Seven students named ALA 2015 Spectrum Scholars

Seven GSLIS master's students have been named 2015 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA). Established in 1997, the Spectrum Scholarship Program was created to promote diversity among graduate-level library school students. Each master's-level scholar receives $5,000 from the ALA as well as over $1,500 toward professional development opportunities. In addition, GSLIS provides each scholar with a tuition waiver. Illinois residents who are recipients of the Spectrum Scholarship also receive a grant from the Sylvia Murphy Williams Fund, given by the Illinois Library Association (ILA).

The Spectrum Scholarship recipients at Illinois are:

  • Vivian Alvarez (ALSC Scholar in honor of Ellen Fader)
  • Anna Buck
  • Ariel Gonzalez
  • Erik Ponder (ProQuest Scholar)
  • Jennifer Smith
  • Alice Son (YALSA Scholar)
  • Brittany Viesca (Giles Scholar)
Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Chin receives NSF CAREER award

Assistant Professor Jessie Chin has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award to support lifelong learning and foster information literacy. This prestigious award is given in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Chin’s project, “Search as a Mechanism for Learning,” will be supported by a five-year, $629,451 grant from the NSF.

Jessie Chin

Hassan selected for IAPP Westin Scholar Award

PhD student Muhammad Hassan has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree. The annual awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. 

Muhammad Hassan

iSchool to present research at the Digital Humanities 2025 conference

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will present their research at DH2025, the annual conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO), which will take place on July 14–18 in Lisbon, Portugal. The digital humanities (DH) conference is the largest event of the international DH community and unites scholars from across the globe. 

2025 ISAA Annual Awards announced

iSchool Alumni Association (ISAA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual awards, which were presented at an alumni reception during the 2025 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition.

Zalot defends dissertation

PhD candidate Andrew Zalot successfully defended his dissertation, "'Tweet of the Town:' Synthesizing Local and Social Media Discourse on Book Bans," on July 3.

Andrew Zalot