Eugene P. Ruehlmann Scholarship

Purpose:

Gene Ruehlmann graduated from the Department of Political Science at UC in 1947 and went onto a distinguished career in public service. From 1967-1971, Mr. Ruehlmann was Mayor of Cincinnati and was the driving force behind the construction of Riverfront Stadium, the plaza at Fountain Square, and bringing the Bengals to Cincinnati. In 1968, when riots tore apart Cincinnati neighborhoods, he was credited with helping to heal the wounds and creating city programs to deal with unemployment and housing discrimination. The Ruehlmann Scholarship is meant to honor this great civic legacy. This award supports a current School of Public and International Affairs student, who is committed to excellence as a Political Science major.

Eligibility to apply (AY 2022-2023):

1. Declared major in Political Science
   
2. Demonstrated financial need via FASFA.

Although every student who fits the criteria above is invited to apply, preference will be given to applicants who have completed the introductory courses in Political Science (e.g. 1010, 1040, 1060, 1080, 1090) and POL 1001, and have accrued no less than 15 and no more than 60 college credit hours.

Note that the application process includes:

1. Statement of purpose (250 words or less) indicating that the student is a POL major and intends to continue studies in their major, explain his or her primary interests and plans, state that he or she is applying for the Ruehlmann Scholarship and also authorizes the school to confirm through the university his or her financial need via FASFA;
2. An essay discussing a public policy issue that interests most the applicant as a political science major (500 words or less). As part of the discussion, students should relate some aspect of their political science coursework to the policy issue;
3. Optional statement of community involvement (250 words or less);
4. A letter of reference from a faculty member (preferably in Political Science). Your application will be considered complete only after we receive your letter of recommendation. Students should instruct faculty members to send the letter electronically online or to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Andrew Lewis at: Andrew.Lewis@uc.edu.

The application process for academic year 2022-2023 opens December 10, 2021. The deadline to apply for the Ruehlmann Fellowship is April 16, 2023. The statement of purpose (#1), the public policy essay (#2) and optional statement of community involvement (#3) should be submitted online via the centralized scholarship application system: ScholarshipUniverse. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Dr. Andrew Lewis (Andrew.Lewis@uc.edu). 

The School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Committee reviews all applications and makes a decision by end of April. The award is announced by the end of April and granted for the academic year beginning in August.  

The Eugene P. Ruehlmann Papers 1956-69 (http://uclid.uc.edu/record=b3271334) are housed in the University of Cincinnati Library and is a collection of over 100 boxes of material open to research on city politics. The collection includes professional papers, campaign records, Cincinnati City Council materials, correspondence, and files on the Cincinnati ballpark (Riverfront Stadium).