 words), identification of scholarly objectives, a link/URL to the completed project, and a bibliography.
  • Materials contained in the Robert Morgan Papers, located in Special Collections, J.Y. Joyner Library, must be the focus of the submitted work, although other works can be used and cited.
  • Submitted works will be judged based on (a) quality of research; (b) quality of writing and/or presentation, including documentation; and (c) overall excellence.
  • Possible topics include, but are not limited to, law enforcement and its professionalization, consumer protection, anti-trust legislation, establishment of the medical school at ECU, mental health, public health, the Democratic party in North Carolina, the environment, agriculture, the rights of people with disabilities, and Morgan’s service in the NC General Assembly.
  • The recipient of the award must agree to allow their work to be added to the ECU Libraries institutional repository for public use by using this applicant information form.

Submission Instructions

Entrants must submit projects electronically as a PDF or Microsoft Word document by Friday, May 10, 2024. Additionally, entrants must submit the applicant information form. All submissions should be sent as email attachments to Jan Lewis at lewisja@ecu.edu.